Anderson, Ivie (1904–1949)
Anderson, Ivie (1904–1949)
African-American jazz singer. Born in Gilroy, California, on July 10, 1904; died in Los Angeles, California, on December 28, 1949; received vocal training at the local St. Mary's Convent; studied with Sara Ritt in Washington, D.C.
Ivie Anderson's first professional booking was at Tait's Club in Los Angeles. Before becoming a featured vocalist, she toured as a dancer with Fanchon and Marco, a revue that then starred Mamie Smith . In 1925, Anderson worked at the Cotton Club, then toured with the "Shuffle Along" revue. After an Australian tour with the Sonny Clay revue, she teamed up with bands led by Earl Hines and Paul Howard, before a highly successful stint with Duke Ellington from February 1931 to August 1942. An elegant stylist, Anderson recorded "It Don't Mean a Thing," "I Got It Bad," "Mood Indigo," and "Solitude." When chronic asthma put a crimp in extensive tours, she opened her own restaurant, the Chicken Shack, in Los Angeles and continued entertaining on the West Coast. Anderson also appeared in the Marx Brothers' movie A Day at the Races.