Hidden Figures: Ethel Ennis #BlackHERstoryMonth 16/28 (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Ethel Ennis #BlackHERstoryMonth 16/28

Ethel Llewellyn Ennis (November 28, 1932 – February 17, 2019) was an American jazz musician whose career spanned seven decades. Ennis spent the majority of her life in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, where she was affectionately known as the "First Lady of Jazz". During her career, she performed with such musical luminaries as Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, and the Miles Davis-John Coltrane Sextet. Ennis was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and grew up in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood. She was the daughter of Andrew Ennis Sr., a Harlem Park barber, and Arrabell “Bell” Ennis, a homemaker who played piano at Ames United Methodist Church. She began performing as a church pianist at a young age. Ms. Ennis was urged by her mother to study the piano, which turned into her first paying job as a church pianist. By the time she was in her teens, she had discovered popular rhythm and blues music, which didn’t please her family, who thought it was just a passing phase. She joined a group of young enthusiastic jazz musicians, Riley’s Octet, which was led by Abraham Riley, as a $2.50 a week pianist. Embarking on a solo singing career after she graduated in 1950 from Frederick Douglass High School, she attended business school during the day and performed at night wherever she could. In 1951 she signed her first record track, and recorded a number of songs for Atlantic Records before her LP debut, Lullabies for Losers, was released by Jubilee Records in 1955. In 1957, she moved to Capitol Records for a two-album contract, and released A Change of Scenery. Soon after the 1958 follow-up LP Have You Forgotten, Ennis took a six-year hiatus from recording, during which she toured Europe with Benny Goodman. In 1963, she recorded four LPs for RCA Victor. Eight years would pass before she received another recording contract. The LP 10 Sides of Ethel Ennis emerged in 1973; later that year, Ennis, a Democrat, was invited to sing at the re-inauguration of Richard Nixon. Ennis had by then returned to her hometown of Baltimore, and would sing outside the area only a handful of times in the ensuing decades. However in 1980 she reappeared, releasing a live album, to the delight of her loyal fans. Ennis was brought back to national attention in 1994 with a self-titled NYC studio album produced by her long-time drummer, Paul Hildner. It reached the Jazz Top 40 radio chart. In 1998, Ennis once again recorded for a major label with If Women Ruled the World on Savoy Jazz. In 2008, she received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the Johns Hopkins University. Ennis died from a stroke on February 17, 2019. She was 86. In addition to her husband, Ms. Ennis is survived by a brother, Andrew Ennis of Baltimore, a musician who performed with Ray Charles. #HiddenFigures #EthelEnnis ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren Follow me on social media! Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Personal Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Tumblr for my work: https://sssseren.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: Ethel Ennis - My Foolish Heart (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW9X7kHGoho&index=3&list=WL&t=0s Ethel Ennis - Then I'll Be Tired Of You (1958). (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1n1eN7fxzM Ethel Ennis - Open Your Eyes You Can Fly (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBRjwwb39IU 'Baltimore's lady of jazz Ethel Ennis fell in love with jazz and blues in childhood. At 65, there's nothing else she'd rather sing:' https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1998-06-14-1998165029-story.html 'Ethel Ennis, Baltimore's 'First Lady of Jazz,' dies at 86:' https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/obituaries/bs-md-ob-ethel-ennis-20190218-story.html 'Recalling the brilliance of Baltimore singer Ethel Ennis, four minutes 20 years ago:' https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks-blog/bs-md-rodricks-ethel-ennis-0218-story.html 'Ethel Ennis (1932 - 2019), Baltimore’s “First Lady of Jazz:”' http://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/notable-deaths/article/ethel-ennis-1932-2019-baltimores-first-lady-of-jazz 'Ethel Ennis, Baltimore's First Lady of Jazz, Dies:' https://www.wbal.com/article/373756/3/ethel-ennis-dies Ethel Ennis - National Visionary: http://www.visionaryproject.org/ennisethel/ Ethel Ennis (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_Ennis