I Got It Good And That Ain't Bad

For almost twelve years, Ivie Anderson was a key member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and her voice an important part of the ensemble, just as any of the band's star instrumentalists. She was born in a small California town, Gilroy, near Oakland, on 10th July, 1905. Between the ages of nine and thirteen Ivie received voice training at a local convent then, for a couple of years, continued her studies in Washington D.C. Returning to Los Angeles, she worked at various clubs mainly as a vocalist and joined the Maimie Smith Show as part of the chorus line. Later significant engagements included singing with Paul Howard, appearing at New York's Cotton Club in 1925, and in the revue "Shuffle Along". In San Francisco she became the first black singer to work with a white band, the Anson Weeks Orchestra, then continued as a solo act until 1930 when she settled down for an residency at Chicago's Grand Terrace, where the house band was led by Earl Hines.