Photo Credit: B. Richter
Ella Jenkins, the iconic “First Lady of Children’s Music,” died Saturday (Nov. 9) at 100 years old. Her publicist told ABC 7 Chicago that Jenkins passed away at a senior facility in Chicago.
Jenkins, who grew up on Chicago’s South Side, was born in St. Louis on Aug. 6, 1924.
Her family moved often, which exposed her to various rhythms, rhymes, and games unique to each neighborhood. She learned to make music from the world around her—oatmeal boxes, wastebaskets, pots. An uncle who played harmonica sparked her interest in rhythm, and by college, Jenkins had grown into a skilled musician.
After studying in San Francisco, Jenkins returned to Chicago, working in community centers and at the YWCA, creating songs for children.
In 1956, she appeared on the children’s television show Totem Club on WTTW Channel 11, a break that led to her own segment, This is Rhythm. Jenkins’ work, rooted in African-American call and response, reintroduced songs like “Miss Mary Mack” and “One Potato, Two Potato” to young audiences, connecting them to the playful traditions of American folklore.
Her first recording, Call and Response, was released in 1957 on Folkways Records. It became a bestseller and never left print. Jenkins became the best-selling artist in the history of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, surpassing legends like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.
Over her career, Jenkins received numerous honors, including lifetime achievement awards from ASCAP and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, a Pioneer in Early Television Citation, and a United States Artists Fellowship. The Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage recognized her as a Legacy Honoree, one of just twelve individuals.
Professor Gayle Wald, a professor of American studies at George Washington University and the author of a biography on Jenkins, said this about the musician in an August New York Times report: “She found this way of introducing children to sometimes very difficult topics and material but with a kind of gentleness. She never lied to them. She certainly never talked down to them.”
Jenkins helped change children’s music, blending tradition and innovation. Her songs and simple rhythms, now shared across generations, remain a testament to her legacy of cultural storytelling.
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