June Christy

June Christy was born Shirley Luster on November 20, 1925 in Springfield, Illinois. After high school she moved to Chicago, changed her name to Shirley Leslie, and sang with the Boyd Raeburn band.

In 1945, after Anita O'Day had left the Stan Kenton Orchestra, she auditioned and was chosen as the vocalist. During this time she changed her name again to June Christy. She had a million selling hit called "Tampico" with the Kenton Band.

From 1947 she started working on her own records, primarily with arranger and bandleader Pete Rugolo. In 1954 she released "Something Cool" which helped launch the cool movement of the 1950's. She married multi-instrumentalist Bob Cooper and in 1954 gave birth to a daughter.

In the 1950's and 1960's June appeared on numerous television programs and embarked on dozens of concert tours. In 1972 she sang at the Newport Jazz Festival, reuniting with the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Her final album "Impromptu" was recorded in 1977 and her final public performance was in 1988.

June Christy died at her home in Sherman Oaks, California on June 21, 1990 from kidney failure.  Her remains were cremated and scattered off the coast of Marina Del Rey.

Earlier this afternoon I listened to "The Best of June Christy: The Jazz Sessions." This 1996 Capitol release is an excellent compilation for those who want to sample June's singing throughout her career.

The album has 18 tracks which include "Something Cool," "I Want to be Happy," "My Ship," "Daydream," "Baby All The Time," "Midnight Sun," "Get Happy," "When Sunny Gets Blue," "Make Someone Happy," and "How High the Moon," among others.



Here's a video of June sing "Something Cool."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=4GkUM4jE-ZE