| Summary: | Folk singer Ella Louise Jenkins was born on August 6, 1924 in St. Louis, Missouri. Growing up in Chicago, Jenkins loved all games, but adored those involving rhythm, movement and music. She earned her A.A. degree from Wilson Junior College in 1947 and her B.A. degree in sociology from San Francisco State College in 1951. In 1956, Jenkins left her job in Chicago to become a professional folk singer, going on to be called "the first lady of children's folk song". She released Call and Response: Rhythmic Group Singing in 1957. Jenkins was honored with a Pioneer in Early Television citation, a salute from the Ravinia Festival, a KOHL Education Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, and Cook County Children's Hospital's Meritorious Service Award. Smithsonian Folkways Records produced more than thirty Jenkins' albums since 1956. Jenkins served as a U.S. delegate to Hong Kong, China and the Soviet Union with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
|
|---|
