Shirley Luster was born in Springfield, Illinois, and moved with her family to Decatur, Illinois, when she was three years old. She began to sing with the Decatur-based Bill Oetzel Orchestra at thirteen. While attending Decatur High School she appeared with Oetzel and his society band, the Ben Bradley Band, and Bill Madden's Band. After high school she moved to Chicago, changed her name to Sharon Leslie, and sang with a group led by Boyd Raeburn. Later she joined Benny Strong's band. In 1944, Strong's band moved to New York at the same time Christy was quarantined in Chicago with scarlet fever.
In 1945, after hearing that Anita O'Day had left Stan Kenton's Orchestra, she auditioned and was chosen for the role as a vocalist. During this time, she changed her name once again, becoming June Christy.
Her voice produced successful hits such as "Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy," the million-selling "Tampico" in 1945, and "How High the Moon". "Tampico" was Kenton's biggest-selling record. When the Kenton Band temporarily disbanded in 1948, she sang in nightclubs for a short time, and reunited with the band two years later in 1950.
Beginning Sept. 28, 1959, Christy began a five-week road tour of 38 performances called "Road Show". The all-star billing: Stan Kenton and his orchestra, June Christy, The Four Freshmen. Capitol recorded highlights on October 10 at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana, for a two-disc LP, reissued in 1991 on CD.
From 1947, she started to work on her own records, primarily with arranger and bandleader Pete Rugolo. In 1954, she released a 10" LP entitled Something Cool, recorded with Rugolo and his orchestra, a gathering of notable Los Angeles jazz musicians that included her husband, multi-instrumentalist Bob Cooper and alto saxophonist Bud Shank. Something Cool was re-released as a 12" LP in 1955 with additional selections, and then entirely rerecorded in stereo in 1960 with a somewhat different personnel. Christy would later say that the album was "the only thing I've recorded that I'm not unhappy with." Something Cool was also important in launching the vocal cool movement of the 1950s, and it hit the Top 20 Charts, as did her third album, The Misty Miss Christy.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Christy appeared on a number of television programs, including the short-lived CBS show Adventures in Jazz (1949), Eddie Condon's Floor Show (1949), The Jackie Gleason Show (1953), The Tonight Show (1955), The Nat King Cole Show (1957), Stars of Jazz (1958), The Steve Allen Show (1959), The Lively Ones (1963). and The Joey Bishop Show (1967). She also appeared on the first sponsored jazz concert on television, The Timex All-Star Jazz Show I (December 30, 1957), which also featured Louis Armstrong, Carmen McRae, Duke Ellington and Gene Krupa.
Christy embarked on dozens of concert tours, playing in Europe, South Africa, Australia and Japan. She toured to such an extent that eventually it began taking a toll on her marriage. She began to pull back from touring in the early 1960s.
R.M. Cook and Brian Morton, writers of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings, appreciated the singer's body of work: "Christy's wholesome but particularly sensuous voice is less an improviser's vehicle than an instrument for long, controlled lines and the shading of a fine vibrato. Her greatest moments—the heartbreaking 'Something Cool' itself, 'Midnight Sun,' 'I Should Care'—are as close to creating definitive interpretations as any singer can come."
Christy semi-retired from the music business in 1969, in part due to her battle with alcoholism.
In 1972, she sang at the Newport Jazz Festival in New York City, where she was reunited with the Kenton Orchestra. She also performed at a handful of jazz festivals during the late 1970s and 1980s, playing with a band of all-star West Coast jazz musicians led by Shorty Rogers, as well as taking part in a number of world tours.
Christy returned to the recording studio in 1977 to record her final solo LP, Impromptu. She recorded an interview for a Paul Cacia produced an album in 1987 called "The Alumni Tribute to Stan Kenton" on the Happy Hour label. A number of other Kenton the alumni-Shorty Rogers, Lee Konitz, Jack Sheldon, among them, plus Mort Sahl - interspersed their tunes with reminiscences of the man and the years on the road.
Christy toured one final time in 1988, again with Shorty Rogers. Her final performance was sharing the stage with Chet Baker.
Christy died at her home in Sherman Oaks, California of kidney failure on June 21, 1990, at the age of 64. Her remains were cremated and scattered off the coast of Marina Del Rey.
The Merriest
June Christy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd like to fix this bag of tricks
and hand it out with a fleeting greeting:
Smiles for the frowners
Salutes to the uppers
Boosts for the downers
May the day be the bowl of cherriest
And to all, the Merriest!
Hope you swing during the season
Hope your days go great
Hope you find plenty of reasons all year long to celebrate
Sun for the mopers
A laugh for the criers
Luck for the hopers
To the strange and the ordinariest
Me to you, the Merriest!
Thoughts for the musers
A cheer for the winners
Breaks for the losers
To the beats and the debonariest
Greetings like the Merriest!
Hope there's oil under your rosevine
Hope you get that raise
Hope you hope everything goes fine
the next 300 and some odd days
Friends for the loners
A Song for the singers
Grins for the groaners
make the day the nothing can compariest
have the most, the merriest!
The Merriest by June Christy is a cheerful Christmas song that expresses the desire for everyone to have a joyous and happy holiday season. The song begins with the singer wanting to give a bag of tricks filled with good wishes to everyone she meets during the holiday season. The lyrics go on to describe the different kinds of people and the kind of positive energy they need to be bestowed with. The song expresses the hope that the day will be filled with cherries, and everyone will be the merriest.
The lyrics speak of hope and encouragement, and the desire for everyone to be happy in their unique ways. The song talks about providing smiles for those who frown, salutes to those who are doing well, and boosts to those who are feeling down. The lyrics describe good wishes for people of all kinds, and how they all deserve to be happy during the Christmas season. Ultimately, the song is an expression of goodwill and hope for a better tomorrow, for everyone.
Line by Line Meaning
Merry Christmas!
I wish you a happy and joyful Christmas day!
I'd like to fix this bag of tricks
I wish I could make everything better for you.
and hand it out with a fleeting greeting:
Give it to you quickly with a friendly smile.
Smiles for the frowners
I hope to make you smile if you're feeling down.
Salutes to the uppers
I acknowledge your success and achievement.
Boosts for the downers
I want to uplift and encourage you if you're feeling low.
May the day be the bowl of cherriest
I hope your day is filled with happiness and positivity.
And to all, the Merriest!
I wish everyone the happiest of holidays!
Hope you swing during the season
I hope you have fun and enjoy the holiday season.
Hope your days go great
I hope your days are filled with success and happiness.
Hope you find plenty of reasons all year long to celebrate
I hope you have many happy moments throughout the year.
Sun for the mopers
I hope for sunshine and positivity for those feeling sad.
A laugh for the criers
I hope to make you laugh if you're feeling emotional.
Luck for the hopers
I hope your wishes come true and you have good luck.
To the strange and the ordinariest
To everyone, regardless of how unique or ordinary you may seem.
Me to you, the Merriest!
I personally wish you the happiest of holidays!
Thoughts for the musers
I'm thinking of you and hope you have happy thoughts.
A cheer for the winners
I'm celebrating your successes and accomplishments.
Breaks for the losers
I hope you find rest and relaxation if you've been struggling.
To the beats and the debonariest
To the coolest and most stylish folks out there.
Greetings like the Merriest!
I hope to greet you with happiness and joy!
Hope there's oil under your rosevine
I hope you have good fortune and success in all aspects of life.
Hope you get that raise
I hope you are successful in your career and achieve your goals.
Hope you hope everything goes fine
I hope you have a positive outlook on life and believe everything will work out.
the next 300 and some odd days
For the entire year to come, no matter how many days it may be.
Friends for the loners
I hope you make new friends and feel connected to others.
A Song for the singers
I hope you find joy in your passions and hobbies.
Grins for the groaners
I hope to make you smile and laugh if you're feeling grumpy.
make the day the nothing can compariest
Have a day so amazing that nothing can compare to it.
have the most, the merriest!
I wish you the happiest and most joyful holiday season!
Contributed by Jeremiah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.