How does a legend become a legend?

Before she became the First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald was a young girl with a dream and determination, who overcame extraordinary odds. Acclaimed chanteuse Amanda King shares Ella Fitzgerald’s origins, inspirations and music from the 1930s era and her time with the Chick Webb Orchestra, in a swinging show of song and history, Ella The Early Years.

Amanda King is a musical historian and classic chanteuse who performs standards and jazz. Hailed by Stephen Holden in the New York Times as one of the nightclub world’s “exceptional rising talents”, Amanda is vivacious, captivating, and brings to mind the great ladies of song. A love for classic musicals and pre-1950s American music fostered the creation of Ella, The Early Years, a heartwarming and joy-filled musical celebration of Ella Fitzgerald’s beginnings and early career through great music and superb storytelling. A cultural retrospective coupled with a fantastic jazz concert, Ella The Early Years is scalable from trio to big band, entertains as it informs, and is available for workshops* or master classes. A staple in the speakeasy of the famed Las Vegas Mob Museum, Amanda King thrills lovers of vintage Americana of all ages!

*Workshop Topics: History of Jazz and the People Who Made It; Blacks, Jews & Jazz – The Contributions Each Made Creating American Music; Lost Women/Forgotten Songs; The Art of Cabaret