June Christy was a jazz singer who was, for many, the quintessential cool jazz vocalist, albeit one who was often critically overlooked during her lifetime.
Christy was born Shirley Luster in Springfield, Illinois, on November 20th 1925. At 13 she began to sing with the Bill Oetzel Orchestra and went on to appear with the Ben Bradley Band and Bill Madden's Band while still in high school. After graduating she moved to Chicago, changed her name to Sharon Leslie and began singing with Boyd Raeburn's group. Later on she joined Benny Strong's band and might have made the move with them to New York had she not been quarantined with scarlet fever at the time.
In 1945 the singer auditioned to replace Anita O'Day in Stan Kenton's Orchestra and, after being taken on, changed her name to June Christy. While performing with the group Christy sang on hits including 'Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy', 'How High the Moon' and their biggest hit, the million-selling 'Tampico' as well as a slew of Kenton's albums.
In 1947 Christy began working on solo records, beginning a long-time collaboration with bandleader and arranger Pete Rugolo. In 1954 she released the LP 'Something Cool', following up with an expanded edition the next year and a re-recorded version in 1960. It was influential in kicking off the vocal cool jazz movement of the '50s.
Christy returned to her big band roots in 1959 with 'June Christy Recalls Those Kenton Days' and went on to put out a series of concept albums before retiring in 1965.
Christy died on June 21st, 1990.
