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.
Frenesí
June Christy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wandered down into old Mexico
While I was there
I felt romance everywhere
Moon was shining bright
And I could hear laughing voices in the night
Everyone was gay
This was the start of their holiday
And so I stopped a while to see the show
I knew that frenesi meant "Please love me"
And I could say frenesi
A lovely senorita caught my eye
I stood enchanted as she wandered by
And never knowing that it come from me
I gently sighed frenesi
She stopped and raised her eyes to mine
Her lips just pleaded to be kissed
Her eyes were soft as candle-shine
So how was I to resist?
And now without a heart to call my own
A greater happiness I've never known
Because her kisses are for me alone
Who wouldn't say frenesi?
Besame tu a mi
Besame igual que mi boca te beso
Dame el frenesi
Qui mi locura te dio
Quien si no fui yo
Pudo ensenarte el camino del amor
Muerto mi altivez
Cuando mi orgullo rodo a tus pies
Quiero que vivas solo para mi
Y que tu vayas por donde yo voy
Para que mi alma sea no mas de ti
Besame con frenesi
Dame la luz que tiene tu mirar
Y la ansiedad que entre tus labios vi
Esa locura de vivir y amar
Que es mas que amor frenesi
Hay en el beso que te di
Alma, piedad, corazon
Dime que sabes tu sentir
Lo mismo que siento yo
Quiero que vivas solo para mi
Y que tu vayas por donde yo voy
Para que mi alma sea no mas de ti
Besame con frenesi
The lyrics to the song "Frenesi" by June Christy transport the listener to old Mexico, where the singer discovers romance and passion. The song begins with the singer wandering through Mexico and feeling the energy of the fiesta, which is a celebration of joy and love. The moon is shining bright, people are laughing, and everyone is gay. The singer then sees a lovely senorita and is enchanted by her. He learns the meaning of the word "frenesi" and gently sighs it, hoping to catch the attention of the senorita. She stops and raises her eyes to him, and soon they fall deeply in love. The song is a story of newfound passion and the desire to be loved.
The lyrics of "Frenesi" paint a vivid picture of the energy, beauty, and passion of old Mexico. They convey the feelings of romance, joy, and longing that can be felt in the midst of a celebration of love. The song captures the magic of falling in love and the intensity of the feelings that come with it. Through the lyrics, the listener can feel the warmth of the moon, the energy of the night, and the power of passion and desire.
Line by Line Meaning
Some time ago
It happened in the past
I wandered down into old Mexico
I went to Mexico
While I was there
During my stay there
I felt romance everywhere
I sensed love all around me
Moon was shining bright
The moon was bright
And I could hear laughing voices in the night
I heard laughter during nighttime
Everyone was gay
Everyone was happy
This was the start of their holiday
Their holiday had just begun
It was fiesta down in Mexico
There was a party happening in Mexico
And so I stopped a while to see the show
I paused to watch the festivities
I knew that frenesi meant "Please love me"
I knew the meaning of the word frenesi
And I could say frenesi
I could use the word frenesi
A lovely senorita caught my eye
A beautiful lady caught my attention
I stood enchanted as she wandered by
I was captivated by her as she passed by
And never knowing that it come from me
Unbeknownst to her, my feelings for her grew
I gently sighed frenesi
I whispered frenesi under my breath
She stopped and raised her eyes to mine
She stopped and looked at me
Her lips just pleaded to be kissed
She seemed to want to be kissed
Her eyes were soft as candle-shine
Her eyes were gentle and warm
So how was I to resist?
I couldn't resist her
And now without a heart to call my own
I am in love
A greater happiness I've never known
I've never been happier
Because her kisses are for me alone
She only kisses me
Who wouldn't say frenesi?
Who wouldn't express their love with frenesi?
Besame tu a mi
Kiss me
Besame igual que mi boca te beso
Kiss me like I have kissed you
Dame el frenesi
Give me love
Qui mi locura te dio
I gave you my madness
Quien si no fui yo
Who but me
Pudo ensenarte el camino del amor
Could show you the way of love
Muerto mi altivez
My pride has died
Cuando mi orgullo rodo a tus pies
When my pride was humbled by you
Quiero que vivas solo para mi
I want you to live only for me
Y que tu vayas por donde yo voy
And that you go where I go
Para que mi alma sea no mas de ti
So that my soul belongs to you
Besame con frenesi
Kiss me with love
Dame la luz que tiene tu mirar
Give me the light in your gaze
Y la ansiedad que entre tus labios vi
And the anxiety I saw on your lips
Esa locura de vivir y amar
The madness of life and love
Que es mas que amor frenesi
That is more than just love, it's frenesi
Hay en el beso que te di
In the kiss I gave you
Alma, piedad, corazon
Soul, mercy, heart
Dime que sabes tu sentir
Tell me that you feel the same
Lo mismo que siento yo
What I feel
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Alberto Borras Dominguez, Leonard Whitcup
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
S Travis
This is my only June Christy (RIP) album that I own, and I LOVE it. My dad, a former band leader/trumpet player, had a crush on her in the 50's, and turned me onto her music. I now have a crush on her, too...
Eddie Styles
That's cute. My favorite album of hers is Something Cool. A true classic.
Drake. Robey.
Totally awesome classic jazz standard !!! Thanks for posting !!!
Eddie Styles
My pleasure Drake!