Ella Jenkins, ‘The First Lady of Children’s Folk Song,’ Dies at 100

Ella Louise Jenkins, celebrated as the “First Lady of the Children’s Folk Song,” passed away on Nov. 9 at the age of 100.

A visionary in children’s music, Jenkins revolutionized the genre, introducing young audiences to a wealth of global musical traditions and promoting inclusivity through her songs.

Jenkins, born on August 6, 1924, in St. Louis and raised on Chicago’s South Side, grew up immersed in the sounds of blues, gospel, and local singing games that would inspire her groundbreaking work in children’s music.

Introduced to the harmonica and blues by her uncle and captivated by gospel music from neighborhood churches and performances by artists like Cab Calloway, Jenkins developed a passion for diverse musical expressions early on.

Speaking of her early love for music to Smithsonian Mag in 2012, Jenkins said: “I’ve always liked music. Even when I was a child in our neighborhood, we sang and made up rhymes. It was very important to be able to carry a tune and to learn songs.”

“In the neighborhood I grew up in [in Chicago] there was the Regal Theater, which had live entertainment. There were singers and tap dancers — tap dancing really intrigued me. Pretty soon I asked my mother if I could go to one of the centers and learn how to tap dance,” she said, adding that she enjoyed listening to the popular singers of the day.

In the early 1950s, Jenkins started as a YWCA program director before dedicating herself fully to music for young audiences. Her 1957 debut album, Call-And-Response: Rhythmic Group Singing, released through Folkways Records, featured call-and-response chants from the United States and Africa, specially adapted for young children.

Throughout her career, Jenkins released 39 albums, including Multicultural Children’s Songs (1995), which remains the most popular release in the history of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. She performed across all seven continents, sharing and learning about various musical cultures.

Jenkins introduced children to diverse rhythms and languages through songs like “You’ll Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song,” now preserved in the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry. Her approach exemplified a gentle, inclusive way to address subjects like self-worth and acceptance.

Her televised appearances, including on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Barney & Friends and Sesame Street extended her reach to millions of children and families. In 2004, Jenkins received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Jenkins’s influence extended beyond her Grammy nominations and record-breaking sales; she inspired generations of educators, musicians, and families to embrace diversity through music. She passed away peacefully at the Harbors at The Admiral at the Lake, a senior facility in Chicago.