Biography
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Born
6 August 1924
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Born In
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
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Died
9 November 2024 (aged 100)
Ella Jenkins (born Ella Louise Jenkins in St. Louis, Missouri, on 6 August 1924; died 9 November 2024) was an American singer-songwriter remembered for being "The First Lady of the Children's Folk Song". She was a leading performer of folk and children's music, with her album, Multicultural Children's Songs (1995), long being the most popular Smithsonian Folkways release. She appeared on numerous children's television programs and in 2004, she received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
She performed at America's Reunion on the Mall in 1993, America's Millennium Celebration in 2000, and at Smithsonian's 150th Birthday Party on the Mall in Washington, DC in 1996. In collaboration with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, she has acted as a U.S. delegate to Hong Kong, the People's Republic of China, and the former Soviet Union.
As a recording artist, Jenkins gained extensive recognition. Her recordings have received Parents' Choice awards and two Grammy Award nominations in the category of Best Musical Album for Children. In 2004, she was recognized with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Johnson's final album, Camp Songs with Ella Jenkins and Friends, was released in 2017.
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