Ethel Llewellyn Ennis (November 28, 1932 – February 17, 2019) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

musician whose career spanned seven decades. Ennis spent the majority of her life in her hometown of

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, where she was affectionately known as the "First Lady of Jazz".

Life and career

Ennis was born in a row house on North Calhoun Street in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, and grew up in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood. She began performing as a church pianist at a young age. Embarking on a solo singing career, she recorded a number of songs for

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

before her LP debut, ''Lullabies for Losers'', was released by

Jubilee Records Jubilee Records was an American independent record label, specializing in rhythm and blues and novelty records. It was founded in New York City in 1946 by Herb Abramson. His partner was Jerry Blaine. Blaine bought Abramson's half of the compan ...

in 1955. In 1957, she moved to

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

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 Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

. Two of her recordings 'Call Me Young' and 'Sing Me A tune' were used in the UK during Testcard intervals on BBC1 between January 1978 and April 1980. In 1963, she recorded four LPs for

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

. However, disenchanted with the creative direction of the label and artist management, Ennis left that label and took another hiatus. Eight years would pass before she received another recording contract. During this period she sang the title song for the 1967 feature film ''

Mad Monster Party? ''Mad Monster Party?'' is a 1967 American stop-motion animated musical comedy film produced by Rankin/Bass Productions for Embassy Pictures. The film stars the voices of Boris Karloff, Allen Swift, Gale Garnett, and Phyllis Diller. It tells the ...

'' The

BASF BASF Societas Europaea, SE () is a German multinational corporation, multinational chemical company and the List of largest chemical producers, largest chemical producer in the world. Its headquarters is located in Ludwigshafen, Germany. 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 Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

. Her unusual ''

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

'' rendition of the national anthem shocked some, but inspired many others. She later appeared on the panel game show To Tell the Truth and, after she stood up as "the Real Ethel Ennis," reprised her a capella rendition of the national anthem for the panelists and audience, receiving a standing ovation. 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. James Gavin of the ''New York Times'' wrote, "Her long, seductive 'Save the Best for Last' finds surprising depth in that

Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. She gained recognition as the first African-American woman to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She resigne ...

hit, and she unlocks all the quiet wisdom of 'I Can Let Go Now,' Michael McDonald's ballad about the moment when the pain of a failed relationship ends. Mr. Gress, the pianists Stefan Scaggiari and

Marc Copland Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system o ...

, and the drummer Paul Hildner help give the album its stark, shadowy mood." In 1998, Ennis once again recorded for a major label with ''If Women Ruled the World'' on

Savoy Jazz Savoy Records is an American record company and label established by Herman Lubinsky in 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. Savoy specialized in jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel music. In September 2017, Savoy was acquired by Concord Bicycle Music. ...

. The most recent Ennis recording was a critically praised 2005 live set, captured in performance at Montpelier in her home state of Maryland. Ennis died from a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

on February 17, 2019. She was 86. Ennis provided the speaking and singing voice for the character of Ethel Earphone on the Maryland Public Television children's show '' Book, Look and Listen'' during the mid-1970s.

Discography

Albums

* ''Lullabies for Losers'' (Jubilee, 1955) * ''Change of Scenery'' (Capitol, 1957) * ''Have You Forgotten?'' (Capitol, 1958) * ''Once Again'' (RCA Victor, 1964) * ''This Is Ethel Ennis'' (RCA Victor, 1964) * ''Eyes for You'' (RCA Victor, 1964) * ''My Kind of Waltztime'' (RCA Victor, 1965) * ''10 Sides of Ethel Ennis'' (

, 1973) * ''Ethel: Live at the Maryland Inn'' (EnE, 1980) * ''Ethel Ennis'' (Hildner, 1994) * ''If Women Ruled the World'' (Savoy, 1998) * ''Ennis Anyone?'' (Jazzmont, 2005)

Singles

* "A Pair of Fools" (Atco) * "Got It in My Blood (To Love You)" – Atco Recorded in New York City on December 18, 1956. * "Off Shore" (Jubilee) * "Boy from Ipanema/When Will the Hurt Be Over?" (RCA) * "Now I Have Everything/Matchmaker Matchmaker" (RCA) * "About Love/I've Got That Feeling" (RCA) * "We Could Learn Together/Look at Me" (RCA) * "I Believe in Love/I Wonder Who My Daddy Is" (

) * "Call Me Young/Who Is It This Time?" (Spiral) * "Sing Me a Tune/I Wonder Who My Daddy Is" (Spiral) This listing is sourced from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

and

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

References

Sources

External links

Ethel Ennis' Biography
at Allaboutjazz.com
Ethel Ennis's oral history video excerpts
at The National Visionary Leadership Project

This is Ethel Ennis
Black World/Negro Digest, p. 42, 1964 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ennis, Ethel 1932 births 2019 deaths American women jazz musicians Atlantic Records artists Capitol Records artists Jazz musicians from Maryland Jubilee Records artists Musicians from Baltimore RCA Victor artists Singers from Maryland 20th-century African-American women singers 21st-century African-American women singers