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Anita O'Day

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Anita O'Day, born Anita Belle Colton on 18 October 1919 in Kansas City and raised in Chicago, was an American jazz singer. She began in dance marathons and then sang in clubs in Chicago. There she met the drummer and bandleader Gene Krupa, who hired her in 1941 as the singer of his big band. With him she had hits such as Let Me Off Uptown. Later she sang with Stan Kenton's orchestra. With And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine she reached the American top five in 1944.

Music and breakthrough

In the 1950s came her best-known work at Verve Records, between 1956 and 1964, with records such as Anita in 1956 and Anita Sings the Most in 1958. Her performance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958 brought her a great deal of attention. Heroin addiction led to a near-fatal overdose in 1966, after which she turned her life around. In 1981 her autobiography High Times Hard Times appeared. In 1985 she gave an anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall.

Influence

O'Day was known for her ability to keep up with fast arrangements and for her own way of singing. She treated her voice as an instrument and improvised like a soloist. In this way she became an influential jazz singer of the big band era.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Let Me Off Uptown and notice the conversation between her voice and Roy Eldridge's trumpet. Can you hear how she moves with the rhythm of the band?

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: Artists