12 YouTube Clips of Anita O'Day

Anita O'Day was one of jazz's first “slick chicks." Born Anita Colton in 1919, O'Day was raised in Chicago. She left home during the Depression at age 14 to become a walk-a-thon contestant—the last person standing after sleepless hours won a cash prize. Dance-a-thons would soon follow. In 1936, O'Day began singing professionally and fronted her fist big band two years later. In 1941, she joined Gene Krupa's band and revolutionized the term girl singer, opening the door to attitude.

Unlike most of her contemporaries, who sang songs straight with swing, O'Day added a loose and street-smart improvisational quality that grew over time, inspiring many singers who came after her, including Dolores Hawkins, June Christy, Chris Connor and Annie Ross, to name a few. In the early 1940s, O'Day's only peer was Billie Holiday, who also could deliver a smokey, bruised sound on ballads and freewheeling, hip feel on up-tempo tunes.

Unfortunately in recent years, O'Day has been slipping into obscurity, now almost unknown by today's generation of female singers. In an effort to pull her back into focus, here are 12 clips, with some only recently going up at YouTube:

Here's a nifty arrangement of Just a Little Bit South of North Carolina with Gene Krupa in March 1941...



Here's O'Day and Roy Eldridge on Let Me Off Uptown in 1941, with Gene Krupa's band...



Here's O'Day backed by Stan Kenton in 1944 in a short singing I'm Mad for a Pad and the instrumental Memphis Lament...



Here's O'Day singing Memories of You in The Gene Krupa Story (1959), starring Sal Mineo as Krupa ("Not bad, if you like talent")...



Here's O'Day in Sweden singing On Green Dolphin Street in 1963...



Here's Tea for Two in 1963...



Here's O'Day in Norway singing I Can't Get Started...



Here's Four Brothers (watch for O'Day putting up four fingers, signaling to the pianist that they're going to “trade fours," or take four measures each to improvise...



Here's O'Day singing Let's Fall in Love on The David Frost Show in the U.S. in 1970, with Billy Taylor, Frost's musical director, at the piano. Watch agin for O'Day's white-gloved four fingers...



Here's O'Day singing Here's That Rainy Day ...



Bonus: Here's the title track in December 1956 from one of my favorite Anita O'Day albums, Pick Yourself Up. Backing her were Ted Nash (ts), Paul Smith (p), Barney Kessel (g), Dorothy Remsen (harp), Lou Raderman and Eudice Shapiro (vln), Virgina Majewski (viola), Ray Creamer (cello), Joe Mondragon (b), Shelly Manne (d) and Buddy Bregman (arr,dir)...



What the heck, one more: Here's O'Day in August 1960 singing Bill Holman's arrangement of Why Shouldn't I, with Al Porcino, Ray Triscari, Conte Candoli, Lee Katzman and Stu Williamson (tp); Bob Edmondson, Lew McCreary and Frank Rosolino (tb); Ken Shroyer (b-tb); Joe Maini and Charlie Kennedy (as); Bill Perkins and Bud Shank (ts); Jack Nimitz (bar); Lou Levy (p); Al Hendrickson (g); Joe Mondragon (b); Mel Lewis (d) and Bill Holman (arr,dir)...