Ella Jenkins
August 6, 1924 – November 9, 2024
A pioneering American singer-songwriter and a beloved figure in children’s music. Often referred to as the “First Lady of Children’s Music,” Jenkins was a trailblazer in the folk and children’s music genres, creating a lasting legacy with her engaging and educational songs. Her influential 1995 album, Multicultural Children’s Songs, remains one of the most successful releases from Smithsonian Folkways. Over her 67-year career, Jenkins not only became a staple on children’s television programs but also helped to elevate children’s music into a respected genre within the music industry. Her contributions were recognized in 2004 when she received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, cementing her role in shaping the future of children’s music. Jenkins’ work continues to inspire generations, demonstrating the power of music in education and cultural exchange.
Ella Jenkins was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1924 to Annabelle and Obadiah Jenkins. At the age of four, she moved to Chicago with her mother and older brother. Raised in lower-middle-class neighborhoods on the south side of Chicago, Jenkins was exposed to diverse musical influences from a young age. Her family, adherents of Christian Science, had eclectic musical tastes, and Jenkins developed an early appreciation for music. Her uncle Floyd Johnson introduced her to the harmonica and the blues, and as she moved between neighborhoods, she absorbed new children’s games, rhymes, and rhythms. Gospel music was prevalent in her community, and she was influenced by the live broadcasts from neighborhood churches. Jenkins also enjoyed tap dancing lessons and attended performances by renowned artists such as Cab Calloway and Count Basie, who sparked her interest in call-and-response singing.
Jenkins graduated from DuSable High School in 1942 and worked in clerical positions at the Wrigley Company and the University of Chicago. Encouraged by three coworkers, she returned to school in 1945 at Woodrow Wilson Junior College, where she became fascinated by music from other cultures. She graduated in 1947 with an associate’s degree. Jenkins was also an avid table tennis player and won the Chicagoland Women’s Table Tennis Championship in 1948. She later attended Roosevelt University and then transferred to San Francisco State University, where she immersed herself in the cultural diversity of her surroundings. She earned her BA in Sociology in 1951, with minors in Child Psychology and Recreation.
Music Career
Jenkins began her music career by writing songs for children while volunteering in Chicago’s recreation centers. She also performed at local folk clubs and in 1952, became the Teenage Program Director for the YWCA. In 1956, she was invited to perform on The Totem Club, a children’s program on WTTW, Chicago’s PBS station, where she soon became a regular host. This made her one of the first African-American television hosts in the country. Her show featured musical guests from diverse cultural backgrounds, such as Odetta and Big Bill Broonzy, and introduced young audiences to different musical traditions.
In the same year, Jenkins decided to pursue music full-time, a decision that led her to meet folklorist Kenneth S. Goldstein. Encouraged by him, she recorded a demo tape, which reached Moses Asch, the founder of Folkways Records. Asch was receptive to her work, and in 1957, Jenkins released her first album, Call-and-Response: Rhythmic Group Singing. This marked the beginning of her fruitful collaboration with Folkways. In the early 1960s, Jenkins also hosted a radio show, Meetin’ House, and began working with the School Assembly Service, where she developed a program called “Adventures in Rhythm” that she performed in schools across the country. She faced significant racism during this time, but she remained committed to her mission of using music as a tool for education and social change.
In 1964, Jenkins performed at the Illinois Rally for Civil Rights, and by the late 1960s, she had established a business partnership with Bernadelle Richter, who handled the commercial side of her career. Jenkins also began holding music workshops for educators, sharing her methods of teaching rhythm and song.
Wider Recognition and Later Years
In the 1980s, Jenkins gained wider recognition through appearances on Sesame Street and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. She was also featured in a special on Martin Luther King Jr. in 1985 and performed on major national television shows, such as The Today Show and Barney & Friends. Jenkins’s career as a performer and educator took her to all seven continents, including Antarctica, where she shared her music and learned from diverse cultures. She performed at major events like the Millennium Celebration in 2000 and the Smithsonian’s 150th Birthday Party in 1996. Jenkins also served as a cultural ambassador, representing the U.S. at events in Hong Kong, China, and the former Soviet Union, in collaboration with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Her dedication to children’s music, her contributions to educational programming, and her international performances solidified her legacy as a leading figure in folk and children’s music. Jenkins celebrated her 100th birthday in 2024 with a special event at Ella Jenkins Park in Chicago, and she passed away on November 9, 2024 at the age of 100.
Ella Jenkins earned the title “First Lady of Children’s Song” for her pioneering contributions to the genre. Prior to her work, children’s music in the United States was mainly limited to simplified versions of classical compositions, often with cartoonish elements. Jenkins helped redefine this genre, leaving a lasting impact on subsequent children’s musicians, including figures like Dan Zanes.
In February 2024, A Life of Song: The Story of Ella Jenkins, The First Lady of Children’s Music, a children’s picture book about Jenkins’ life, was released by Gloo Books. Written by Ty-Juana Taylor, the book highlights how Jenkins used music to bring people together, especially during divisive moments in history like the Civil Rights Movement. The book is illustrated by Jade Johnson.
In addition to the picture book, an academic biography of Jenkins is expected to be published by Gayle F. Ward through the University of Chicago Press in 2025, further cementing her legacy in both children’s music and cultural history.
Awards and Honors
Honored as an Honorary Citizen of Louisville, Kentucky (1979, International Year of the Child)
Received the Governor’s Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Chicago Chapter (1989)
For her contributions to children’s music and performanceAwarded the Pioneer in Early Television Citation by the National Museum of American History (1990).
1991 – Parents’ Choice Award – Come Dance By the Ocean
1992 – National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship (the highest honor for traditional artists in the U.S.)2004 – Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
1995 – American Academy of Children’s Entertainment – Best Variety Performer Award
1999 – American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) – Lifetime Achievement Award
2000 – AFIM Indie Awards – Children’s Music – A Union of Friends Pulling Together – Honorable Mention
2004 – Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
2005 – Grammy Awards – Best Musical Album for Children
2006 – Named a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts
2008 – Inducted into the Chicago Hall of Fame
2010 – Awarded the Children’s Music Award by the American Library Association
Living Legends for Service to Humanity Award (2011
2012 – Association for Library Service to Children – Notable Children’s Recordings – Ella Jenkins: A Life of Song
2014 – Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chicago Folk Club
Other Honorary Awards
- Honorary Citizen of Louisville, Kentucky (1979, International Year of the Child)
- National Academy of Recordings Arts and Sciences, Chicago Chapter, Governor’s Award (1989) – Contribution to children’s recording and performance
- Pioneer in Early Television Citation – National Museum of American History (1990)
- Proclamation of Ella Jenkins Day (December 12, 1992) – Chicago
- Kohl Lifetime Achievement Award (1994)
- Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters – Erikson Institute (2004)
- Inducted into the San Francisco State University Alumni Hall of Fame (2004)
- Fellow Award in Music – United States Artists (2009)
- Living Legends for Service to Humanity Award (2011)
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Time Out Chicago’s Hipsqueak Awards
- Fifth Star Award – City of Chicago (2015)
- National Heritage Fellowship – National Endowment for the Arts (2017)
- Ella Jenkins Park – Site of celebration for her 100th birthday (2024)