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.
Seven Shades of Snow
June Christy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I have found it true.
That a change of heart, can change the scene.
And color the point of view.
When the lights come on, I see.
Snow red as the holly and snow green as a pine tree.
Everyone I meet, wears a smile.
In the candles shine, I see.
Snow pink as a sunrise and snow blue in the shadows.
Friendly greetings come into style.
Just for a little while.
Silver snow from starlight on tinsel.
Golden snow the sun has made.
Seven shades of snow, that shine like a rainbow.
And like a rainbow, soon will fade.
When the lights go out, there'll be.
The pine tree and the holly, the shadow and the sunrise.
Golden days and stars in the night.
And all the snow is only white.
If my heart can keep this magic glow!
I keep seeing seven shades of snow.
June Christy's song "Seven Shades of Snow" is a poetic reflection on the transformative power of love, hope, and joy during a cold and grey winter season. The singer, who has found it true that a change of heart can change the scene, describes how her perception of the world around her is transformed by her positive attitude. The lights of winter illuminate the snow, turn it red as the holly, green as a pine tree, pink as a sunrise, and blue in the shadows. The snow becomes a canvas for a rainbow of emotions and experiences, and everyone she meets wears a smile. The candles shine with snow, and friendly greetings come into style for a little while. It's as if the entire world is caught up in the magic of winter and transformed by the singer's exuberant outlook.
The song's imagery continues to describe a variety of shades of snow, including silver snow from starlight on tinsel and golden snow the sun has made. The snow becomes a metaphor for the singer's own emotional spectrum, and her positivity casts a rainbow of hope everywhere she goes. Yet, the final stanza acknowledges that this magic will not last forever. When the lights go out, the snow loses its colorful hues and is reduced to a blank canvas of white. However, the singer vows to keep her magic glow alive so she can continue to see the seven shades of snow.
"Seven Shades of Snow" is a heartwarming song that encourages listeners to embrace positivity and find beauty and love in even the darkest, coldest moments of life. Its message resonates with anyone who has known the transformative power of hope and joy.
Line by Line Meaning
Winter's mostly cold and grey.
Winter is generally a season that is bleak, dark, and cold.
But I have found it true.
However, I have discovered that this doesn't have to be the case.
That a change of heart, can change the scene.
By altering our perspective or attitude, we can transform how we perceive our surroundings.
And color the point of view.
Thus, changing our emotions and thoughts can influence how we see things.
When the lights come on, I see.
When illumination is present, I observe.
Snow red as the holly and snow green as a pine tree.
The snow appears as different hues, similar to the shades of red and green found in holly and pine trees, respectively.
Everyone I meet, wears a smile.
All the individuals I interact with have a joyous facial expression.
Just for a little while.
However, this happiness is temporary.
In the candles shine, I see.
By the flame's flicker, I perceive.
Snow pink as a sunrise and snow blue in the shadows.
The snow takes on different shades, such as pink similar to the sunrise and blue akin the shadows.
Friendly greetings come into style.
During this time, people tend to greet each other cordially.
Just for a little while.
Nonetheless, this conviviality is fleeting.
Silver snow from starlight on tinsel.
The snow shines like silver due to the reflection of the starlight on the tinsel.
Golden snow the sun has made.
The snow glistens gold thanks to the light cast upon it by the sun.
Seven shades of snow, that shine like a rainbow.
There are seven different colors of snow, similar to how a rainbow is composed of a spectrum of hues.
And like a rainbow, soon will fade.
However, just as a rainbow fades away, so too will the various shades of snow.
When the lights go out, there'll be.
When illumination ceases to exist, there will be.
The pine tree and the holly, the shadow and the sunrise.
I will see only the typical winter hues of green, dark shades, and light hues.
Golden days and stars in the night.
Even during dark periods like night, one can find brightness and hope.
And all the snow is only white.
All the different colors of snow have vanished, leaving behind just stark white snow.
If my heart can keep this magic glow!
If my heart can maintain this enchantment.
I keep seeing seven shades of snow.
I will continue to perceive the seven different colors of snow despite their fleeting nature.
Writer(s): Arnold Miller, Connie Pearce
Contributed by Carter E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.