Ella Jenkins

Ella Jenkins
Birth nameElla Louise Jenkins
Born(1924-08-06)August 6, 1924
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
OriginChicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedNovember 9, 2024(2024-11-09) (aged 100)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
GenresFolk, children's music
OccupationSinger-songwriter
InstrumentsUkulele, harmonica
Years active1951–2017
LabelsFolkways Records
Smithsonian Folkways
Websitewww.ellajenkins.com

Ella Louise Jenkins (August 6, 1924 – November 9, 2024) was an American singer-songwriter and centenarian. Called the "First lady of children's music", she was a leading performer of folk and children's music.[1] Her 1995 album Multicultural Children's Songs has long been the most popular Smithsonian Folkways release. She appeared on numerous children's television programs and in 2004, she received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[2][3] According to culture writer Mark Guarino, "across her 67-year career, Jenkins firmly established the genre of children's music as a serious endeavor — not just for artists to pursue but also for the recording industry to embrace and promote."[4]

  1. ^ Graeber, Laurel (August 5, 2024). "How 100-Year-Old Ella Jenkins Revolutionized Children's Music". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  2. ^ "City of Chicago : Fifth Star Bios". chicago.gov. 2015. Archived from the original on May 16, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  3. ^ Abramowitz, Sophie (August 6, 2024). "A Century of Ella Jenkins: Tributes to the First Lady of Children's Music". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  4. ^ Guarino, Mark (August 1, 2024). "Chicago is celebrating the 100th birthday of Ella Jenkins, musician and architect of a social movement". Wbez.org. Retrieved August 4, 2024.

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