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.
The Lonesome Road
June Christy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before you travel on.
Look down, look down that lonesome road
Before you travel on.
Look up, look up and greet your maker,
For Gabriel blows his horn.
Travelin' down that lonesome road,
Look down, look down that lonesome road
Before you travel on.
Weary totin', it's such a load,
White I'm travelin' down, travelin' down that lonesome old road,
Look down, look down that lonesome road
Before you travel on.
The lyrics to June Christy's song Lonesome Road contain a powerful message about the importance of reflection and preparation before embarking on a journey. The repetition of the phrase "look down, look down that lonesome road" creates a sense of introspection and reflection, as the listener is urged to take a moment to consider the path ahead before moving forward. This is particularly significant when paired with the line "weary, totin' such a load", which suggests that the journey may be difficult or arduous.
The second half of the song shifts slightly in tone, as the lyrics encourage the listener to "look up, look up and greet your maker, for Gabriel blows his horn." This line can be interpreted as a call to spirituality or faith, urging the listener to seek guidance and support in times of difficulty. The use of the trumpet, or Gabriel's horn, is a symbolic representation of the divine presence, and highlights the idea that even in moments of loneliness and struggle, there is still hope and comfort to be found.
Line by Line Meaning
Look down, look down that lonesome road
Pay attention to the lonely path you're on before continuing forward.
Before you travel on.
Stop for a moment and reflect on your journey before progressing further.
Look up, look up and greet your maker,
Take a moment to acknowledge the higher power that created you.
For Gabriel blows his horn.
This symbolizes the end of the journey, the final reckoning, death.
Weary, totin' such a load,
The artist is exhausted and carrying a heavy burden.
Travelin' down that lonesome road,
The singer is continuing on their journey despite the difficult path.
Look down, look down that lonesome road
The message is repeated, emphasizing the need to pay attention to the path.
Before you travel on.
The journey forward should be reconsidered before taking the next steps.
Weary totin', it's such a load,
The weight of the burden is reiterated, showing that the journey is difficult.
White I'm travelin' down, travelin' down that lonesome old road,
While the artist continues their journey, they are still alone and the path is still difficult.
Look down, look down that lonesome road
The message is repeated again to stress the importance of paying attention.
Before you travel on.
The need to reflect on the journey before moving forward is emphasized once more.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, NATHANIEL SHILKRET MUSIC CO.
Written by: Jimmy Carroll
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jimmyj1969
Can't get better than this!
Billy
Gene Austin did this song 1000 million times better. What a terrible voice of this female singer. Utwas pain in my heart of hearing her sing 15 seconds.