WICN Artist of the Month, November 2026: Anita O’Day

This November, we at WICN are thankful for the one and only “Jezebel of Jazz,”  the incomparable Anita O’Day. A mold breaker as both a musician and individual, when O’Day wasn’t busy making headlines off the stage, she was redefining women’s roles on it. With a career spanning the late swing and bebop era and beyond, she helped pave the way for women in jazz while shirking industry expectations.

Anita Colton, who took the stage name Anita O’Day, was born to Irish parents in Kansas City, Missouri, on Oct. 18, 1919. Moving to Chicago shortly after her birth, Anita got her start participating in dance marathons, all the while dreaming of a career in the music industry. In 1936, she would get her wish, starting work as a chorus girl. Her ambitions eventually led her to the Chicago jazz scene, joining drummer Gene Krupa’s outfit in 1941.

While with Krupa’s band, she would record the duet “Let Me Off Uptown” with Roy Eldridge. Notable not just for its popularity but also for being one of the first recorded instances of an interracial duet.

While she bounced from band to band throughout the 1940s and 1950s, including a stint with Stan Kenton’s band, one thing remained consistent. Under no circumstances would Anita conform to the expectations placed upon female artists of the time. She passionately refused the traditional gown and gloves, opting instead for a band jacket and short skirt. Her desire to not be portrayed as a simple “decoration” bled into her music as well, Anita would distinguish herself from some of the other women vocalists of the time through her powerful voice and knack for improvisation.

She would earn her nickname the “Jezebel of Jazz” for her run-in with the law in 1947, which resulted in her being sentenced to 90 days in prison for marijuana possession. This incident would not put a damper on her career, however, as her 1955 album ‘Anita’ would take her popularity to new heights. It became the biggest critical and commercial success of her career. Her 1958 performance at the Newport Jazz Festival would only further launch her into jazz stardom, as her powerful vocals and iconic look would leave a lasting impression on those who attended, as well as viewers of the festival’s film “Jazz on a Summer’s Day.”

The success of her Newport performance opened the door for opportunities internationally, leading to a series of tours spanning the late 1950s into the1960s. Anita had a particular affinity for Japan, touring there for the first time in 1964 and returning several times over the course of her career.

In 1966, Anita would have a near-death experience caused by a heroin overdose, a struggle she had been facing for years up until that point. The health scare would put a halt to her career, leading to a prolonged hiatus until 1975, when she began to release albums again on her own label. In 1981, Anita published a biography entitled “High Times, Hard Times,” where she spoke openly about her struggles with addiction and the toll it had taken on her personal life. From that point on, she would experience a career revival, including a notable performance at Carnegie Hall in 1985 to celebrate her 50th year in jazz. She would continue to release new music and tour internationally well into the 1990s, culminating in her final album release at the age of 87 in 2006.

Anita passed away in 2007 from complications related to pneumonia, capping off an unbelievable career that helped reinvent women’s role in the industry. In 2007, a documentary chronicling her life and career entitled “Life of a Jazz Singer” was released; it won a 2008 Satellite Award from the International Press Academy.

Anita O’Day is undeniably one of jazz’s most seminal figures, paving the way for women to take a more central role in the industry and opening the door for future female artists to make their mark.