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.
Easy Street
June Christy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our sainted mother
Would sit and croon us
Her lullaby
She'd say, kids, there's a place
That's like no other
You got to get there before you die
You don't get there
By playing from the rule book
You stack the ages
You load the dice
Mother dear
Oh, we know you're down there listening
How can we follow
Your sweet
Advice
To
Easy street
Easy street
Where you sleep till noon
Yeah, yeah, yeah
She'd repeat
Easy street
Better get there soon.
Easy street
Easy street
Where the rich folks play
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Move them feet
Move them ever-lovin' feet
To easy street
Easy street
When you get there stay
It ain't fair
How we scrounge
For three of four bucks
While she gets
Warbucks
The little brat!
It ain't fair this here life
Is drivin' me nuts!
While we get peanuts
She's livin' fat!
Maybe she holds the key
That little lady
To gettin' more bucks
Instead of less
Maybe we fix the game
With something shady
Where does that put us?
Oh, tell her.
Yes!
Easy street
Easy street
Annie is the key
Yes sirree
Yes sirree
Yes sirree
Easy street
Easy street
That's where we're gonna
Be!
The song "Easy Street" by June Christy is about dreaming of a better life and believing that there's a place called easy street where everything comes to you effortlessly. The song starts with the singer reminiscing about her mother singing a lullaby about a place that's unlike any other and how they should strive to get there before they die. The mother encourages her children to think outside the box and not follow the rule book when it comes to achieving their dreams.
As the song progresses, the lyrics shift towards envy and jealousy. The singer begins to compare their lives to someone they refer to as "the little brat," who seems to be living an extravagant life while they struggle to make ends meet. They contemplate breaking the rules to get ahead and wonder if the little brat holds the key to their success. The song ends on a hopeful note as they declare that Annie is the key to easy street and that's where they're going to be.
The song is an ode to the idea of easy street which is a metaphor for a life where everything is easy, and all your dreams come true with little to no effort. However, the song also highlights the downside of such a life. The singer is frustrated with the fact that they have to work hard while someone else seems to be living life effortlessly. The lyrics also suggest that sometimes it's necessary to do something shady to get ahead, which is not necessarily a value that is celebrated in society.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember the way
The singer is reminiscing about an old memory.
Our sainted mother
She talks about her mother with reverence and tenderness.
Would sit and croon us
Her mother would hum and sing sweetly to lull them to sleep.
Her lullaby
The song her mother sang to them as a lullaby.
She'd say, kids, there's a place
The mother would talk about a special place where one must reach before death.
That's like no other
The special place is extraordinary and unparalleled.
You got to get there before you die
It is essential to reach there before one dies.
You don't get there
The singer is saying that it's not easy to get there.
By playing from the rule book
Following the conventional rules does not lead you to that place.
You stack the ages
It requires time and experience.
You load the dice
It is a difficult journey with lots of uncertainties.
Mother dear
The singer is addressing her mother fondly.
Oh, we know you're down there listening
The singer believes her mother is listening to them from heaven.
How can we follow
The singer is asking for guidance to reach that special place.
Your sweet advice
She remembers the mother's wise and nurturing words.
To Easy street
The mother advised them to go to Easy Street.
Where you sleep till noon
Easy Street is a comfortable and luxurious place to be in.
She'd repeat
The mother would emphasize the importance of getting there.
Better get there soon.
The singer feels urgency and the need to reach there quickly.
Easy street
Easy Street is the ultimate goal.
Where the rich folks play
The rich people enjoy the luxuries of Easy Street.
Move them feet
The singer is urging herself and others to take action and move towards Easy Street.
Move them ever-lovin' feet
She emphasizes the importance of moving quickly and actively instead of waiting around.
When you get there stay
It's essential to stay in Easy Street once you get there to enjoy its benefits.
It ain't fair
The singer feels resentful and envious of someone else's good fortune.
How we scrounge for three or four bucks
The singer has to work hard to earn three or four dollars.
While she gets Warbucks
The person she is envious of (Annie) gets a lot more money effortlessly.
The little brat!
The singer is angry and jealous of Annie and calls her a brat.
It ain't fair this here life
The singer expresses frustration with life's unfairness.
Is drivin' me nuts!
She is driven to madness by the problematic situation she is facing.
While we get peanuts
She is getting peanuts in comparison to what Annie is getting.
She's livin' fat!
Annie is thriving and living an abundant life while she suffers.
Maybe she holds the key
The Singer thinks that Annie holds the answer to how to get rich easily.
That little lady
The singer is referring to Annie when she says 'that little lady'.
To gettin' more bucks
The singer thinks that Annie can teach her how to make money effortlessly.
instead of less
The Singer wants to earn more money instead of the small amount she makes now.
Maybe we fix the game
The singer entertains the possibility of cheating to get rich quickly.
With something shady
She's planning to be dishonest to get ahead.
Where does that put us?
She is questioning the wise decision of cheating to make money.
Oh, tell her.
She's asking Annie to help her make more money.
Easy street
Easy Street is still the goal to reach.
Annie is the key
The singer believes Annie is the one who can help them get to Easy Street.
That's where we're gonna be!
The singer expresses hope that they will reach Easy Street with the help of Annie.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HAROLD ARLEN, JOHNNY MERCER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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