Ella Jenkins

At 99 years old, Ella Jenkins physical status not available right now. We will update Ella Jenkins's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

Ella Jenkins (born August 6,1924) is an American folk singer and actress.

The Wisconsin State Journal has dubbed "The First Lady of the Children's Folk Song" as a leading performer of children's music for over fifty years.

Multicultural Children's Songs (1995) by the artist, Margaret Price, has long been one of the most popular Smithsonian Folkways albums.

She has appeared on several children's television shows, and in 2004, she received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Family and personal life

Jenkins was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in predominantly lower-middle-class communities on Chicago's south side. Despite the fact that she received no formal music education, she benefited from her rich musical environment. T-Bone Walker, Memphis Slim, and Big Bill Broonzy's uncle Floyd Johnson introduced her to the harmonica and the blues of such well-known artists as T-Bone Walker, Memphis Slim, and Big Bill Broonzy. Her family moved around the south side often, and as she went to new places, she discovered new children's rhythms, rhymes, and games. As neighborhood churches broadcast their services out into the streets, gospel music became a part of her soundscape. She also loved tap dancing at the local theater, and she was able to attend Cab Calloway, Count Basie, and Peg Leg Bates. Cab Calloway is the person who credited with her call and response singing's interest. Through her Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican classmates, she became interested in the music of other cultures. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with minors in Child Psychology and Recreation from San Francisco State University in 1951. She learned songs of the Jewish tradition from her roommates here. She resurfaced in Chicago, where she began her career.

Source

Career

Jenkins began writing songs for children while working in recreation centers in Chicago. In 1952, she was hired as the YWCA's Teenage Program Director. She was invited to appear on The Totem Club, a Chicago public television show, when she was working at the YWCA. She was soon offered a regular job as the host of the company's Thursday program, which she described as This Is Rhythm. On her program, she welcomed guests from many cultures to describe their music's rhythms.

Jenkins converted to become a full-time freelance musician in 1956, a dream she has been pursuing for more than 50 years. She began her career as a children's musician touring school assemblies in the United States, often sleeping in a different location each night and facing racial discrimination. She began to write music about her experiences as she performed in more diverse venues. A friend suggested that she carry a demo tape to Moses Asch, the maker of Folkways Records, later this year. Asch was attracted to her music, and Folkways released Call-And-Response: Aristo's first album, a Rhythmic Group Singing, in 1957. Folkways Records and, more recently, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings have released 39 albums, including the hit You'll Sing a Song and I'll Sing a Song. Her 1995 album Multicultural Children's Songs is the most popular Smithsonian Folkways album to date. She has not only been a major influence in children's lives, but also in the lives of parents and fellow music educators. She has spoken at numerous conferences on music education and has held workshops for musicians, parents, and caregivers from around the world.

Jenkins, a singer and educator, has toured extensively, playing her songs on all seven continents (even Antarctica). She travels for not only music and experiences but also learns about the cultures of the people she is visiting, along with her musical traditions and languages, which she then shares with her audiences. In addition, she has appeared on television programs including NBC's Today Show, CNN's Showbiz Today, and PBS' Barney & Friends, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Look at Me, and Sesame Street. She appeared at Reunion on the Mall in 1993, America's Millennium Celebration in 2000, and Smithsonian's 150th Birthday Party on the Mall in Washington, DC in 1996. She has served as a United States ambassador to Hong Kong, the People's Republic of China, and the former Soviet Union in collaboration with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Jenkins has received acclaim as a recording artist. Her albums have been nominated for Parents' Choice and two Grammy Award nominations in the category of Best Musical Album for Children. In 2004, she was named with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Source

Awards

• Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Foundation (First recipient in the field of Children's Music and the first woman selected for the honor) (1999)
• Grammy Nomination for Best Musical Album for Children for Ella Jenkins and a Union of Friends (1999)
• Award from the Music Educators National Conference "in appreciation of her support for music education and the National Association for Music Education" (2000)
• Grammy Association Lifetime Achievement Award (2004)
• Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters from the Erikson Institute (2004)
• Inducted into the San Francisco State University Alumni Hall of Fame (2004)
• Grammy Nomination for Best Musical Album for Children for Sharing Cultures with Ella Jenkins (2005)
• Voted 2005 Chicagoan of the year by Chicago Magazine
• Fellow Award in Music from United States Artists (2009)
• National Endowment for the Arts Grant, with Illinois Arts Council matching grant
• Named Honorary Citizen of Louisville, KY, during The Year of the Child
• National Academy of Recordings Arts and Sciences, Chicago Chapter, Governor's Award, contribution in children's recording and performance
• Proclamation of Ella Jenkins Day (December 12) in Chicago, IL
• American Academy of Children's Entertainment, Best Variety Performer Award
• American Library Association Award
• Fifth Star Award from the City of Chicago (2015)
• National Heritage Fellowship recipient (2017)