Jazz singer Ivie Anderson was born on this date in 1905. Born in Gilroy, California, Anderson was orphaned as a child and subsequently raised in convents. She began to study voice at a young age. From the age of 9 to 15, she sang in her school’s glee club and choral society. Later, she joined Harlem’s Cotton Club as a chorus girl and sang for a time with Earl Hines. In 1931, legendary jazz composer and bandleader Duke Ellington hired her as his first featured singer, making her one of the first female singers to be spotlighted with a band. Her recorded debut with Ellington was the 1932 hit, It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) (see below). Anderson remained with Ellington longer than any other singer and has the status as his most distinguished vocalist. Extremely beautiful, she was vivacious and sang with a sensitive relaxed rhythm, a smoky tone, near perfect pitch and diction that showed a rare respect for lyrics. Anderson was very popular as an entertainer with Ellington as well, often receiving prominent billing on advertisements for Ellingtons appearances in theatres, auditoriums, arenas and ballrooms, wherever the Ellington band toured in the 1930s. She had become the bands scat singer, imitating instrumental sounds and various vocalizations. Later on, she even began singing lively pop tunes and ballads, which became her signature singing style. She was said to be one of Ellingtons finest and most versatile singer after the Swedish vocalist, Alice Babs who also sang in his band. She also developed a unique relationship with drummer Sonny Greer; onstage, he would “talk” to her with his drums and she would sing back her answer. Her foremost recordings were Stormy Weather, I’m Satisfied, Raising the Rent, all in 1933, I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good, in 1941, and many more. Ivie Anderson retired because of serious asthma problems and died in Los Angeles on September 28, 1949, at the age of 44.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 18:12:42 +0000
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