Born: 18 October 1919, United States
Died: 23 November 2006
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Anita Belle Colton
The following is republished from the Library of Congress. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
Anita Belle Colton was born on October 18, 1919 in Kansas City, Missouri. Colton left home at age 12 and assumed the stage surname “O’Day” while employed as a walkathon and dance marathon contestant. She began singing professionally at age 19 in taverns around Chicago and earned a reputation for her improvisatory skills and unique vocal qualities. In 1941, O’Day joined the Gene Krupa Orchestra and became an overnight sensation with her hit “Let Me Off Uptown.” She sang with Stan Kenton’s big band from 1944 to 1945 and returned to Krupa’s band from 1945 to 1946. Her career quickly became marred by constant drug use and incarceration, and it was not until the mid-1950s that O’Day’s solo career reformed itself into a commercially successful enterprise. She recorded a string of successful albums with Verve Records and arranger Buddy Bregman, including Anita and Pick Yourself Up. O’Day continued to perform to rave reviews, appearing at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958 and actively touring throughout the United States, Japan (1964), and Europe (circa 1970). Her performance of “Tea for Two” in Bert Stern’s documentary Jazz on a Summer’s Day (1958) is widely regarded as one of the finest jazz performances on film. In 1972, she established her own record label, Anita O’Day Records.
A period of mediocre gigs in the 1970s ended with O’Day’s 1976 residency at the New York nightclub Hopper’s and recruitment of savvy manager and press agent Alan Eichler. Strong reviews for appearances at Studio One’s Backlot further revived her career and contributed to the eventual penning of her autobiography, High Times, Hard Times in 1981. O’Day launched the record label Emily in the early 1980s with Elaine and John Poole, the latter being her longtime drummer and former live-in partner. She performed at Carnegie Hall in 1985 in celebration of her fiftieth year in jazz and continued to actively record and tour until 1996, when an accident and subsequent mistreatment hospitalized her for over two years. O’Day resumed performances thereafter, celebrating her eightieth birthday with an appearance at Hollywood’s Palladium. She died from pneumonia on November 23, 2006, in Los Angeles.
The following is republished from the National Endowment for the Arts. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
Anita O’Day’s unique sound and swinging rhythmic sense put her in the upper echelon of jazz singers, as skillful with ballads as with scatting and liberal interpretations of standard songs. Her career spanned the late swing and bebop eras, inspiring many singers who followed her, such as June Christy, Chris Connor, and Helen Merrill. She began her performing career as a ballroom dance contest winner in the 1930s, which is when she adopted the stage name O’Day. At 19, she began singing professionally in clubs around Chicago.
In 1941 she joined Gene Krupa’s big band, recording a memorable duet with Roy Eldridge on “Let Me Off Uptown,” one of the first interracial vocal duets on record. She also may have been the first feminist big band singer, refusing to appear in the standard gown and gloves, instead opting for a band jacket and short skirt. She stayed with the Krupa band until 1943. In 1944 she joined Stan Kenton’s band. She then re-joined Krupa in 1945, remaining there until 1946, when she began a solo career. In the mid-1950s she made a few notable albums for the Verve label, demonstrating the power of her vocals.
In 1958 her appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival, replete with characteristic big hat, caused a sensation. She provided one of the highlights of the subsequent film of the festival, Jazz on a Summer’s Day. From that point on she worked mainly on the club circuit with her own groups.
Always a hit in Japan, she made her first tour there in 1964, returning on several occasions. Frustrated with record label indifference to her artistry, she developed her own record labels. In the 1980s and 1990s, she continued to work the club and jazz festival circuits, including a concert at Carnegie Hall in 1985 to celebrate her 50 years in jazz and notable performances at the Vine Street Bar & Grill in Los Angeles in 1992.
A documentary about the singer’s life, Anita O’Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer, won a 2008 Satellite Award from the International Press Academy.
Selected Discography
The Complete Recordings, 1949-50, Baldwin Street Music, 1949-50
Swings Cole Porter with Billy May, Verve, 1952-59
Anita Sings the Winners, Verve, 1956-62
Anita Sings the Most, Verve, 1957
Rules of the Road, Pablo, 1993