Hidden Figures: Ella Jenkins #BlackHERstoryMonth 25/28 (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Ella Jenkins #BlackHERstoryMonth 25/28

If you enjoy my work, please consider supporting! CashApp: $SerenSensei Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei Ella Jenkins (born August 6, 1924) is an American folk singer. Dubbed "The First Lady of the Children's Folk Song,” she has been a leading performer of children's music for over fifty years; her album 'Multicultural Children's Songs' is the most popular Smithsonian Folkways release. In 2004, she received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Jenkins is 96 years old, and still performing. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Chicago. Although she received no formal musical training, an uncle introduced her to the harmonica and the blues. Her family frequently moved, and, as she lived in different neighborhoods, she learned new children's rhythms, rhymes and games. She also took tap dancing lessons and viewed such performers as Cab Calloway and Count Basie; Calloway is the person who she credits with getting her interested in call and response singing, which is a staple technique in Black American music going back to American Chattel Slavery. Jenkins began writing songs for children while volunteering in recreation centers, and was hired as a Teenage Program Director for the YWCA in 1952. While working at the YWCA, she was invited to perform music on the Chicago public television show, The Totem Club, and was soon offered a regular job as the host of its Thursday music program. On the show, she performed original compositions as well as inviting guests from diverse cultures to share their music. In 1956, Jenkins decided to become a full-time freelance children’s musician. She began by touring school assemblies in the United States, where she often encountered racial discrimination. As she performed in more varied venues, she began to write music about her experiences. She also began to incorporate nursery rhymes, Black American folk songs, and rhythmic chants in her music along with her original songs. Jenkins also began to utilize the call and response technique picked up from Cab Calloway as a way to promote group participation in the songs amongst children. Also in 1956, she took a demo tape to Moses Asch, the founder of Folkways Records; Asch was receptive to her music and in 1957, her first album, Call-And-Response: Rhythmic Group Singing, was released. Since then, Folkways Records and it’s successor, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, have released 39 albums by Jenkins. Her 1995 album Multicultural Children's Songs is the most popular Smithsonian Folkways release to date. Jenkins is credited with popularizing folk music for children, and is also one of the first musicians to have a viable career doing children’s music. Over the course of her career, Jenkins picked up the ukulele, the pipe organ, the harmonica and a wide variety of percussion instruments, in addition to singing. As a performer and educator, Jenkins has traveled all over the world, performing her songs on all seven continents. She has also made numerous appearances on children’s television shows, including Barney and Friends, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and Sesame Street. Her albums 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. She has also received a Pioneer in Early Television citation for work. #HiddenFigures #EllaJenkins ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren https://www.shophouseof950.com/embroidery-tees/theblackamericans https://www.shophouseof950.com/embroidery-tees/dacs?rq=d.a.c.s Follow me on social media! Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Personal Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Tumblr for my work: https://sssseren.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: https://ellajenkins.com Ella Jenkins: The First Lady of Children's Music: https://music.si.edu/story/ella-jenkins-first-lady-childrens-music Ella Jenkins: Still Making Friends: https://www.npr.org/2011/02/28/134130732/ella-jenkins-still-making-friends Chicago celebrates Ella Jenkins' 90 years: https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/parenting/chi-ella-jenkins-celebrates-90th-birthday-story.html Ella Jenkins: https://archive.storycorps.org/interviews/ella-jenkins/ Ella Jenkins is still thrilling kids at age 86: https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2011/02/ella_jenkins_is_still_thrillin.html