Savor the Moments

Dance
as though
no one
is watching

Sing
as though
no one
is listening.

Love
as though
you've never
been hurt

A Toast to Anita O'Day: An Artist Who Lived Life to the Fullest

A Toast to Anita O'Day

by Mac Walton

In our short time on earth, every person needs
to do at least one thing that's special, unique and
uplifting. So here's to you, Ms. Anita O'Day.
You done good.
- Mac Walton


Anita O'Day just got let off uptown. Now, she swings with the stars under the direction of that great bandleader in the sky.

Born Anita Belle Colton in Chicago, Illinois on October 18, 1919, Anita got her start as a teen by hanging out in a jazz club called Off-Beat. It was there that she met the great jazz drummer Gene Krupa.

She joined Krupa's band in 1941, teaming up with the great jazz trumpeter, Roy Eldridge. They made a hit with a duet called "Let Me Off Uptown." She then did a stint with Stan Kenton's orchestra. Though with Kenton for only a short period of time, she did make a hit called "And the Tears Flowed Like Wine." But her stint with Krupa got her addicted to hard, fast and swinging beats, so she went back to Krupa.

In the late 40's, she met up with John Poole and stayed with him for 32 years. In the 50's, she began touring, during festivals and concerts. Indeed, it was in 1958, that she performed at the Newport Festival. Called "Jazz on a Summer's Day," this performance was filmed and made her an international star.

O'Day continued to be popular. Between 1957 and 1963, she recorded 16 albums and continued to tour and perform, despite an addiction to heroin, from which she nearly died in 1969. In 1981, she wrote an autobiography detailing her bout with addiction and the highs and lows of her musical career.

O'Day may have been at her musical best when she was with the Kenton orchestra, she was happiest with Krupa's band featuring Krupa's swinging, driving beat and Eldridge's high-flying solos.

The Krupa band never lacked excitement. Krupa was a great jazz drummer who was also credited with integrating a number of hotels. Krupa, a white guy, loved Eldridge's show-stopping solos, performances that matched swinging, thumping drumming. Eldridge was Black.

When hotels told Krupa that Eldridge couldn't stay in their hotel with the rest of his band, Krupa would get angry and sometimes fight would ensue. After many such well-publicized scraps, hotels relented and let Krupa's entire band stay together. Soon, many hotels followed suit.

When Krupa played, his head shook like a man with a seizure while sitting upright. His hands and drumsticks flew all over the bandstand as wild, crazy beats boogied down aisles and danced on walls around the room.

By the time O'Day came on stage, everyone was ready for a little musical sanity. That's when a stunningly beautiful and smiling O'Day would wow them with her rich, smooth voice, elegant dress, and disarming charm. Her seductive and inviting voice complemented Eldridge's soloing. Ever the showman, Eldridge would build on his solos, laying notes like bricks, and at a certain, anticipated point, scream at the top of the trumpet's register, then lower those bricks again to get O'Day back into the groove.

So pull out one of her CDs, lift a glass of champagne to the sky and say: "In our short time on this earth, everyone needs to do at least one thing that's special, unique, or uplifting. So here's to you, Anita. You done good."

Mac Walton is a consultant in the twin cities and author of the book, "Miles to Go Before I Sleep." He can be reached at: http://milestogobeforeisleep-mac.blogspot.com