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.
As Long as I Live
June Christy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Life isn't long enough baby, but I can love you as long as I live.
Maybe I can't give you diamonds and things like I want to,
But I can promise you, baby, I'm gonna want to as long as I live.
I never cared, but now I'm scared, I won't live long enough.
That's why I wear my rubbers when it rains and eat an apple every
What if I can't live to love you as long as I want to.
Long as I promise you, baby, I'm gonna love you as long I live.
I'll even wear long underwear, when winter breezes blow
I'm gonna take good care of me because, a sneeze or two might mean the flu,
And that would never never do
What if I can't live to love you as long as I want to.
Long as I promise you, baby, I'm gonna love you as long I live.
The lyrics of "As Long As I Live" by June Christy convey a message of love and commitment despite the reality of mortality. The singer expresses a desire to love and care for their partner as long as they are alive, acknowledging that life may not be long enough for their love to last indefinitely. They may not be able to provide material possessions, such as diamonds, but they promise to want to give everything they can.
The singer also demonstrates a newfound fear of their own mortality and does what they can to take care of themselves. They wear rubbers when it rains and eat an apple every day, knowing that these small efforts can make a difference in their overall health. They even wear long underwear during the winter to avoid catching a cold, which could potentially lead to the flu. The fear of death is palpable in the lyrics as the singer realizes that they may not be able to love their partner as long as they want to.
Overall, the lyrics of "As Long As I Live" are about embracing the present moment and cherishing love while it still exists. The song reminds us that life is fragile, and we cannot take love for granted. It urges us to take care of ourselves and our loved ones, recognizing that our time together is limited.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe I can't live to love you as long as I want to.
I might not have enough time in my life to love you the way I desire to.
Life isn't long enough baby, but I can love you as long as I live.
Though my life is limited, I can assure you that I will love you for as long as I exist.
Maybe I can't give you diamonds and things like I want to,
I may not be able to provide you with expensive gifts like I wish I could.
But I can promise you, baby, I'm gonna want to as long as I live.
Despite my inability to give you luxurious presents, I will continue to desire to do so for as long as I'm alive.
I never cared, but now I'm scared, I won't live long enough.
I never used to worry about my lifespan, but now the thought of not having enough time with you frightens me.
That's why I wear my rubbers when it rains and eat an apple every Day then see the doctor anyway.
To ensure my well-being and longevity, I take preventive measures such as wearing rain boots, eating healthily and getting regular check-ups.
What if I can't live to love you as long as I want to.
I fear that I won't have enough time to love you how I want to.
Long as I promise you, baby, I'm gonna love you as long I live.
But I assure you that I will continuously love you for as long as I'm alive.
I'll even wear long underwear, when winter breezes blow
When the cold winter winds blow, I will take measures to keep myself warm, such as wearing long underwear.
I'm gonna take good care of me because, a sneeze or two might mean the flu,
I will prioritize my health and wellbeing as even a minor illness like a sneeze could lead to the flu.
And that would never never do
Getting sick and potentially losing time with you is something I would never allow.
What if I can't live to love you as long as I want to.
I still worry that my time with you will be cut short.
Long as I promise you, baby, I'm gonna love you as long I live.
But I will always make the promise to love you for as long as I exist.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Roy Acuff
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind