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.
Midnight Sun
June Christy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Warmer than the Summer night.
The clouds were like an alabaster palace,
Rising to a snowy height.
Each star its own Aurora Borealis,
Suddenly you held me tight,
I could see the midnight sun.
Or was that a moonlit veil?
The music of the universe around me,
Or was that a nightingale?
And then your arms miraculously found me,
Suddenly the sky turned pale,
I could see the midnight sun.
Was there such a night?
It's still a thrill I don't quite believe;
But after you were gone
There was still some stardust on my sleeve!
The flame of it may dwindle to an ember,
And the stars forget to shine,
And we may see the meadow in December,
Icy white and crystalline.
But oh, my darlin', always I'll remember
When your lips were close to mine,
And I saw the midnight sun.
The flame of it may dwindle to an ember,
And the stars forget to shine,
And we may see the meadow in December,
Icy white and crystalline.
But oh, my darlin', always I'll remember
When your lips were close to mine,
And I saw the midnight sun,
The midnight sun,
The midnight sun,
The midnight sun.
The song 'Midnight Sun', recorded by June Christy in 1957, is a romantic tune that reminisces about a magical night shared with a lover. The opening verse sets an enchanted scene, where the lover's lips are compared to a 'red and ruby chalice' and the clouds resemble an 'alabaster palace'. The natural imagery continues with the mention of the Aurora Borealis, a phenomenon of colorful lights in the sky, adding to the otherworldly tone of the song. Suddenly, the lover holds the singer tight, and the singer sees the 'midnight sun', possibly a reference to the natural phenomenon where the sun doesn't set in certain regions during the summer.
The second verse continues with the singer's experiences of that night more deeply. She mentions the silver rain that found her and the music of the universe that was around her, both providing sensory details of the enchanted night. The nightingale's music could also be heard in the background. The singer cannot explain how the lover's arms miraculously found her, and the sky turned pale. The last verse of the song gives a hint as to the fading nature of this romance. The flame of the relationship may dwindle to an ember, and the stars may forget to shine, but the memory of the 'midnight sun' and the warmth of that magical night will always stay with the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Your lips were like a red and ruby chalice,
Your lips were enchanting, like a cup made of red rubies, beckoning me.
Warmer than the Summer night.
Your lips were warmer than a balmy, summer night.
The clouds were like an alabaster palace,
The clouds were majestic, like a building carved out of alabaster.
Rising to a snowy height.
The clouds were reaching high into the sky, like snow drifting upwards.
Each star its own Aurora Borealis,
Each star was creating its own beautiful display of light like the Northern Lights.
Suddenly you held me tight,
Suddenly, you pulled me close in your embrace.
I could see the midnight sun.
In that moment, I could see the sun that never sets, the midnight sun - a symbol of a magical time.
I can't explain the silver rain that found me,
I cannot describe the silver rain that came my way, twinkling like diamonds.
Or was that a moonlit veil?
Or was it a beautiful veil of moonlight surrounding me?
The music of the universe around me,
I could hear the music of the entire universe around me.
Or was that a nightingale?
Or was that a nightingale singing in the distance?
And then your arms miraculously found me,
And miraculously, your arms found their way to embrace me.
Suddenly the sky turned pale,
In that instant, the sky became pale and dim, as if the world around me was standing still for us.
I could see the midnight sun.
Just like before, I could see the midnight sun - a moment that was too surreal to comprehend.
Was there such a night?
I can't believe that such a night existed.
It's still a thrill I don't quite believe;
I am still thrilled at the memory of that magical night, which seems too good to be true.
But after you were gone
But even after you left,
There was still some stardust on my sleeve!
There was still some stardust from that night on my sleeve, a tangible reminder of our otherworldly encounter.
The flame of it may dwindle to an ember,
The passion of that night may fade into something more muted.
And the stars forget to shine,
Even the stars may seem less bright and magical without you.
And we may see the meadow in December,
Even when everything seems bleak, like a snowy December meadow,
Icy white and crystalline.
There is still beauty to be found in the world, like the shimmering of ice and diamonds.
But oh, my darlin', always I'll remember
Despite the passage of time or the changes in the world, my dear, I will always remember that magical night.
When your lips were close to mine,
I remember the warmth of your lips near mine.
And I saw the midnight sun.
And I will always remember seeing the midnight sun, a rare beauty only experienced once in a lifetime.
The midnight sun,
A symbol of a magical and surreal night full of passion and wonder.
The midnight sun,
An image that will stay with me forever.
The midnight sun,
A beautiful moment that cannot be replicated or forgotten.
The midnight sun.
A once-in-a-lifetime experience, mystical and unforgettable like the midnight sun itself.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ERROLL GARNER, JOHNNY BURKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elizabeth Lilley
My mom had a beautiful voice. Midnight Sun was one of the lullabyes she sang to me. We sang it often throughout her life, and next to Fly Me to the Moon, this is one of her signature songs. My aunt and uncle were big June Christy fans and used to go hear her perform in the early days. Thank you for bringing them all back to me for a few minutes tonight.
Lee Ann Cameron
June Christy was one of my mom's favorite singers. I'm looking for songs for her memorial. Thanks for sharing your memory, it makes this sweeter.
Elizabeth Lilley
@David Smith I'll reconfirm with my cousins just out of curiosity. They lived in Baltimore and the DC area, but they were also fans of Chris Connor who i know they saw in DC.. Big Kenton fans, too. Miss my music buddies.
David Smith
@Elizabeth Lilley Interesting! DC is not the first place to think of when discussing mellow jazz. I expected you to say NYC, perhaps the Village, SFO or Chicago.
Elizabeth Lilley
@David Smith Pretty sure they saw her in DC if I remember correctly.
David Smith
Where did your aunt and uncle see her perform?
Russell Candy
After my Mom passed this was the only June Christy album I found in her collection. She played it often. Thanks Professor!!
corrie121
Love this.
Thank. you for sharing this gem.
The78Prof
My pleasure!
Philip Anderson
Poor June... I have this on both 10" and 12".. not fond of the stereo re-recording.. she had her musical troubles, but you kind of have to love her recklessly abandoned pitch problems but it's still like running across an old friend.. Thanks for posting!