One of the finest jazz singers of the 1930's, Connee Boswell (who was always cited by Ella Fitzgerald as her main early influence) originally rose to fame as a member of the Boswell Sisters, one of the premiere jazz vocal groups. Connee contracted polio as an infant and always used a wheelchair although her disability was usually well covered up on stage. Early on she played cello, piano, alto sax and trombone but unfortunately never recorded on any instruments. The three Boswell Sisters (with Martha on piano and Vet on violin) did have an opportunity to perform with the New Orleans Philharmonic but soon they gave up playing their instruments (except for Martha on piano) and chose to work on developing as a vocal group.
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