Annie Ross facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Annie Ross
Background information
Birth name	Annabelle McCauley Allan Short
Born	(1930-07-25)25 July 1930 Surrey, England
Died	21 July 2020(2020-07-21) (aged 89) New York City, U.S.
Genres	Jazz bebop vocal jazz
Occupation(s)	Singer, actress
Years active	1937–2020
Associated acts	Lambert, Hendricks & Ross

Annie Ross was a talented British-American singer and actress. She was famous for her amazing jazz singing. Many people remember her best as a member of the popular jazz group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. Annie Ross was born on July 25, 1930, and she passed away on July 21, 2020.

Annie Ross's Early Life

Annie Ross was born Annabelle McCauley Allan Short in Surrey, England. Her parents, John and Mary Short, were both performers in a type of theater called Vaudeville. Her brother, Jimmy Logan, also became a well-known entertainer.

Annie started performing on stage when she was only three years old! When she was four, her family traveled to New York by ship. She later said they bought the cheapest tickets, which were deep inside the ship.

Starting Her Career Young

Soon after arriving in New York, Annie won a special contract with MGM. This happened through a children's radio contest run by Paul Whiteman. She then moved to Los Angeles with her aunt, Ella Logan, who was also a singer and actress. Her parents and brother went back to Scotland. Annie did not see her parents again for fourteen years.

When she was seven, Annie sang "The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond" in a movie called Our Gang Follies of 1938. She also played the sister of Judy Garland's character in the movie Presenting Lily Mars (1943).

At age 14, Annie wrote a song called "Let's Fly." It won a songwriting contest! Famous singers Johnny Mercer and The Pied Pipers even recorded her song.

Becoming Annie Ross

After finishing 10th grade, Annie left school. She changed her name to Annie Ross and moved to Europe. There, she began her singing career. She picked the name Ross during a plane trip. She later explained that her aunt told her she had an Irish grandmother named Ross.

Annie Ross's Music Career

In 1952, Annie Ross met Bob Weinstock, who owned Prestige Records. He asked her to write words to a jazz solo, similar to what a singer named King Pleasure did. This style of singing, where words are added to a musical solo, is called vocalese.

The Hit Song "Twisted"

The very next day, Annie gave him her song "Twisted." It was based on a 1949 song by saxophonist Wardell Gray. "Twisted" was released in 1952 and quickly became a popular underground hit. Because of this song, Annie won the "New Star" award from Down Beat magazine.

In 1956, a British music magazine reported that Annie's song "I Want You to Be My Baby" was not allowed to be played by the BBC. This was because of some of the song's lyrics.

Joining Lambert, Hendricks & Ross

Annie recorded seven albums with the group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross between 1957 and 1962. Their first album, Sing a Song of Basie (1957), was a big success. The group became famous around the world!

For the next five years, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross traveled and performed everywhere. They recorded many popular albums, including The Hottest New Group in Jazz (1959), Sing Ellington (1960), and High Flying (1962). They also worked on The Real Ambassadors (1962), which was written by Dave Brubeck and featured jazz legends Louis Armstrong and Carmen McRae.

Annie left the group in 1962. In 1964, she opened her own nightclub in London called Annie's Room. Many famous jazz musicians performed there, such as Nina Simone and Erroll Garner.

Annie Ross as an Actress

Annie Ross also had a successful career as an actress in movies and on stage.

Film Roles

She appeared in many films. Some of her roles included:

• Liza in Straight On till Morning (1972)
• Claire in Alfie Darling (1976)
• Diana Sharman in Funny Money (1983)
• Vera Webster in Superman III (1983)
• Mrs. Hazeltine in Throw Momma from the Train (1987)
• Rose Brooks in Witchery (1988)
• Loretta Cresswood in Pump Up the Volume (1990)
• Tess Trainer in Robert Altman's Short Cuts (1993)
• Lydia in Blue Sky (1994)

She also played Granny Ruth in the horror films Basket Case 2 (1990) and Basket Case 3: The Progeny (1991). Annie had a small part in Robert Altman's movie The Player in 1992. She also starred in the TV show Charles Endell Esquire (1979).

Annie provided the speaking voice for Britt Ekland in The Wicker Man (1973). She also sang for Ingrid Thulin in the movie Salon Kitty (1976).

Stage Performances

On stage, Annie Ross performed in several plays and musicals:

• Cranks (1955) in London and New York City
• The Threepenny Opera (1972)
• The Seven Deadly Sins (1973) at the Royal Opera House
• Kennedy's Children (1975)
• Side by Side by Sondheim
• The Pirates of Penzance (1982)

Personal Life

In 1963, Annie Ross married an actor named Sean Lynch. They divorced in 1975. Sadly, Sean Lynch passed away in a car crash soon after their divorce. Around that time, Annie also lost her home and had to declare bankruptcy.

Annie Ross became a citizen of the United States in 2001. She passed away in New York City on July 21, 2020, just four days before her 90th birthday. She died from lung and heart conditions.

Awards and Honours

Annie Ross received many awards for her amazing talent:

• The ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame award (2009)
• The National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters' Award (2010)
• The MAC Award for Lifetime Achievement (2011)

A documentary film about Annie Ross's life, called No One But Me, was shown for the first time at the Glasgow Film Festival in 2012.

Discography

• New Sounds from France with Jack Dieval, James Moody (Prestige, 1950)
• Annie by Candlelight with Tony Crombie (Pye, Nixa, 1956)
• Cranks with John Cranko, John Addison (His Master's Voice, 1956)
• Gypsy with Buddy Bregman (World Pacific, 1959)
• A Gasser! with Zoot Sims (World Pacific, 1959)
• Annie Ross Sings a Song with Mulligan! with Gerry Mulligan (World Pacific, 1959)
• Sings a Handful of Songs (Ember, 1963)
• Loguerhythms: Songs from the Establishment with Tony Kinsey (Transatlantic, 1963)
• Portrait of Annie Ross (Pye, 1965)
• Recorded at the Tenth German Jazz Festival in Frankfurt with Pony Poindexter (SABA, 1966)
• Fill My Heart with Song (Decca, 1968)
• Singin' 'n' Swingin with Dorothy Dunn, Shelby Davis (Savoy, 1969)
• You and Me Baby (Decca, 1971)
• In Hoagland with Hoagy Carmichael, Georgie Fame (Bald Eagle, 1981)
• Like Someone in Love (Bulldog, 1983)
• Music Is Forever (DRG, 1996)
• Live in London (Harkit, 2003)
• To Lady with Love (Red Anchor, 2014)

With Dave Lambert and Jon Hendricks

• Sing a Song of Basie (ABC-Paramount, 1958)
• Sing Along with Basie with Count Basie, Joe Williams (Roulette, 1959)
• The Hottest New Group in Jazz (Columbia, 1959)
• Sing Ellington with Ike Isaacs (Columbia, 1960)
• High Flying with Ike Isaacs (Columbia, 1961)
• The Real Ambassadors with Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Carmen McRae (Columbia Masterworks, 1962)
• Everybody's Boppin (Columbia, 1989) compilation

Filmography

See Also

In Spanish: Annie Ross para niños