Ernestine Anderson (1928-2016) was an internationally renowned American jazz and blues singer. Her connection to Seattle began when her family moved to the city 1944, and she was discovered by band leader "Bumps" Blackwell, who hired her as a singer for his Junior Band. Anderson's first show was at the Washington Social Club on East Madison Street. The band (which later included fellow Garfield High School grad Quincy Jones on trumpet, and a young Ray Charles on keyboard) performed regularly in jazz clubs on Jackson Street. In a career spanning more than six decades, Anderson recorded over 30 albums, living and touring all over the world before returning to Seattle in 1973.
In this image Ernestine Anderson gets a bouquet and a hug from her granddaughter Falana Handix, a fifth-grader at Greenwood Elementary School. Anderson gave a special performance at the school to support its "Reading is Fun" program.
Caption information derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.
Physical Description: 1 photographic print : b&w ; 8 x 10 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Credit: MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, 2000.107.007.24.02, photo by Jennifer Werner-Jones
