June Christy (November 20, 1925 – June 21, 1990), born Shirley Luster, was … Read Full Bio ↴June Christy (November 20, 1925 – June 21, 1990), born Shirley Luster, was an American singer, known for her work in the cool jazz genre and for her silky smooth vocals. Her success as a singer began with The Stan Kenton Orchestra. She pursued a solo career from 1954 and is best known for her debut album Something Cool. After her death, she was hailed as "one of the finest and most neglected singers of her time."

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.

Come Rain Or Come Shine
June Christy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm gonna love you like nobody's loved you,
Come rain or come shine.
High as a mountain and deep as a river,
Come rain or come shine.

I guess when you met me
It was just one of those things,
But don't ever bet me,

"Cause I'm gonna be true if you let me.
You're gonna love me like nobody's loved me,
Come rain or come shine.
Happy together, unhappy together
And won't it be fine.

Days may be cloudy or sunny,
We're in or we're out of the money,

But I'm with you always,
I'm with you rain or shine.

Overall Meaning

The song "Come Rain Or Come Shine," as performed by June Christy & Stan Kenton, is a testament to the strength of love and devotion. The lyrics describe the depth and intensity of the singer's love for their partner, promising to love them through good times and bad, through dark skies and sunlight. The imagery used in the lyrics is powerful, comparing their love to a mountain and a river, symbolizing the steadfastness and strength of their commitment to each other.

The song explores the idea that love is not always easy, and that there will be challenges along the way. It acknowledges that life can be unpredictable, with cloudy and sunny days, highs and lows, and both success and failure. However, despite these obstacles, the singer pledges to remain devoted to their partner, no matter what might come their way. The final line, "I'm with you always, I'm with you rain or shine," sums up the theme of the song - that true love endures through all of life's trials and tribulations.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm gonna love you like nobody's loved you,
I will love you more than anyone ever has,

Come rain or come shine.
No matter what happens, through good and bad times,

High as a mountain and deep as a river,
My love for you is endlessly profound,

Come rain or come shine.
No matter the circumstances, my love will remain,

I guess when you met me
Maybe our meeting was just fate,

It was just one of those things,
Nothing special, no grand designs,

But don't ever bet me,
Don't doubt my intentions or my love,

"Cause I'm gonna be true if you let me.
I promise to be faithful and devoted,

You're gonna love me like nobody's loved me,
Just as I love you, you'll love me more than anyone else has,

Come rain or come shine.
Through all of life's twists and turns, we'll stay strong and committed,

Happy together, unhappy together
We'll experience both joy and sorrow together,