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.
Daydream
June Christy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For a couple of hours on a beautiful day
Daydream, i dreamed of you amid the flowers
For a couple of hours, such a beautiful day!
I dreamed of the places i've been with you
How we sat with the stream flowing by
And then when i kissed you and held you
So near tell me why, tell me why you're so shy?
For a couple of hours on a beautiful day
Daydream, come share a dream amid the flowers
For a couple of hours on a beautiful day
I dreamed of the places i've been with you
How we sat with the stream flowing by
And then when i kissed you and held you so near
Tell me why, tell me why you're so shy?
Daydream, i sing with you amid the flowers
For a couple of hours, singing all of the day
Na na na na na na na, na
Na na na na na, na
Na na na na na na na, na
Na na na na na, na
Na na na na na na na, na
Na na na na na, na
Na na na na na na na, na
Na na na na na, na
Na na na na na na na, na
Na na na na na, na
Na na na na na na na, na
Na na na na na, na
{Ad libitum}
The lyrics of June Christy's "Daydream" describe the dream of being with someone special in a beautiful outdoor setting. The opening lines reflect this dream state, as the singer sings "Daydream, I fell asleep amid the flowers for a couple of hours on a beautiful day." She then goes on to talk about dreaming of this special person, "I dreamed of you amid the flowers for a couple of hours, such a beautiful day!" She visualizes herself being with this person in beautiful natural surroundings, sitting by the stream, kissing and holding them close. However, she is puzzled by the person's shyness and wonders why they are so hesitant to open up to her.
The repetition of the word "daydream" in the chorus emphasizes the dream-like quality of the song and its romantic tone. The melody is gentle and soothing, evoking a sense of calm and contentment. The na's at the end of the song contribute to this peaceful mood, as they create a kind of lullaby effect.
Overall, "Daydream" is a sweet, romantic song that captures the feeling of being lost in a happy dream about being with someone special in a beautiful outdoor setting.
Line by Line Meaning
Daydream, i fell asleep amid the flowers
I fell asleep in a peaceful and harmonious place surrounded by nature
For a couple of hours on a beautiful day
I lost track of time enjoying the tranquility and beauty of the moment
Daydream, i dreamed of you amid the flowers
In my dream, I thought of and longed for you in this serene setting
For a couple of hours, such a beautiful day!
I wished these peaceful moments would last forever
I dreamed of the places i've been with you
I remembered and reminisced about our mutual experiences together
How we sat with the stream flowing by
I recollected on the specific moment where we were together by the water
And then when i kissed you and held you
I remembered the intimate and affectionate moments we shared
So near tell me why, tell me why you're so shy?
I questioned why you are reserved and hesitant to show your true feelings
Daydream, come share a dream amid the flowers
I wish you were here to witness and experience this serene moment with me
I dreamed of the places i've been with you
I remembered and reminisced about our mutual experiences together
How we sat with the stream flowing by
I recollected on the specific moment where we were together by the water
And then when i kissed you and held you so near
I remembered the intimate and affectionate moments we shared
Tell me why, tell me why you're so shy?
I questioned why you are reserved and hesitant to show your true feelings
Daydream, i sing with you amid the flowers
I imagine singing with you in this peaceful and harmonious place surrounded by nature
For a couple of hours, singing all of the day
Losing track of time, we sing and enjoy the beauty and tranquility of nature
Writer(s): Strayhorn Billy, Ellington Edward Kennedy, Latouche John
Contributed by Camden P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
José Luis Simón G.
¡Gracias! Hermosa interpretación de una hermosa canción también! ¡Felicitaciones por la selección!
David Weinstock
one of the great iconic voices of the era. thanks for posting