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.
I Got The Sun In The Morning
June Christy Lyrics
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What do I find? The things I got will keep me satisfied
Checking up on what I have and what I haven't
What do I find? A healthy balance on the credit side
Got no diamonds, got no pearls
Still I think I'm a lucky girl
I've got the sun in the morning and the moon at night
Still I'm happy with what I've got
I've got the sun in the morning and the moon at night
Sunshine gives me a lovely day
Moonlight gives me the Milky Way
Got no check books, got no banks
Still I'd like to express my thanks
I've got the sun in the morning and the moon at night
And with the sun in the morning and the moon in the evening
I'm all right
De-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo
De-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo
Sunshine gives me a lovely day
Moonlight gives me the Milky Way
Got no check books, got no banks
Still I'd like to express my thanks
I've got the sun in the morning and the moon at night
And with the sun in the morning, moon in the evening
I'm doing all right
Doing all right
Doing all right
I'm doing all right
In June Christy's song "I Got The Sun In The Morning," she sings about taking stock of what she has and what she doesn't have, and finding a healthy balance on the credit side. Despite not having diamonds, pearls, a mansion, or a yacht, she considers herself a lucky girl because she has the sun in the morning and the moon at night. She is grateful for the simple pleasures that bring her joy, like sunshine and moonlight, and though she may not have check books or banks, she still wants to express her thanks for what she has.
These lyrics can be interpreted as a reminder to appreciate the small joys in life that we often take for granted. While it's easy to focus on what we don't have, June Christy reminds us that we should be grateful for what we do have, whether it's something as simple as the sun in the morning or the moon at night.
The song has a cheerful, upbeat quality to it that matches the lyrics perfectly. June Christy's smooth, jazzy vocals are accompanied by a bouncy, toe-tapping melody that makes the listener feel uplifted and optimistic. Overall, "I Got The Sun In The Morning" is a charming song that reminds us to focus on the positive aspects of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Taking stock of what I have and what I haven't
Evaluating everything I own and everything I don't
What do I find? The things I got will keep me satisfied
Realizing that what I possess is enough to make me content
Checking up on what I have and what I haven't
Reviewing what I own and what I lack
What do I find? A healthy balance on the credit side
Noticing that I have a good balance on my financial statements
Got no diamonds, got no pearls
Don't possess valuable jewelry
Still I think I'm a lucky girl
Despite not having many material possessions, I feel fortunate
I've got the sun in the morning and the moon at night
I have nature's beauty and light to appreciate
Got no mansion, got no yacht
Don't own a large house or a boat
Still I'm happy with what I've got
Nonetheless, I'm satisfied with what I have
Sunshine gives me a lovely day
Enjoying the pleasant weather during sunny days
Moonlight gives me the Milky Way
Delighted by the stunning view of the stars at night
Got no check books, got no banks
Don't have any personal financial accounts in banks
Still I'd like to express my thanks
But I still want to show gratitude
And with the sun in the morning and the moon in the evening
Having the pleasure of nature's lights throughout the whole day
I'm all right
I'm doing well
Doing all right
Continuing to do well
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IRVING BERLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind