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 One I Love
June Christy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've told ya I love ya, now get out!
Everything's rosy and everything's Jake,
But just how much can a good girl take?
I told ya I love ya, now get out!
There may be times I need ya, there's no doubt;
Baby, now you're somethin' I can do without!
The doorway was there, which is by the phone!
I've told ya I love ya, now get out!
Baby, please leave me be,
You want a puppet and there's no strings on me!
Get hep, you can leave on the five eighteen,
Now don't go 'way sayin' I've been mean;
Like any gal I can change my ways,
A round trip ticket good for sixty days!
I've told ya I love ya, now get out!
Baby, please leave me be,
You want a puppet and there's no strings on me!
Get hep, you can leave on the five eighteen,
Now don't go 'way sayin' I've been mean;
Like any gal I can change my ways,
A round trip ticket good for sixty days!
I've told ya I love ya, now get out!
Man, get lost, for now!
The lyrics of June Christy's song "I've Told Ya I Love Ya, Now Get Out!" conveys a sassy and assertive woman telling her lover to leave her be. Despite his attempts to win her over and keep her, she declares that she can do without him and will not be his puppet. She offers him a round trip ticket for sixty days, indicating that she is open to change her ways but does not want to be tied down. Through her words, the singer asserts her agency and independence while rejecting the notion of being controlled by a man.
The lyrics portray a strong-willed and confident woman who is not afraid to speak her mind and set boundaries. She values her independence and is not willing to compromise it for the sake of a relationship. The repetition of the line "I've told ya I love ya, now get out!" emphasizes her determination to stick to her decision and not let her feelings for him sway her.
Overall, the song's message encourages listeners to stand up for themselves, set boundaries, and not let others dictate their lives or emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
I've told ya I love ya, now get out!
I expressed my feelings for you, but now it's time for you to leave
Everything's rosy and everything's Jake,
Things may seem great on the surface, but there are underlying issues
But just how much can a good girl take?
There's a limit to how much a person can handle, even if they're typically kind and patient
There may be times I need ya, there's no doubt;
I may need your help at times, that's true
Baby, now you're somethin' I can do without!
However, now I don't need you in my life
Leave your number and go on home,
You can leave me your phone number before you go
The doorway was there, which is by the phone!
You can find your way out through the door next to the phone
Baby, please leave me be,
Please respect my wishes and leave me alone
You want a puppet and there's no strings on me!
You want to control me, but I won't allow it
Get hep, you can leave on the five eighteen,
Take the 5:18 train to leave
Now don't go 'way sayin' I've been mean;
Don't accuse me of being rude when you leave
Like any gal I can change my ways,
Like anyone, I'm capable of changing my behavior
A round trip ticket good for sixty days!
But for now, please leave and don't come back for at least two months
Man, get lost, for now!
Please go away for the time being
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HERB ELLIS, JOHN FRIGO, LOU CARTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DadsLloyd
Great song by a truly great singer! I met her once in about 1959 at her home in Encino. My friend's dad, the friend, and I were cleaning her carpet! I was oblivious of her music at the time, of course. Thanks for posting this!
Jukebox Americano
Wonderful singer with an excellent lineup. Thanks, man!
Brews Jazzclub
Smoothest swing. Thanks for this gem.
ponderosa1850
wonderful! thx!
ljliljohn
Very nice. Who are the musicians? This is very early June.
Miklos Antonescu
Thanks for the info!
konidolfine
@local802blues Thanks you're nice information!
Lou Maserati
She's thinkin of me LOL. Riguardi di Brossa di Bolluto, Italia!
Hans van Zoon
That's what I think ;))