“Who influenced me? There was only one singer who influenced me. I tried to sing like her all the time, because everything she did made sense musically, and that singer was Connie Boswell.”

—Ella Fitzgerald

They were special. They were unique. And although they were born elsewhere, Martha, Connie, and Helvetia “Vet” Boswell were pure New Orleans.

Martha Boswell

July 9, 1905 – July 2, 1958

Connie...