Anita O'Day

Anita O'Day (born Anita Belle Colton; October 18, 1919 – November 23, 2006) was an American singer known for her work in the jazz genre. She was considered an influential jazz vocalist for her ability to keep up with fast-tempo arrangements and for her characteristic vocal delivery. Her music has been acclaimed by critics and writers.

O'Day spent her early years as a walkathon contestant before discovering a true calling for her singing. She got her start performing in jazz clubs across Chicago, Illinois, before being discovered by Gene Krupa and his big band. She was hired as their lead vocalist and had US hits with songs like "Let Me off Uptown" (1941). She also was a vocalist for Stan Kenton's band and had her highest-charting US hit with the top-10 "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" (1944). She graduated to a solo career in 1947 where she cut records for various labels in a new jazz sub-genre called bebop. However, her use of drugs like marijuana and heroin led to several highly-publicized arrests during this period, including a six-month stint in prison in 1953.

She found success with a series of albums recorded for Verve Records between 1956 and 1964. Her LPs featured orchestras (as on 1956's Anita) and quartets, as on 1958's Anita Sings the Most. A notable performance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958 brought great attention to her music and career. A continued addiction to heroin led to a near-fatal overdose in 1966 that promoted O'Day to turn her life around. After getting sober, she reignited her career in the 1970s by touring in Japan and founding her own record label. A new manager, Alan Eichler, helped elevate her publicity and she made a series of US television appeared on programs like 60 Minutes and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

In 1981, O'Day's autobiography High Times Hard Times was published, chronicling her professional and personal setbacks. Her career continued during the decade with a series of albums on her own labels and in performances such as her 50th-anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall (1985). In 1996, the mistreatment of a broken arm led to O'Day developing pneumonia and nearly dying. She made a full recovery by 1999 and continued performing in concert into the 2000s decade. Her final album, Indestructible!, was released in 2006. A documentary about her life and career, titled Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer, premiered after her death in 2007.