Anita O'Day

Anita Belle Colton was born in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, on October 18, 1919, to James and Gladys (née Gill) Colton, both of whom were of Irish ancestry. The family moved to Chicago, Illinois, shortly after her birth. After relocating, her parents divorced and Anita was left in the care of her mother, whom she described in her autobiography as being emotionally distant: "I didn't realize at the time, of course, but she made me feel like I was keeping her from living her life." Each summer, Anita was also sent to her paternal grandparents in Kansas City, where she learned about religion and also took an interest in singing. When she was seven years old, her parents remarried and moved into a larger Chicago apartment that her father won on a round of poker. He also obtained a piano and the family learned to sing harmony together. Her father obtained a job as a printer, but spent most of his paycheck on alcohol, leading to her parents divorcing for the final time. Mrs. Colton sold the piano and moved with her daughter into a one-room Chicago apartment. At school, Colton recalled having difficulties learning to read and was not interested in studying. After being told by a guidance counselor she would only be able to pass one subject, Colton hitchhiked to her grandparents' home in Kansas City. An uncle soon sent her back to Chicago where she returned to living with her mother and her mother's sister (who recently lost all of her finances). At the age of 14, Colton convinced her mother to leave school in order to become a contestant in the popular walkathons as a dancer. In another contest, she was put into a mock wedding which ended abruptly after its promoter ran off. Instead, O'Day and her fellow contests raffled off a baby pig. including winning two Silver Dollars for performing "Is It True What They Say About Dixie?". A truancy officer soon discovered that O'Day was not attending school and sent her back to Chicago when she was 15 but she soon dropped out of school permanently at the age of 16. ==Career==

1936–1946: Early singing and commercial success as a big band vocalist Following leaving school altogether in 1936, O'Day became determined to become a professional singer, She also auditioned as a lead vocalist for Benny Goodman's orchestra, but lost to Helen Forrest. Between March and May 1941, O'Day made 12 recordings in New York City with Krupa and his orchestra. From the recordings came the single, "Georgia on My Mind", which made the top 20 of the US pop chart. It was followed by the US top-10 entry, "Just a Little Bit South of North Carolina". Krupa then hired black trumpeter, Roy Eldridge. His hire signified one of the first examples of racial integration in American popular music. According to O'Day, Eldridge disliked her for consistently "upstaging him" by dancing to his trumpet solos during performances. Nonetheless, Eldridge and O'Day found commercial success with 1941's "Let Me off Uptown", which rose to number ten on the US pop chart. and two of her Krupa hits were turned into soundies that played in American cinemas: "Let Me off Uptown" and "Thanks for the Boogie Ride". Krupa's new manager then convinced O'Day to rejoin his band, which resulted in ten sides recorded between August and October 1945 in New York City. Two of her recordings with the band became top-10 hits on the US pop chart between 1945 and 1946: "Chickery Chick" and "Boogie Blues". "What Is This Thing Called Love?", "How High the Moon" and "I Ain't Gettin' Any Younger". She also appeared with Woody Herman's band and with Count Basie's band at New York's Royal Roost, which resulted in five airchecks. Her 1951 London cover of Patti Page's "Tennessee Waltz" became her only solo release to chart, Mercury Records simultaneously released singles by O'Day during this period including her version of "Vaya Con Dios". During this period, she was arrested for a second time and served a prison sentence. ''Anita O'Day Sings the Winners'' (1958) was another project featuring a larger band and comprised 12 "winning" tracks by jazz artists O'Day admired like Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Dizzy Gillespie. In New York City, she passed a drug test that permitted her and Poole to carry a cabaret card and she appeared at the Village Vanguard in 1958. The same year, she appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival, which was filmed and released on the documentary ''Jazz on a Summer's Day''. The project signified another turning point in O'Day's career by allowing jazz listeners to identify her through a visual medium rather than just on recordings. One of her concerts was recorded in Chicago and released on O'Day's first live Verve disc titled ''Anita O'Day at Mister Kelly's'' (1958). The following year, O'Day made a cameo appearance in the biopic The Gene Krupa Story where she performed "Memories of You". In late 1959, O'Day toured Europe with Benny Goodman's orchestra. Despite O'Day's conflicts with Goodman's onstage competitiveness, she finished out the tour with him that year. O'Day then appeared on television specials such as the Timex All-Star Jazz Show and ''The Swingin' Years, which was hosted by Ronald Reagan. while Trav'lin' Light'' (1961) paid tribute to Billie Holiday. In 1962, O'Day collaborated with Cal Tjader on the Latin-inspired LP, Time for 2 1965–1979: Professional struggles and career relaunch (1974). O'Day felt overshadowed by Verve's more successful jazz artist, Ella Fitzgerald, and asked Granz for a release from her recording contract. Granz did not respond to her request well, giving her $300 and telling her: "Now get out! You're just a couple [referencing John Poole as well] of junkies. You're still under contract to me, and I'll be putting out your albums when you're six feet under." Despite this, she continued performing including an appearance with Duke Ellington in September 1965 at California's Monterey Jazz Festival. She also began touring Japan during this period, In 1970, she performed at the Berlin Jazz Festival O'Day also appeared in the film Zig Zag (also known as False Witness, with George Kennedy) in 1970. O'Day then made a series of studio and live LPs for the Japanese market during the middle 1970s. while Dobre Records issued ''There's Only One'' (1978). In 1976, O'Day begun being managed by Alan Eichler, who created more publicity and new booking deals for her. Eichler got her work at the New York clubs Les Mouches and Marty's while simultaneously starting to write her autobiography. The club work and publicity from Eichler sparked interest from journalists who began reviewing her concerts more frequently. In 1976, The New York Times reviewed her performance at Michael's Pub, comparing her hairstyle to Dolly Parton's and highlighting her use of scat singing. The media attention brought O'Day to the attention of Gene Norman who signed her to his label, GNP Crescendo Records. It resulted in the release of 1979's ''Mello'day, biographer Will Friedwald described as a set of "romantic tunes". Other appearances during this time included a 1978 PBS special called Big Band Bash'', where O'Day performed alongside Johnny Desmond, Warren Covington and Maynard Ferguson. 1980–2006: Media exposure, memoir and final albums In 1980, O'Day appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for the first time and recalled being nervous about performing on the popular program. Her performance caught the attention of 60 Minutes television journalist Harry Reasoner, who received permission from O'Day to record 22 hours of her club work and interview her for the program. The segment aired on the show in 1980 and helped elevate O'Day's record sales during this period. It was followed in 1981 by the release of her autobiography, Hard Times Hard Times. She co-wrote the book with George Eels, who came to her house and recorded her speaking about her life and he put it to words. As described in its epilogue, O'Day recalled having a "mini breakdown" following its release. She cancelled the book's promotional tour and interviews on television like The Today Show. Despite this, the book drew attention from critics like The New York Times which found it to be "in the tradition of the best jazz autobiographies". O'Day and John Poole had founded Emily Records by this point, which was named for her pet Yorkshire Terrier and featured a paw print as the company's logo. The company was partially run by a couple in Connecticut and was distributed nationally through catalogs. The company issue the 1980s live and studio LP's Live at the City (1980), Live at the City: The Second Set (1982), The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1982) and A Song for You (1984). At age 65, O'Day celebrated 50 years as a jazz artist by performing at New York's Carnegie Hall. The performance was taped and released on the live LP ''SS 'Wonderful Big Band Concert 1985. In 1989, the DRG label issued her next studio project titled In a Mellow Tone''. AllMusic's Scott Yanow named it one of best albums in years, while biographer Will Friedwald found it to be "clearly a step down" from previous recordings. The album later brought O'Day her first-ever nomination from the Grammy Awards. In 1993, O'Day reunited with Buddy Bregman for the studio project Rules of the Road, which also featured the Jack Sheldon Orchestra and was issued by Pablo Records. Following a life-threatening fall down a staircase at the end of 1996, she made a comeback in 1999, resuming her career with the help of Alan Eichler. The same year, she performed an opening set for The Manhattan Transfer at New York's Avery Fisher Hall. She also made an appearance at the JVC Jazz Festival and celebrated her 80th birthday by performing at the Hollywood Palladium in 1999. which was issued by Kayo Stereophonics in 2006. The feature-length documentary ''Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer'', directed by Robbie Cavolina and Ian McCrudden, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 30, 2007. ==Personal life==

Marriages O'Day was married twice. She met Carter when she caught a performance of him performing at a Chicago night club and the pair soon became romantically involved. Following their marriage, the couple briefly lived with Carter's mother in Chicago, however, O'Day felt that Carter was too dependent on his mother's affection and his mother disapproved of O'Day. "I realized then that she'd never welcome me into the family," she wrote in her autobiography. Although she attempted to save the marriage, the pair decided to divorce in 1939. During this period, she met professional golfer, Carl Hoff. He caught a performance of O'Day singing "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" in Chicago and grew feelings for her quickly following that. Hoff and O'Day eventually began dating after her divorce finalized and they officially wed in 1942. O'Day was then introduced to heroin by John Poole At a 1953 gig in Long Beach, California, O'Day was arrested onstage for heroin possession. In her autobiography, she claimed that the gig's piano player framed her because he handed her a packet of heroin that she was told to keep secure until the concert was over. O'Day then claimed to have gone to the restroom where she disposed of the contents, but was nonetheless arrested. She was then sentenced to five months in prison and five years probation. In prison, O'Day worked in the kitchen serving food to female inmates, and cut hair as a hobby in her spare time. According to O'Day, she was released from prison in February 1954 and was put on a probation that prevented her from interacting with Carl Hoff for five years. O'Day continued abusing heroin following her prison sentence, later describing this period of her life as "a nightmare". While working tour dates, she found random dealers and connections, which left little money leftover for income. She had eventually become so addicted to the drug that she pawned furniture in her California apartment to buy more. In 1966, O'Day was discovered by a friend unconscious on the floor of a women's restroom with a needle still in her arm. Instead of a rehabilitation facility, she flew to Honolulu, Hawaii, and stayed with Poole at his apartment while kicking the habit cold turkey by lying on the beach for eight hours a day. After five months, O'Day felt well enough to resume her career without feeling the cravings for the drug. Health and death In 1946, O'Day suffered a panic attack while on tour with Gene Krupa's band that kept her home-bound for six weeks. In her autobiography, she recounted a brief affair with trumpet player, Earl Nutter, that left her with an unwanted pregnancy. "It was no great moral crisis with me any more than if I'd used some kind of birth control," she wrote. She then paid a Chicago midwife $5.00 to undergo a back-alley abortion without any anesthetics. She became pregnant a second time in the early 1950s while having an affair with Denny Roche. With the help of a friend, she paid a California doctor $400 to administer anesthesia and perform an abortion. She was still in pain after the abortion and underwent surgery where it was discovered that she had an ectopic pregnancy located in her Fallopian tube. While living in her California trailer in November 1996, O'Day fell off a small set of stairs that resulted in a broken arm. "I was 86 pounds. I laid up there and drank and didn't eat. Then I fell down the steps," she remembered. Another hospital then misdiagnosed her with alcohol-related dementia and said she would not live through the night. On November 23, 2006, at age 87, O'Day died in her sleep. The official cause of death was cardiac arrest. ==Artistry==

O'Day's musical style was grounded in the jazz genre, but also incorporated its sub-genres of bebop and swing. was also part of her repertoire. The Independent compared O'Day's scat singing to Ella Fitzgerald's, finding that "both women excelled with notable exuberance" and "enable[d] them to stand side by side with the great jazz horn players." ==Legacy==

O'Day is considered one of jazz's most remembered singers for her musical intelligence when working with other jazz musicians and for her unique vocal delivery. ==Discography==

Studio albums • ''Songs by Anita O'Day'' (1954) • Anita (1965) • ''Pick Yourself Up with Anita O'Day'' (1957) • Anita Sings the Most (1958) • ''Anita O'Day Sings the Winners'' (1958) • Cool Heat (1959) • ''Anita O'Day Swings Cole Porter with Billy May'' (1959) • ''Anita O'Day and Billy May Swing Rodgers and Hart'' (1960) • Waiter, Make Mine Blues (1961) • ''Trav'lin' Light'' (1961) • All the Sad Young Men (1962) • ''Anita O'Day & the Three Sounds'' (1963) • Incomparable! (1964) • Anita and Rhythm Section (1971) • Anita 1975 (1975) • My Ship (1976) • ''There's Only One'' (1978) • ''Mello'day'' (1979) • The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1982) • A Song for You (1984) • In a Mellow Tone (1989) • Rules of the Road (1993) • Indestructible! (2006) ==Filmography==

Features • The Gene Krupa Story (1959) – Herself • Zig Zag (1970) – Sheila Mangan • The Outfit (1973) – Herself Documentaries • ''Jazz on a Summer's Day'' (1959) • ''Anita O'Day – Live at Ronnie Scott's'' (2006) • ''Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer'' (2007) • ''Live in Tokyo '63'' (2007) • Jazz Icons (2009) ==References==