June Christy (November 20, 1925 – June 21, 1990), born Shirley Luster, was … Read Full Bio ↴June Christy (November 20, 1925 – June 21, 1990), born Shirley Luster, was an American singer, known for her work in the cool jazz genre and for her silky smooth vocals. Her success as a singer began with The Stan Kenton Orchestra. She pursued a solo career from 1954 and is best known for her debut album Something Cool. After her death, she was hailed as "one of the finest and most neglected singers of her time."

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.

Sweet Lorraine
June Christy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Everything is set, skies are blue,
Can't believe it yet, but it's true,
I'll give you just one guess,
My sweet Lorraine said "yes"
Waiting for the time, soon to be,
When the bells will chime merrily,

(I'm so happy,) when it's raining I don't miss the sun,

For it's in my sweeties smile,
Just think that I'm the lucky one
Who will lend her down the aisle
Each night I pray
That nobody steals her heart away,
Just can't wait until that happy day,
When I marry sweet Lorraine

Everything is set, skies are blue,
Can't believe it yet, but it's true,
I'll give you just one guess,
My sweet Lorraine said "yes"
Waiting for the time, soon to be,
When the bells will chime merrily,

(I'm so happy,) when it's raining I don't miss the sun,
For it's in my sweeties smile,
Just think that I'm the lucky one
Who will lend her down the aisle
Each night I pray
That nobody steals her heart away,

Just can't wait until that happy day,
When I marry sweet Lorraine

Overall Meaning

In June Christy's song "Sweet Lorraine," the lyrics tell the story of a man who is happily in love and engaged to be married to his beloved named Lorraine. The singer expresses his joy and gratitude for her love and how her smile brightens his day, even when it is raining. He feels incredibly lucky to have found her and eagerly awaits the day they can wed, hoping that no one will come between them. The lyrics convey a sense of hope and happiness that makes it easy to see why the song has become an enduring classic.

One interpretation of the song is that it is a reflection of the post-World War II era, a time when many people were looking to start new lives and find happiness after years of hardship and sacrifice. The lyrics also speak to the enduring power of love and the importance of finding someone who makes your heart sing. Overall, "Sweet Lorraine" is a feel-good song that celebrates the joy of love and the happiness it can bring.

Line by Line Meaning

Everything is set, skies are blue,
All my preparations are complete and everything's perfect, even the weather.

Can't believe it yet, but it's true,
I'm in disbelief that my Sweet Lorraine has accepted my proposal, but it's really happening.

I'll give you just one guess,
I'm telling you that the news I'm about to share is so obvious, you don't even need a hint to guess it.

My sweet Lorraine said 'yes'
My beloved Lorraine has agreed to be my wife.

Waiting for the time, soon to be,
I'm eagerly anticipating the upcoming day when we will officially become a couple.

When the bells will chime merrily,
I'm looking forward to the joyful sound of the bells that will ring on our wedding day.

(I'm so happy,) when it's raining I don't miss the sun,
My Sweet Lorraine brings so much sunshine to my life that even on rainy days, I don't feel down.

For it's in my sweeties smile,
My love for Lorraine stems from the happiness and warmth I feel when I see her smile.

Just think that I'm the lucky one
I feel grateful and fortunate that out of all the suitors, Lorraine chose to be mine.

Who will lend her down the aisle
I'm honored to be the one who escorts Lorraine to the altar on our wedding day.

Each night I pray
I make a heartfelt plea to the universe to protect Lorraine's heart and keep it loyal to me.

That nobody steals her heart away,
I fear losing Lorraine's affection to a rival suitor before we get married.

Just can't wait until that happy day,
I'm eagerly counting down the days to our wedding, because I'm so excited to start our life together.

When I marry sweet Lorraine
I will officially take Lorraine as my wife on our wedding day and will cherish her forevermore.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CLIFF BURWELL, CLIFFORD BURWELL, MITCHELL PARISH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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