Ella Jenkins | |
---|---|
Birth name | Ella Louise Jenkins |
Born | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | August 6, 1924
Origin | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Died | November 9, 2024 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | (aged 100)
Genres | Folk, children's music |
Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
Instruments | Ukulele, harmonica |
Years active | 1951–2017 |
Labels | Folkways Records Smithsonian Folkways |
Website | www |
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]