Ella Jenkins facts for kids

Ella Louise Jenkins was an amazing American singer and songwriter. She was often called "The First Lady of the Children's Folk Song." Ella became a top performer of folk music and songs for kids. Her album, Multicultural Children's Songs (1995), is one of the most popular releases from Smithsonian Folkways. She also appeared on many children's TV shows. In 2004, she even received a special Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Ella Jenkins helped make children's music a serious and important type of music. She showed that it was valuable for both artists and the music industry.

Ella Jenkins' Early Life

Ella Jenkins was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1924. She grew up in Chicago, Illinois, in neighborhoods where many families were not rich. Her family were Christian Scientists and loved all kinds of music. Ella learned a lot about music just by being around it, even though she never had formal music lessons.

Musical Influences Growing Up

Her uncle, Floyd Johnson, taught her how to play the harmonica. He also introduced her to blues music from famous musicians like T-Bone Walker. As her family moved to different parts of Chicago, Ella learned new rhythms, rhymes, and games from other children. She also heard a lot of gospel music from nearby churches.

Ella enjoyed tap dancing lessons and went to the Regal Theater. There, she saw amazing performers like Cab Calloway. She said Cab Calloway's singing style, called "call and response," made her very interested in it.

College and New Cultures

When Ella went to Woodrow Wilson Junior College, she learned about music from other cultures. Her friends from Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico shared their music with her. In 1951, she earned a degree in Sociology from San Francisco State University. She also studied Child Psychology and Recreation. While there, her roommates taught her songs from Jewish culture. After college, she returned to Chicago in 1951 and started her music career.

Ella Jenkins passed away peacefully in her sleep on November 9, 2024, in Chicago. She was 100 years old.

Ella Jenkins' Music Career

In Chicago, Ella started writing songs for children. She volunteered at recreation centers and later became a director for teenage programs at the YWCA in 1952. While working there, she was invited to perform on a Chicago TV show called The Totem Club. Soon, she got her own regular show called This is Rhythm. On her show, she invited guests from different cultures to share their music.

You Sing a Song and I'll Sing a Song (1966)

Becoming a Full-Time Musician

In 1956, Ella decided to become a full-time musician for children. She traveled all over the United States, performing in school assemblies. She often slept in a different place each night. Sometimes, she even faced unfair treatment because of her race. As she performed in more places, she wrote songs about her experiences.

Later that year, Ella met Kenneth S. Goldstein, a folklorist and record producer. He told her to take a demo tape to Moses Asch, who started Folkways Records. Moses Asch loved her music. In 1957, Folkways released her first album, Call-And-Response: Rhythmic Group Singing.

Recordings and Global Impact

Since then, Folkways Records and Smithsonian Folkways Recordings have released 39 of her albums. One very popular album is You'll Sing a Song and I'll Sing a Song. Her 1995 album, Multicultural Children's Songs, is the most popular Smithsonian Folkways release ever. Ella Jenkins has been important not just for children, but also for parents and music teachers. She gave many workshops for educators and families around the world.

Ella traveled to all seven continents, even Antarctica, sharing her songs. As she traveled, she learned about the cultures, music, and languages of the people she met. Then, she shared these new traditions with her audiences. She also appeared on TV shows like NBC's Today Show and PBS programs such as Barney & Friends and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. She performed at big events like America's Millennium Celebration in 2000. She also worked with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, representing the U.S. in places like China and the former Soviet Union.

Awards for Her Music

Ella Jenkins received many awards for her recordings. Her albums won Parents' Choice awards. She also received two Grammy Award nominations for Best Musical Album for Children. In 2004, she was honored with a special Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Her last album, Camp Songs with Ella Jenkins and Friends, came out in 2017.

Ella Jenkins as an Educator

Ella Jenkins loved children very much. She saw them as honest and down-to-earth people who should be heard. She believed children had a lot to offer. Another music educator, Patricia Sheehan Campbell, said Ella was a leader. She realized early on that children have things to sing about. She knew that songs could help children express themselves. Songs could also teach them about language, their heritage, and different cultures.

Through her songs, Ella hoped to help people understand each other better. She wanted to help them feel the joy of singing and communicating.

Her Diverse Song Repertoire

Ella's songs included nursery rhymes, holiday songs, and songs in two languages. She also sang African-American folk songs, international songs, and rhythmic chants. She even wrote her own songs. She sang in many languages, sharing cultures from all over the world. This helped her audiences learn about different cultures.

The Power of Call-and-Response

Ella used a style called call-and-response singing. This style is found in cultures everywhere, from Greece to West Africa. In call-and-response, a leader sings a phrase, and then everyone else sings a comment or answer. Ella used this to connect with her audience. She turned everyone into a performer!

By encouraging everyone to join in, she created a warm group feeling. It helped people cooperate, pay more attention, and enjoy singing. She also encouraged children to lead songs and make up their own silly sounds. This helped kids think for themselves, develop leadership skills, and be creative. Ella Jenkins gave children a new way to communicate through music. It was a tool they could use and enjoy for their whole lives.

Awards and Recognitions

Ella Jenkins received many important awards for her work:

• Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Foundation (1999). She was the first person in Children's Music and the first woman to get this honor.
• Grammy Nomination for Best Musical Album for Children for Ella Jenkins and a Union of Friends (1999).
• Award from the Music Educators National Conference for supporting 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 Heritage Fellowship recipient (2017).
• A park in Chicago was named The Ella Jenkins Park. It was the site of a celebration for her 100th birthday.

Filmography

• 1991: Ella Jenkins Live at the Smithsonian (VHS, DVD).
• 1991: For the Family! (VHS, DVD).
• 2007: cELLAbration Live! A Tribute to Ella Jenkins (DVD).

See also

• List of centenarians (musicians, composers and music patrons)