Norman Granz and Ella Fitzgerald In the fall of 1953, Norman Granz began having serious discussions with Ella Fitzgerald about

Norman Granz and Ella Fitzgerald
In the fall of 1953, Norman Granz began having serious discussions with Ella Fitzgerald about becoming her personal manager. Her long-term contract with Moe Gale was about to expire in December of that year. Despite the fact that Ella was dissatisfied with Gale’s representation in many respects, she was still afraid to leave him, and reluctant to sign with Granz. Norman then proposed that he represent her, with no contract and no commissions, for one year, as a trial. When Ella’s contract with Gale terminated, she did not re-sign with him, and associated herself with Granz. (As a parting gift to Ella, Gale did not pay the taxes due on her JATP earnings. Granz, as an additional consideration to Ella, paid those taxes.) Granz took over her personal management, and immediately began working to increase Ella’s profile as a great singer, and increase her asking prices. He was very successful in doing both. He remained Ella’s personal manager for the next forty-plus years, never having a written contract with her.

“I’d been thinking for years about taking over Ella’s personal management. … Ella was afraid. She thought I was too much of a blow-top,” Granz reflected. “So I told her it was a matter of pride with me, that she still hadn’t been recognized—economically, at least—as the greatest singer of our time. I asked her to give me a year’s trial, no commission, but she wound up insisting on paying the commission. We had no contract. Mutual love and respect was all the contract we needed.” In 2001, he added, “I didn’t claim to be the only manager. I never had a contract with Ella or Oscar [Peterson] or Basie or Duke. I told Ella, if you want the luxury of saying, ‘Norman, I quit,’ you’re off. Go for yourself, but I want the luxury of quitting you, too. So we had a nice relationship. Ella lasted for maybe 40 or 45 years, Oscar well over 50.” After she agreed to go with Granz, he satisfied an IRS debt that Gale had allowed to pile up and that the government was pressing to settle. The changing of the guard was at hand.


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