Renowned Jazz Singer Anita O'Day Dies

NY Post ^ | 11-23-2006 | ALLISON HOFFMAN

[M. Espinola]

Anita O'Day, whose sassy renditions of "Honeysuckle Rose," "Sweet Georgia Brown" and other song standards that made her one of the most respected jazz vocalists of the 1940s and '50s, has died. She was 87.

O'Day died in her sleep early Thursday morning at a convalescent hospital in Los Angeles where she was recovering from a bout with pneumonia, said her manager Robbie Cavolina. "On Tuesday night, she said to me, get me out of here," Cavolina said. "But it didn't happen."

Once known as the "Jezebel of Jazz" for her reckless, drug-induced lifestyle, O'Day lived to sing and she did so from her teen years until this year when she released "Indestructible!"

"All I ever wanted to do is perform," she said in a June 1999 interview with The Associated Press. "When I'm singing, I'm happy. I'm doing what I can do and this is my contribution to life."

Cavolina recently completed a feature film about O'Day and accompanied her to shows and on tours. "She got to see how many people really loved her at the shows we did, in New York, in London," Cavolina said. "She had come back after all of this time. She really lived a very full and exciting life."

O'Day was born in Chicago, Ill. She left home at age 12 and often bragged about being "self-made" and never having a singing lesson.

She began her career in her teens and later recorded hits with Stan Kenton and Gene Krupa. Her highly stylized performance of songs like "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine," "Let Me Off Uptown," "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Sweet Georgia Brown" made her famous the world over.

[M. Espinola]

Anita O'day could scat right up there with Miss Ella!

The jazz world has lost one of the greats.

Anita O'Day, the last surviving member of the pantheon of great jazz singers (whose ranks also include Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan), passed away Thanksgiving morning at the age of 87.

JAZZ GREAT ANITA O'DAY Carnegie Hall, New York City , 1974

[LibFreeOrDie]

For those of us old enough to remember the great lady jazz singers, this is sad...

She was still working, and recorded her last album a year ago, on her 86th birthday.

[SamAdams76]

Damn, all the great ones are dying. When will the madness end? Soon, there will be no more music.

The sheer amount of dead musicians is staggering. Maynard Ferguson, he is flying high no more. Freddy Fender shall be lapsing into Spanish no more. McFadden & Whitehead - both dead. Half of the Beatles are dead (3/5th if you include Billy Preston) and Roy Orbison too. Johnny Cash and Johnny Paycheck, both dead. And Waylon Jennings too.

The drummer for that band whose name I cannot remember - dead as a doornail. Syd Barrett is no longer shining on like a crazy diamond. Benjamin Orr of The Cars is dead and Laura Branigan is too. John Fogerty is gone along with John Denver and John Coltrane. That makes a lot of dead Johns.

The sad list goes on and on. Andy Gibb, Maurice Gibb and that lead singer of that band Nirvana. Tiny Tim is dead and so is that woman who sang with the Pogues (I think her name might have been Kirsty McCall). I could go on all night naming names of dead musicians but I think my point is made. Soon, we will have nobody making music because they all end up dying. What is it with musicians that the Grim Reaper finds so appealing?

[mwyounce]

"If you believe in forever, then life is just a one night stand. If there's a rock and roll heaven, well you know they got a hell of a band!"

[ThreePuttinDude]

Regarding John Fogerty:

THANKSGIVING DAY TO FEATURE ANOTHER HELPING OF FOOTBALL AND FOGERTY

JOHN FOGERTY TO MAKE SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT HISTORY NOVEMBER 23 WITH SAME-DAY HALFTIME PERFORMANCES AT TWO NFL GAMES

National Anthems Include TAYLOR SWIFT in Detroit on CBS and JESSICA HARP in Kansas City on NFL Network

While most Americans will settle in at home for a day of family, food and football on Thanksgiving, Nov. 23, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer JOHN FOGERTY will be flying around the country to make history by performing live during the halftimes of two NFL games.

The unprecedented same-day feat is part of the NFL's first Thanksgiving tripleheader which includes the traditional afternoon games in Detroit and Dallas and the addition of a new primetime game on NFL Network from Kansas City.

Fogerty will perform at Ford Field in Detroit during the United Way-themed halftime show of the Miami Dolphins-Lions game on CBS (12:30 p.m. ET) and then fly to Kansas City to perform during halftime of the Denver Broncos-Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium on NFL Network (8:00 p.m. ET). The game marks the first live regular season game on NFL Network.

The day also features special national anthem performances. In Detroit, 16-year-old country music sensation TAYLOR SWIFT will sing the national anthem while JESSICA HARP, a member of the hit country duo "The Wreckers" and a Kansas City native, will perform prior to the Broncos-Chiefs game.

The late afternoon game in Dallas between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cowboys on FOX (4:15 p.m. ET) will also feature special national anthem and halftime show performances by national artists who will be announced shortly.

Last year's Broncos-Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game was the most-watched regular season game of 2005 with 26.4 million viewers. This season's Thanksgiving Day games will be heard on the Westwood One Radio Network by nearly 15 million fans on more than 450 affiliates and Sirius Satellite Radio.

Fogerty's remarkable career spans decades as one of America's most treasured musical icons. His new record is the recently released "The Long Road Home - In Concert," a blistering 26-song live set of his greatest hits, songs that have defined generations.

Now in its 33rd year, the partnership between the NFL and United Way is the longest running charitable collaboration of its kind. The PSA series, broadcast each week of the season to more than 120 million viewers has kept United Way in the forefront of people's minds for three decades. No other vehicle has been more effective in providing visibility for United Way. Since the NFL and United Way combined forces, resources to United Way have grown from $800 million annually to nearly $4 billion to strengthen local communities across America.

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

Sad news . . . Anita was second only to Ella in my book. Her scat version of "Four Brothers" is one of my all-time faves. And her performance in the movie "Jazz On a Summer's Day" is a classic.

Rest easy Anita, and thank you for all of the great music. You will be missed.

[real saxophonist]

I played with her at the Savannah Jazz Festival, I think it might have been 1988 or so. She put on a great show.

[M. Espinola]

She was incredible, still singing almost right up until her passing.

[M. Espinola]

I fully agree with your overview of Miss O'Day, "Anita was second only to Ella in my book.."

'Let me off uptown!'

Performances by
Gene Krupa and his Orchestra
Roy Eldridge - trumpet & vocals
Anita O'Day - vocals

Now she's as far uptown as one can be. Rest in peace.

[nickcarraway]

I saw John Fogerty singing at the halftime of two footballs games today. (and close, Kirsty MacColl)

[nickcarraway]

What about Connie Boswell?

[PzLdr]

If you count Billy Preston as a Beatle, HALF of them are dead [Stuart Sutcliffe, the bassist turned art student].

From my personal favorite band, the SEARCHERS, half are gone; Chris Curtis, the original drummer and front man, and Tony Jackson, the original bassist and lead singer.

[Fierce Allegiance]

My momma probably has half of those albums in her collection, and I've heard them all.

RIP!

[M. Espinola]

You are right, so many of the greats in jazz, soul, disco, pop, r&b etc, have gone on.

I was not aware of Laura Branigan passing. What you said about the Bee Gees, it's been very tough on that family.

I forgot about 'high note' Maynard Ferguson. McFadden & Whitehead had some really great songs. Billy Preston, another very fine talent has also passed.

Mel Tormé shall not be crooning any longer. I saw him sing in Boston. Wonderful stuff!

Jazzman Dewey Redman died in September. He played mainly tenor saxophone, though he occasionally doubled on alto saxophone. He was best known for his collaborations with Ornette Coleman.

Jack Fallon; jazz bass player born London, Ontario in 1915, died in London England in May-2006. He played with the likes of Django Reinhardt, Duke Ellington, George Shearing, Maxine Sullivan, Hoagy Carmichael, Stéphane Grappelli plus many others.

On November 7th, George "Sonny" Cohn passed. He played trumpet as a sideman on a record by jazz pianist Jodie Christian, Cohn already had traveled the world with Count Basie, played behind such legends as Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra, and appeared on more than 185 albums. He was never a household name, but jazz musicians and fans knew Cohn for his trademark muted style as first trumpet in the Count Basie Orchestra. He was best known for his work on Basie's recordings of "April in Paris" and "Lil' Darling."

Red Saunders' band in December 1945. From left: Micky Simms, bass; Porter Derrico, piano; Red, drums; George "Sonny" Cohn, trumpet; Antonio Cosey, alto sax; Leon Washington, tenor sax. From the Otto Flückiger collection.

Gene Pitney of Connecticut while a sing star in the US, was even bigger in the UK where he died this year while on tour, ("Town Without Pity" and "Liberty Valance").

Wilson Pickett at only 64 years of age.

Lou Rawls has passed on. Everyone upstairs is being treated to his voice.

Jazz pianist and composer Hilton Ruiz died in June.

Jazz alto saxophonist Jackie McLean who played with Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins, died in March of 2006.

French jazz horn-man Claude Luter died last month. He played with Louis Armstrong & many of great jazzmen.

[M. Espinola]

That's a fine collection, very fine. She must be a big swing fan.

[M. Espinola]

"I played with her at the Savannah Jazz Festival, I think it might have been 1988 or so. She put on a great show."

What a memory, it's great. That is a part of jazz history. Did she still have her original sound from the 1940's?

Whom else have you played with? Which saxophonists are your favorites today? Do you have recordings?

[M. Espinola]

"What about Connie Boswell?"

You're right, another great, so much so Ella Fitzgerald always cited Connee Boswell as her main influence.

During WWII she dedicated her time to visiting military hospitals and showing disabled soldiers that they could still live a full and successful life.

Bob Hope (center) joined ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, his sidekick Charlie McCarthy with singer Connie Boswell for the 1939 American Red Cross membership campaign on radio.

[real saxophonist]

Yeah, we put together a big band out of local musicians to back her up, so it was a lot of that kind of stuff.

Whom else have you played with? Which saxophonists are your favorites today? Do you have recordings?

I played with Billy Taylor, again in Savannah, that's where most of my paying gigs were, around Savannah and Hilton Head. Dexter Gordon was my primary influence. I've sort of migrated to David Murray. Check 'em out.

Sonny Rollins is the nicest person I've ever met.

Dewey Redman was mentioned here, I met his son Joshua. Good player.

I think David Sanchez and Eric Alexander are going places.

I'm probably on about a dozen recordings, none of which I own. These are from GA Southern, and Northern Colorado.

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

Good point! The Boswell Sisters drive me wild!

[Colonel Kangaroo]

And Benny Carter died three years ago at almost 96. Hard to believe that a guy who started making his mark in the 1920s was still in the business until a very few years ago.