Anita O'Day
An American jazz singer who turned her voice into a percussive instrument, swinging with the ferocity and fearless improvisation of a horn player.
1919–2006 (age 87)·American jazz singer·Birthday: October 18·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Anita O'Day emerged from the rough-and-tumble world of 1930s Chicago marathon dance contests to become one of jazz's most distinctive vocal stylists. She wasn't a torch singer; she was a swinger, a scat singer who treated her voice with the rhythmic drive and melodic daring of a saxophonist. Her breakthrough with Gene Krupa's band, highlighted by a fiery duet with trumpeter Roy Eldridge on 'Let Me Off Uptown,' made her a star. O'Day's life was a rollercoaster of professional highs and personal battles with addiction, which she chronicled with stark honesty in her autobiography. Her legendary performance at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, captured in the film 'Jazz on a Summer's Day,' showcased a woman in a black dress and a gardenia-topped hat, coolly and precisely riding breakneck tempos. She survived where others didn't, and her later-career recordings for Japanese labels proved her rhythmic genius and emotional depth remained undimmed, securing her legacy as a true musician's singer.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Anita was born in 1919, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Anita Was Born
The biggest hits of 1919
Anita's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1919Born
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1924Started school
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1932Became a teenager
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1935Could drive
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1937Could vote
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1940Turned 21
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1949Turned 30
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1959Turned 40
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1969Turned 50
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 60
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 70
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 80
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2006Died at 87
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
Key Achievements
- Her performance of 'Sweet Georgia Brown' and 'Tea for Two' at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival is considered a landmark in jazz vocal history.
- Recorded a seminal series of albums for Verve in the 1950s, including 'Anita Sings the Most' with the Oscar Peterson Trio.
- Her 1961 album 'All the Sad Young Men' featured innovative arrangements by Gary McFarland, focusing on a melancholic, orchestral jazz sound.
- She was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1970 for her album 'Indestructible!'
Did You Know?
She chose her stage name from the pig Latin for 'dough,' slang for money.
She performed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival while recovering from a heroin overdose, a performance that revitalized her career.
She was one of only four women (alongside Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan) to win the DownBeat readers' poll in the 1950s.
She lost her upper front teeth in a childhood accident, which she claimed helped shape her distinctive breathy vocal sound.
“You have to be an original. If you're like someone else, what do they need you for?”
