Known as "The First Lady of Song" and "The First Lady of Jazz," Ella Fitzgerald was admired as one of the finest jazz singers of all time. With unparalleled singing abilities, it is a wonder that her first passion was not singing, but rather, dancing. It is said, that she once wrote, "I never considered myself a singer. My real ambition was to dance." Her musical skills were discovered quite by accident at the age of 15, when she entered a contest at the Apollo Theatre's amateur night. She had planned on dancing that night, but as fait would have it her legs froze. As the audience laughed, she had to do something, and decided to sing a song called "The Object of My Affection." To everyone's surprise, she rendered the room silent, there was no laughing now and when she finished her song, the applause were unprecedented. After three encores, she won the $25 prize and the hearts of all in the theatre. That was the first of an outstanding number of awards she would win during her lifetime.

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http://www.greatwomen.org/ftzgld.htm
http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?z=1&pg=2&ti=00B40000
http://lcweb.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9708/web/ella.html

 

Janis Joplin was an American blues singer who became known for her wild and intense musical style. Her powerful performances overwhelmed listeners and she became the primary, white female blues singer of the 1960's. She was born on January 19, 1943 in Port Arthur, Texas and attended Lamar State College of Technology and the University of Texas at Austin. She dropped out in 1963 in order to pursue her singing career. Prepared with her raw, soulful voice and uninhibited physical movements, Janis Joplin stunned the masses and accomplished what many thought was unachievable by a white singer. Unfortunately, her abuse of drugs and alcohol lead to an overdose on October 4, 1970. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.