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June Christy

June was born as Shirley Luster on November 20, 1925 at the Memorial Hospital in Springfield, Illinois and was raised from the age of three in Decatur, Illinois; and from the beginning always wanted to sing.

She was singing with local bands when she was just 13, and later with society bands around Chicago, the big city 150 miles from Springfield, using the name Sharon Leslie. None of her family knew anything about music, so she had to persuade them to let her sing with the local home town band. The band was led by Bill Oetzel, and as Shirley Luster she sang with it for four years. Next she joined Boyd Raeburn's first great band at Chicago's new Band Box Theatre. A bout of scarlet fever meant leaving after just four months. On recovering she found work hard to come by due to the effect of a 20% amusement tax on the music business. Nevertheless a short stint followed with Benny Strong's band, and there was some club work. By 1945, demoralised by the continuing panic in the business she was ready to call it quits and return home. Then she heard that Anita O'day was leaving the Stan Kenton band. The actual details of how she met and was auditioned vary according to the source but the fact remains that she was hired on March 22nd 1945 by Kenton. June was to say later "I don't think Stan ever cared for singers really, but at that time he felt he needed one fast"

During May '45 she recorded 'Tampico' with the band. As she recalled later "that session did a lot for me. I gained a lot of confidence, and luckily, the record was an enormous hit, things went well after that. It was Kenton's first million-seller. With such an auspicious start and newly christened June Christy, a rewarding future stretched ahead. Before the year was out, on Dec 26 1945 she had cut the second million-seller - "Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy" In 1946 June married one of Kenton's star players - tenor saxist - BOB COOPER

The Kenton-Christy combination was a most happy and successful one which continued until Kenton had a temporary disbandment in Dec 1948. She returned on many occasions after that to appear and record with the band. During her years with Kenton she had every kind of music to sing and accomplished every piece with skill even though she could not read music. Arranger and composer Pete Rugolo (who joined the band in 1943) could have saved a lot of work over the years for June simply memorised her parts once she had learned them from an initial run-through by Rugolo at the piano. Her inability to sight-read has never proved an obstacle, so quick and accurate was she at picking up the vocal lines.

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4
Album Review

Stan Kenton and His Orchestra: Concert Kenton

Read "Concert Kenton" reviewed by Jack Bowers


There's no question that Stan Kenton led one of the more successful and popular orchestras of the storied Big Band Era, winning various yearly polls while drawing large crowds to his jazz concerts and dance performances from coast to coast. But Kenton always wanted something more: to enlighten as well as entertain. Music, he felt, should be cerebral as well as visceral. And so he formed the Neophonic Orchestra to play the sort of forward-looking jazz he felt many listeners ...

2
Radio & Podcasts

That Special Time of Year

Read "That Special Time of Year" reviewed by Mary Foster Conklin


This broadcast gets into the swing of the season, which includes holiday releases by Duchess and Laura Dickinson plus a new recording by pianist Kelly Green, with birthday shout outs to Gloria Lynne, Etta Jones, Arthur Schwartz, Johnny Mandel, June Christy and Hoagy Carmichael, among others. Playlist Geri Allen “In Appreciation" from Geri Allen & Timeline Live (Motema) 00:00 Gloria Lynne “All Day Long" from Miss Gloria Lynne (Essential Media Group) 06:46 Phyllis Blanford “Blue Woman" from Edgewalker ...

262
Album Review

June Christy: June Christy-Big Band Specials

Read "June Christy-Big Band Specials" reviewed by Ron Meyers


I've had this on LP ever since 1962 when it first came out. Unfortunately my copy is now full of clicks, pops and surface noise. Particuarly annoying on a vocal album. Imagine my surprise when I spotted this new release on CD. Aside from the fact that Christy is in fine voice, the big attraction for me is the arrangments and big band backing her. Arrangements are by Bill Holman, Shorty Rogers and Bob Cooper and the band, which fits ...

283
Album Review

Peggy Lee: The Complete Peggy Lee & June Christy Capitol Transcription Sessions

Read "The Complete Peggy Lee & June Christy Capitol Transcription Sessions" reviewed by Dave Nathan


Mosaic Records, for more than 15 years the purveyors of fine limited edition albums, has issued a 5-CD set of transcriptions made by June Christy and Peggy Lee for Capitol. From the 30's to the early 50's, radio stations needed additional music to put together programs featuring specific artists, mostly big bands and vocalists. Record companies were reluctant to provide copies of their commercial releases feeling that if the public could hear them on the radio, they wouldn't go out ...

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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: June Christy

Jazz Musician of the Day: June Christy

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating June Christy's birthday today!

June was born as Shirley Luster on November 20, 1925 at the Memorial Hospital in Springfield, Illinois and was raised from the age of three in Decatur, Illinois; and from the beginning always wanted to sing. She was singing with local bands when she was just 13, and later with society bands around Chicago, the big city 150 miles from Springfield, using the name Sharon Leslie. None of her family knew ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: June Christy

Jazz Musician of the Day: June Christy

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating June Christy's birthday today!

June was born as Shirley Luster on November 20, 1925 at the Memorial Hospital in Springfield, Illinois and was raised from the age of three in Decatur, Illinois; and from the beginning always wanted to sing. She was singing with local bands when she was just 13, and later with society bands around Chicago, the big city 150 miles from Springfield, using the name Sharon Leslie. None of her family knew ...

1

Recording

June Christy: Fair and Warmer!

June Christy: Fair and Warmer!

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Each year, right after the holidays, I love listening to June Christy's 1950s vocal recordings for Capitol. It's the hip dryness of her voice, the beaming sunshine of her singing style and cool phrasing that knock me out. It's all very California. Couple this with Pete Rugolo's eclectic arrangements and the Hollywood tigers assembled for the recording sessions and you have the perfect music to get your head back into a work groove. Yesterday, I spent the day listening to ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: June Christy

Jazz Musician of the Day: June Christy

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating June Christy's birthday today!

June was born as Shirley Luster on November 20, 1925 at the Memorial Hospital in Springfield, Illinois and was raised from the age of three in Decatur, Illinois; and from the beginning always wanted to sing. She was singing with local bands when she was just 13, and later with society bands around Chicago, the big city 150 miles from Springfield, using the name Sharon Leslie. None of her family knew ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: June Christy

Jazz Musician of the Day: June Christy

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating June Christy's birthday today!

June was born as Shirley Luster on November 20, 1925 at the Memorial Hospital in Springfield, Illinois and was raised from the age of three in Decatur, Illinois; and from the beginning always wanted to sing. She was singing with local bands when she was just 13, and later with society bands around Chicago, the big city 150 miles from Springfield, using the name Sharon Leslie. None of her family knew ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: June Christy

Jazz Musician of the Day: June Christy

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating June Christy's birthday today!

June was born as Shirley Luster on November 20, 1925 at the Memorial Hospital in Springfield, Illinois and was raised from the age of three in Decatur, Illinois; and from the beginning always wanted to sing. She was singing with local bands when she was just 13, and later with society bands around Chicago, the big city 150 miles from Springfield, using the name Sharon Leslie. None of her family knew ...

1

Video / DVD

June Christy: Eight Audio Clips

June Christy: Eight Audio Clips

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

No singer better captures the sound of the Los Angeles area than June Christy. Back in the early 1980s, over a summer, I recall driving down to Newport Beach. The air was muggy, the neon signs were blurry in the haze, and a breeze was coming in off the Pacific. I was in a convertible at dusk heading off to meet a friend for sushi. As I drove, I had a mix of Christy on cassette. There was something about ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: June Christy

Jazz Musician of the Day: June Christy

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating June Christy's birthday today!

June was born as Shirley Luster on November 20, 1925 at the Memorial Hospital in Springfield, Illinois and was raised from the age of three in Decatur, Illinois; and from the beginning always wanted to sing. She was singing with local bands when she was just 13, and later with society bands around Chicago, the big city 150 miles from Springfield, using the name Sharon Leslie. None of her family knew ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: June Christy

Jazz Musician of the Day: June Christy

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating June Christy's birthday today!

June was born as Shirley Luster on November 20, 1925 at the Memorial Hospital in Springfield, Illinois and was raised from the age of three in Decatur, Illinois; and from the beginning always wanted to sing. She was singing with local bands when she was just 13, and later with society bands around Chicago, the big city 150 miles from Springfield, using the name Sharon Leslie. None of her family knew ...

Video / DVD

June Christy: Bossa Nova, 1963

June Christy: Bossa Nova, 1963

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

If you search June Christy's discography for Bossa Nova, you'll see that the song was never released on an album, just as Capitol single. For years, the song has escaped Christy fans. The music was written by Christy's husband, Bob Cooper, and the words were by Rogers Turrentine, a television writer. Last summer, Turrentine uploaded the single and wrote this at YouTube: “In 1962, Bill Miller of Capitol Records contacted Bob Cooper and me to write a single for June ...

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Concert Kenton

Sounds of Yesteryear
2020

buy

The Ultimate Jazz...

Kayax Production
2005

buy

Something Cool

Capitol Records
2001

buy

June Christy-Big Band...

Capitol Records
2001

buy

The Ballad Collection

Kayax Production
2000

buy

The Complete Peggy...

Mosaic Records
1998

buy

Videos

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