There is a strong case for elevating June Christy into the very top echelon of iconic jazz singers alongside Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald.
Quite why this has never happened is a mystery, as the evidence to support this claim is readily available in Christy’s recorded legacy.
Perhaps because her style was never flashy, or because she never sang a fraction behind the beat like Billie Holiday, her virtuosity seemed to be a well-kept secret.
Instead, she sang with a pure and silky voice; her timing and enunciation were impeccable, and she could swing at any tempo.
Christy’s ability to draw the listener into both the melody and the song’s lyrics were that of a master storyteller, yet somehow the accolades have passed her by.
In this guide, British jazz critic Nick Lea takes a look at 10 June Christy songs which make the case for one of the jazz vocal greats hiding in plain sight!
Born Shirley Luster on 20th November 1925 in Springfield, Illinois, the family relocated a few short years later to Decatur, which was the largest city in Macon County, Illinois.
It was while still at Decatur High School that she began singing with local bands, eventually working as far away as Louisiana and Texas. Upon leaving school, she changed her name to Sharon Leslie and moved to Chicago to work with the bandleader Boyd Raeburn.
Her big break came in 1945 when Anita O’Day left the Stan Kenton Orchestra and, after auditioning for Kenton, she joined the band as vocalist and changed her name to June Christy. It was with this group that she got her first taste of success, singing on their biggest hit, ‘Tampico,’ which went on to earn a gold record.
When the Kenton orchestra folded in 1948, she began a solo career but would rejoin the band two years later, performing as a guest singer on some of Stan Kenton’s key albums of the time, including Artistry in Rhythm and Innovations in Modern Music.
This association with Kenton brought Christy to the attention of Capitol Records, with whom she would ultimately sign and record for much of her life.
June Christy’s early recordings with Kenton, as heard on the highly recommended 2 CD set The June Christy/Stan Kenton Collection 1945-55, are somewhat less than the faultless vocalist we would hear a few short years later but do give a fascinating glimpse of her progress with Kenton and his rather progressive writing for the big band.
It was during her time with Kenton that Christy married fellow band member Bob Cooper in 1947, and as Christy’s career moved into the 1950s with Kenton, we can hear how she was refining her craft.
Between 1950 and 1965, June Christy would record many quality albums for Capitol, finding an almost perfect musical partner in the arranger Pete Rugolo, who provided the scores for the timeless classics Something Cool and The Misty Miss Christy.
June Christy would also collaborate with her husband, the tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger Bob Cooper. The couple frequently worked together in concert and nightclub performances as well as on June’s albums, with Cooper playing in the orchestra and even taking over arranging duties on the 1959 recording Ballads for Night People.
By the time she recorded The Intimate Miss Christy in 1963, the vocalist had a substantial solo discography to her name, with many of her albums being held in high regard. However, the pressures of touring and recording were beginning to show, and Christy’s continuing dependence on alcohol would take their toll, and in 1969 she made the decision to semi-retire.
Performances in the 1970s were few and far between, and in 1977 she recorded Impromptu, her last studio album, with the Lou Levy Sextet featuring her husband Bob Cooper on tenor saxophone and flute.
June would embark on one final tour in 1988 before retiring for health reasons and being cared for by Bob. June Christy passed away at her home in California on 21st June 1990.
Tampico – From the album The June Christy/Stan Kenton Collection 1945-55 (Acrobat)
Just six weeks after joining Stan Kenton, Christy was in the studio to make her recording debut with ‘Tampico,’ written by Doris Fisher and Allan Roberts.
Unlikely material for the progressive Kenton, the song had one of those melodies that seemed to stick in the mind. There are no improvised solos from the band, but they do join in with a vocal chorus as Christy takes the lead vocal and does so with remarkable assurance.
The single proved to be extremely popular; it reached number 3 in the Billboard charts, was an unlikely hit for Stan Kenton, and firmly established June Christy as a new star in the making.
The Way You Look Tonight – From the album Day Dreams (Capitol 2012)
Originally released by Capitol Records as a series of four 10” 78rpm records, the compilation Day Dreams released in 2012 is now considered June Christy’s debut album.
Already showing signs of a formidable solo artist away from Stan Kenton’s orchestra, her performance of The Way You Look Tonight is a real departure for the vocalist.
Not known for her scat singing, here we have the rare opportunity to hear her doing just that. Of course, she brings the subtle artistry and sophistication that she brings to all her performances and demonstrates what a fine improviser she was.
Midnight Sun – From the album Something Cool: The Complete Mono and Stereo Versions (Capitol 1960)
Not listed here out of chronological order as Capitol made much of this classic album recorded by Christy over a period of seven years, from the first recording session in mono in 1953 to the later reworking of the material in stereo in 1960.
The arrangements by Pete Rugolo are perfectly suited to Christy’s sophisticated delivery, and his arrangements are widely regarded as the best the vocalist ever worked with. Rugolo’s writing for the orchestra on ‘Midnight Sun’ provides a wonderful balance between space and texture to enfold Christy’s delicate vocal.
I Should Care – From the album Something Cool: The Complete Mono and Stereo Versions (Capitol 1960)
As with ‘Midnight Sun,’ this song also originates from the early sessions that made up the original 10” LP that featured a total of 7 songs.
The arrangement by Rugolo switches between almost brash in the opening bars to a gentle and sparse accompaniment to Christy’s vocal that moves from a nonchalant defiance to being almost dismissive of the failed romance.
‘Round Midnight – From the album The Misty Miss Christy (Capitol 1956)
If Something Cool is said to be June Christy’s finest album, then The Misty Miss Christy is close behind.
Again with arrangements by Pete Rugolo, Christy gives a superb display in the art of the singer, and no more so than on Thelonious Monk’s ‘Round Midnight’ in what can be regarded as perhaps the definitive vocal recording of this classic composition.
Daydream – From the album The Misty Miss Christy (Capitol 1956)
If ‘Round Midnight’ is the jewel in this particular crown, then there are plenty more gems to be discovered too.
Christy’s reading of Ellington and Strayhorn’s ‘Daydream’ is delicately handled by the singer, and her intonation and diction are pure and clear. Rugolo’s arrangement is suitably sentimental without being oversweet and, once again, gives Christy just about the perfect setting for her interpretation of the lyrics.
Saturday’s Child – From the album The Song Is June! (Capitol 1958)
Not exactly a jazz standard, this delightful composition written by André Previn with lyrics by Bob Russell; on first listen, it could have been written especially for Christy, and her reading of the song, combined with Rugolo’s arrangement, makes this as endearing and enduring as anything in the singer’s discography.
Remind Me – From the album Offbeat (Capitol 1960)
This is an astonishing arrangement by Pete Rugolo of this charming composition by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. It’s as perfect a score as Christy could wish for, and she is heard here at her very best.
The album Offbeat is now coupled with a reissue in 1997 of The Song Is June! as a double album.
Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered – From the album Ballads for Night People (Capitol 1959)
Arranged not by Rugolo but by Christy’s husband Bob Cooper, this set of ballads has an altogether different feel.
On ‘Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered,’ the music is pared right back, with the vocalist for the most part being accompanied by the rhythm section and some delicate commentary from Bud Shank on flute and the trombone of Frank Rosolino.
Ev’rytime – From the album The Intimate Miss Christy (Capitol 1963)
No orchestra here, just a top-flight sextet to accompany Christy in a very intimate and immediate setting.
With the accompaniment pared pretty much to basics, Christy is in fine voice, and it is possible to focus purely on the purity of her voice and subtle nuances. A finer take on this Hugh Martin/Ralph Blaine song is surely hard to find and gives Chris Connor’s 1956 reading of the song a run for its money as the definitive version.