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.
She's Funny That Way
June Christy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now she seems quite out of place, like a fallen star
Draped around my kitchen sink , Happy as can be
I just have to stop and think, Why she fell for me.
I'm not much to look at, nothing to see
Just glad I'm livin' and lucky to be
I got a woman crazy for me
I can't save a dollar, ain't worth a cent
She doesn't holler she'd live in a tent
I got a woman crazy for me
She's funny that way.
Tho' she loves to work and slave for me ev'ry day
She'd be so much better off if I went away.
But why should I leave her, why should I go
She'd be unhappy without me I know
I got a woman crazy for me
She's funny that way.
She should have the very best, Anyone can see
Still she's diff'rent from the rest, satisfied with me.
While I worry plan and scheme, Over what to do
Can't help feeling it's a dream, Too good to be true.
Never had nothin'; no one to care
That's why I seem to have more than my share,
I got a woman, crazy for me,
She's funny that way.
When I hurt her feelings, once in a while,
Her only answer is one little smile,
I got a woman crazy for me.
She's funny that way.
I can see no other way and no better plan,
End it all and let her go to some better man;
But I'm only human, coward at best
I'm more than certain she'd follow me west,
I got a woman crazy for me,
She's funny that way.
In this song, the singer marvels at the fact that he has a woman who loves him despite his humble circumstances. He describes his partner as someone who used to live a luxurious lifestyle, but is now content to be with him and help out around the house. Despite his own self-perceived shortcomings, his partner remains devoted and forgiving. He contemplates the idea of leaving her to give her a better life, but ultimately knows he cannot abandon her because of the deep love she has for him.
The song portrays an interesting paradox of love, where the singer feels unworthy of his partner's love and devotion, but at the same time, experiences overwhelming gratitude for her acceptance of him. The lyrics highlight the beauty of loving someone and being loved in spite of one's imperfections. The song's simple melody and emotional lyrics evoke a sense of warmth and tenderness, a perfect ode to the enduring power of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Once she dressed in silks and lace, Owned a Rolls Royce car
She used to be wealthy and live a luxurious life, driving a Rolls Royce car, but now she seems like a fallen star and out of place.
Draped around my kitchen sink, Happy as can be
She is happy and content with just being around him and doing simple things like draping around his kitchen sink.
I'm not much to look at, nothing to see, Just glad I'm livin' and lucky to be, I got a woman crazy for me, She's funny that way.
Even though he's not physically attractive, he's grateful to be alive and lucky enough to have a woman crazy for him, which he finds amusing.
I can't save a dollar, ain't worth a cent, She doesn't holler she'd live in a tent, I got a woman crazy for me, She's funny that way.
He's financially unstable and not worth much, but she doesn't complain and is willing to live in a tent if necessary, which he finds amusing.
Tho' she loves to work and slave for me ev'ry day, She'd be so much better off if I went away.
Even though she works hard and slaves for him every day, he knows she'd be better off without him.
But why should I leave her, why should I go, She'd be unhappy without me I know, I got a woman crazy for me, She's funny that way.
He knows he should leave her, but he also knows she would be unhappy without him, which he finds amusing.
She should have the very best, Anyone can see, Still she's diff'rent from the rest, satisfied with me.
She deserves the best, but she's different from others as she's satisfied with him, which he finds amusing.
While I worry plan and scheme, Over what to do, Can't help feeling it's a dream, Too good to be true.
He's constantly worrying and planning, but can't help feeling that it's all too good to be true.
Never had nothin'; no one to care, That's why I seem to have more than my share, I got a woman, crazy for me, She's funny that way.
He never had anything or anyone to care for him before, which is why he feels like he has more than his share with a crazy woman who loves him, which he finds amusing.
When I hurt her feelings, once in a while, Her only answer is one little smile, I got a woman crazy for me, She's funny that way.
Even when he hurts her feelings, she responds with just a smile, which he finds amusing because she's crazy for him.
I can see no other way and no better plan, End it all and let her go to some better man; But I'm only human, coward at best, I'm more than certain she'd follow me west, I got a woman crazy for me, She's funny that way.
He knows there's no better plan than ending things and letting her find a better man, but he's a coward and sure that she'd follow him no matter where he goes, which he finds amusing.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Neil Moret, Richard Whiting
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ronaldstrange8981
First heard June with the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Loved her (and her voice!) then and now, aged 87, still do. Please keep listening and keep her alive. I have a Memoir cd titled Tampico which is played regularly. Thank you fans. March, 2023.
@1FrankFan
Amazing, incredible video. Great song, sung by a great singer.
@user-yk5ld8tj2h
You always waited to hear how Christy ended a song. She always gave it a unique tag.
@19rebel57
My favorite female singer ... since I was 11 years old, and heard her on the radio singing "Across The Alley From The Alamo." That was 1947.
@joeybonin7691
Now that's how you treat a standard. Just sublime.
@westtownmusic804
unbelieveable voice and expression....
@robertatkinson7258
What a classy pro. That voice is so expressive. And to see her perform flawlessly live is an incredibly captivating experience. I am SOOOOO glad she left a fine legacy of recordings that we all can continue to cherish and enjoy!!!
@murph3001
Excellent comment she's magnificent
@MarlaLukofsky7
JUne's amazing. Her talent lives on in the hearts of those who know perfection in music. No one sings with her soul the way she does.
@FredMenosky
Always liked her songs & voice! a great talent!