Means and Method

    Ella Fitzgerald had different tactics of proving herself a successful female singer. When she was young, she loved to sing and dance and would practice frequently. This passion led her to compete in an Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater and win. She gathered fans from just one performance and began entering in as many talent competitions as she could; she won them all. Winning a chance to perform at the Harlem Opera House, she met her future mentor, Chick Webb. He introduced her to many people with good connections in the music industry. She diligently used these connections to get ahead in the business and soon recorded her first song "Love and Kisses" in 1936. Still, she wasn't very well known. Perseverance was what made Fitzgerald's music soar to the top of the charts.
    At the time, traditional jazz was fading and Bebop was becoming popular. Recognizing this, she experimented with the genre and eventually turned it into a form of art. What kept her small fan base interested and listening was how she changed with the times yet, held on to traditional jazz, which was what she started out singing. When she recorded her second song, "A-Tisket, A-Tasket", in 1938, it was a phenomenon. Originally, this was a nursery rhyme, but she was creative enough to adapt it to a song that captivated many. What made the difference in her success was the sound she produced. In "Love and Kisses" it is not as lighthearted as "A-Tisket, A-Tasket", as you can hear if you go to the Videos page. This was what her audience was looking for. The US was slowly heading out of the Great Depression and people were looking for up-beat music to change the mood. The nation was suffering from The Recession of 1937 when Fitzgerald's music became very popular. She was just what people were looking for in those circumstances. Her music was then considered some of the best of the times.  These were the ways that Ella Fitzgerald achieved success in her life.