"You never know how a room feels, what a crowd is going to react to. You have to find out when you're standing out there singing the first time."

Ella Fitzgerald sings at Downbeat in New York City, while an adoring Dizzy Gillespie looks on. Also pictured are then-husband Ray Brown and Milt Jackson {far background}.

William P. Gottlieb | Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Div. | PD-US | http://www.loc.gov/item/gottlieb.02851/ |

The Apollo Theater still hosts Amateur Nights, which Ralph Cooper started in 1934 ~ the year Ella won first place and launched her 60-year career. She was only 15. The Amateur Night performances were broadcast live on WMCA and 21 stations around the country.

Chefneal | CC BY-SA 3.0 | http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harlem_125th_St-_the_historical_Apollo_theater_with_James_Brown_Diana_Ross_and_Supremes_the_Jackson_five_digitation_Stevie_wonder_and_many_many_many_great_great_performance_was_born_2013-10-07_23-46.jpg |