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.
Hang Them On the Tree
June Christy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All this trash around the place
As the end of the year is drawing near
These are things I can't discard
But it shouldn't be too hard
To find a way to use them
Since I can't give away or lose them
Make them a part of Christmas Day
Color them shiny bright and gay
And hang them on the tree
I'll take the quarrels of last September
Cold with the words all sad and grey
Cover them with a silver spray
And hang them on the tree
Every worry, every fear
I'll tie on a string with every tear
Watch them dance in a Christmas light
A year's worth of troubles, shining bright
I didn't realize last December
They could be used a better way
Payed for then, enjoyed much later
Time is the greatest decorator
Paint those mean things
Red and green things
And hang them on the tree
June Christy's song "Hang Them On The Tree" is a reflection on the end of the year and the emotional baggage that comes with it. Christy views the accumulation of "trash" as a type of blessing in disguise - after all, it's impossible to discard one's sorrows, worries, and fears like so much rubbish. However, Christy adopts a positive and creative outlook and begins to consider how she can recycle these negative experiences. She transforms her "year's worth of troubles" into ornaments that she can hang on the Christmas tree, adorned with festive colors and decorations. What were once painful emotions are now transformed into something beautiful that can be celebrated with the community at large.
This song is particularly poignant because it confronts the dark side of the holiday season. For many people, this time of year is a painful reminder of the troubles and losses they have experienced throughout the year. Christy acknowledges that pain but offers a hopeful solution to overcome it. She transforms her trouble into something creative and beautiful, inviting others to participate in the process by providing insight into how they can do the same.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a terrible disgrace
The amount of waste that has accumulated is shameful.
All this trash around the place
The singer observes the presence of a lot of useless, unwanted items in their possession.
As the end of the year is drawing near
The passage of time makes the singer reflect on the clutter present in their life.
These are things I can't discard
The artist is unable to dispose of these items due to emotional attachment, sentimentality or other reasons.
But it shouldn't be too hard
Despite the difficulty of the situation, the artist feels optimistic that they can find a solution.
To find a way to use them
The singer believes that there must be a better purpose that can be served by these unwanted items.
Since I can't give away or lose them
The singer is unable to part with the items, either because they have sentimental value or because they fear the items could be misused.
I'll take the sorrows of last November
The artist decides to repurpose the negative emotions that they experienced in the month of November.
Make them a part of Christmas Day
The artist wants to incorporate these emotions and experiences into the holiday season.
Color them shiny bright and gay
The artist chooses to reimagine the negative emotions in a positive light, by adding colorful and joyful elements to them.
And hang them on the tree
The singer plans to use these emotions as ornaments, physically adorning the tree with them.
I'll take the quarrels of last September
The artist decides to repurpose the negative experiences that they had in the month of September.
Cold with the words all sad and grey
The quarrels are described as having left a negative emotional impact.
Cover them with a silver spray
The singer wants to add a new layer of creativity or beauty to the negative emotions.
And hang them on the tree
The singer plans to use these emotions as ornaments, physically adorning the tree with them.
Every worry, every fear
The artist plans to repurpose all the negative emotions from the entire year.
I'll tie on a string with every tear
The negative emotions will be tied together with tears, symbolizing the emotional weight associated with them.
Watch them dance in a Christmas light
The singer imagines the negative emotions coming to life with the twinkling lights of the holiday season.
A year's worth of troubles, shining bright
The singer plans to turn all the negative emotions from the entire year into bright shining ornaments on the tree.
I didn't realize last December
The artist reflects on their previous missed opportunity to repurpose negative emotions in a creative way.
They could be used a better way
The artist realizes that they can benefit from reimagining these negative experiences as something more positive.
Payed for then, enjoyed much later
The artist understands that unpleasant experiences from the past can still have value when repurposed creatively in the present.
Time is the greatest decorator
The singer acknowledges that the passage of time can add perspective and new insights to negative experiences, making them more valuable when repurposed.
Paint those mean things
The artist plans to give negative emotions a new appearance by giving them a fresh layer of color or imagery.
Red and green things
The singer chooses to add the colors associated with Christmas – red and green – to reimagine negative emotions in a more joyful way.
And hang them on the tree
The singer plans to use these emotions as ornaments, physically adorning the tree with them.
Writer(s): Arnold Miller, Miller
Contributed by Alex S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
FreeWeight
My fav from June’s Christmas album