Ella Fitzgerald on Stamp

The U.S. Postal Service will honor Ella Fitzgerald as the 30th inductee into its Black Heritage stamp series. Fitzgerald was widely known as "The First Lady of Song". Her extraordinary vocal range and flexibility, combined with her gift for pitch, rhythmic sense, and flawless diction, made her a favorite of fans, songwriters and other singers. The stamp image is a portrait based on a photograph taken circa 1956 that captures the joy and excitement that Fitzgerald brought to music.

The Postal Service began issuing its popular Black Heritage stamp series in 1978 with a stamp honoring Harriet Tubman. Ella Fitzgerald joins a long list of legendary African-American leaders, inventors, educators, scientists, entrepreneurs, entertainers, and athletes, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Marian Anderson, Malcolm X, and Madam C.J. Walker, who have appeared in the stamp series. Art director, Ethel Kessler, lauds the stamp portrait of Fitzgerald by illustrator Paul Davis of New York for the way it captures the joy and excitement she brought to music. The stamp ceremony will take place Wed., Jan. 10, 2007 at The Allen Room in Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, NY.

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