Anita
Kerr (born Anita Jean Grilli on October 31, 1927, in Memphis, Tennessee) is an
American singer, composer and music producer.
Anita
Kerr was the vocal embodiment of the "Nashville Sound" which
dominated country music throughout the mid-'50s and '60s. Along with the
Jordanaires, her group, the Anita Kerr Singers, were the seminal backing vocal
unit of the era, and it is estimated that at their early-'60s peak, they graced
fully one-quarter of all of the records coming out of Nashville's studios.
Kerr
was born Anita Jean Grilli on Halloween 1927 in Memphis, TN; her mother hosted
a local radio program there, and by the age of four, Anita herself was taking
piano lessons. In her early teens, she formed her own girl group, the Grilli
Sisters, which soon became a fixture on her mother's radio show. At age 14, she
was hired as the station's staff pianist. In 1948, Kerr left Memphis and began
playing piano on the club circuit. The following year, she formed the Anita
Kerr Singers, which also featured alto Dottie Dillard, tenor Gil Wright, and
baritone Louis Nunley. After gaining some fame on regional radio, NBC hired the
Singers for the program Sunday Down South, with Kerr brought aboard as chorus
director. (Photo above of Anita's
first vocal group, "The Grilli Sisters." Anita,
Sofia Grilli, Dot Elliotte, and Marie Watts.)
In
1951, the group signed to Decca Records and began their career as a studio
backing unit. Five years later, the Singers made their first appearance on the
New York-based Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts television program and quickly
became featured players, splitting their time between the broadcast and their
session work. In the mid-'50s, Kerr joined forces with Chet Atkins, then the
head of RCA Records' country division and the creator of the pop-centric
"Nashville Sound," which employed vocal choruses as a means of
smoothing over country music's rougher edges.
The
Anita Kerr Singers appeared on literally hundreds of the era's most prominent
recordings, including releases from Jim Reeves, Roy Orbison, Floyd Cramer,
Dottie West, Hank Snow, Eddy Arnold, and Lorne Greene; even pop singers like Perry
Como and Brook Benton enlisted Kerr's talents. She also produced Skeeter Davis'
End of the World album, making Kerr one of the very first women to oversee a
Nashville recording. (Photo of Anita with
Roger Carroll)
After
touring Europe in 1964, she moved to California the next year to focus her
energies on freelance production and songwriting, even as two of the Singers'
LPs, We Dig Mancini and Southland Favorites, were winning Grammy awards (in the
Vocal Group and Gospel categories, respectively). In the later years of the
decade, Kerr teamed with poet Rod McKuen for a series of mood-music records,
titled The Sea, The Earth, and The Sky, for which the Singers were renamed the
San Sebastian Strings and Singers. At the same time, the group were featured
weekly on the Smothers Brothers' sketch comedy program.
By
the 1970s, Kerr produced a number of easy listening records before moving to
her second husband Alex Grob's native Switzerland to compose music for films. She
returned to Nashville on a regular basis, performing and producing a number of
Christian albums for Word. Receives
ASCAP award in 1975 which reads “ASCAP salutes our member Anita Kerr. A lady of
class and a first class musician for her significant contributions to the birth
and development of the Nashville sound.” In 1978, she reunited with Atkins for
one last RCA country album.
Releases
“In The Soul” on GAIA Records featuring the poetry of Walt Whitman in 1988. She
narrates, composes the music, performs various electronic instruments, and
records the album in her home studio.
Receives
NARAS Governors Award in 1992 which reads “In recognition of your outstanding
contribution to American music.”
Anita
lives in Geneva, Switzerland. Still writes in her home studio, performs
occasionally, but mainly enjoys time with her two daughters and five
grandchildren. (info mainly from All Music Guide)
1 comment:
For The Anita Kerr Singers – The Very Best (2006) go here:
http://www.4shared.com/rar/DCU2MJhZce/akevery.html
01. A Swingin’ Safari.mp3
02. Fool On The Hill.mp3
03. What’s New Pussycat.mp3
04. The World We Knew.mp3
05. The Look Of Love.mp3
06. It’s Not Unusual.mp3
07. Strangers In The Night.mp3
08. A House Is Not A Home.mp3
09. Don’t Make Me Over.mp3
10. Baby Elephant Walk.mp3
11. Happiness.mp3
12. I Say A Little Prayer.mp3
13. Wonderland By Night.mp3
14. Bye Bye Theme From Peter Gunn.mp3
15. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.mp3
16. Pink Panther Theme.mp3
17. Georgia On My Mind.mp3
18. Walk On By.mp3
19. My Love.mp3
20. What The World Needs Now Is Love.mp3
21. Love.mp3
22. Alfie.mp3
23. Spanish Eyes.mp3
24. You’ve Made Me So Very Happy.mp3
25. Goodbye.mp3
26. Mr. Lucky.mp3
27. Do You Know The Way To San Jose.mp3
A big thank you to San Jose 72 blog for original link
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