Ella Jenkins, Chicago's first lady of children's music, dies at 100

November 11, 2024 9:17 AM

“I got interested in percussion — tapping on tin cans, boxes, knees. I sang. I whistled. Though, `Girls don’t whistle,’ my mother told me.” Recognized with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award in 2004, she was known by generations of children for her folk songs, featuring simple tunes and call and response lyrics. Among her many honors, she is a featured artist in the Smithsonian Folkways collection. A forthcoming biography entitled This Is Rhythm Ella Jenkins, Children’s Music, and the Long Civil Rights Movement will come out in April. There is also a documentary in the works.
posted by merriment (15 comments total)

I saw Ella live in concert in Cleveland when I was so small and her records are still being played for my little niece and nephew today.
posted by merriment at 9:19 AM on November 11

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I barely have any recollections of it, but my first ever field trip in kindergarten was to see Ella Jenkins perform at the (old) John Hancock building in Boston.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 9:23 AM on November 11

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posted by BigHeartedGuy at 9:29 AM on November 11

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posted by jonp72 at 10:53 AM on November 11

Ella Jenkins appeared on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood 8 times; her first appearance was in 1974:

Mister Rogers shares a picture of Ella Jenkins -- a children's musician who is staying with his family at his real home. With him, he has brought a few of her instruments which she plays as she sings when she arrives a minutes later.

What a generous and beautiful life she lived.

Thank you for helping us remember her, merriment.
posted by kristi at 11:37 AM on November 11 [1 favorite]

Really nice person. I use some recordings, as for instance, stop and go, when I teach young kids. They dig it !
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posted by nicolin at 1:58 PM on November 11

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posted by Lawn Beaver at 3:29 PM on November 11

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posted by JoeXIII007 at 8:23 PM on November 11

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posted by Samarium at 2:27 AM on November 12

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posted by Smart Dalek at 3:20 AM on November 12

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posted by hydra77 at 6:42 AM on November 12

Hearing her sing and strum brings back memories! (My kid is an adult and I haven't listened to these songs in a long time.)
posted by vespabelle at 8:06 AM on November 12

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posted by gkr at 11:04 AM on November 13

I knew of her as a folk singer, but I did not know until I clicked through on the Smithsonian Folkways page that I am not the first person to write a song about a city in Florida just because the name has an interesting sound (hers is about Okeechobee, mine is about Hypoluxo).
posted by Daily Alice at 11:53 AM on November 13

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posted by filtergik at 12:14 AM on November 15