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.
They Can't Take That Away From Me
June Christy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Though by tomorrow you're gone,
The song is ended, but as the songwriter wrote,
The melody lingers on.
They may take you from me, I'll miss your fond caress.
But though they take you from me, I'll still possess.
The way you wear your hat
The memory of all that
No, no, they can't take that away from me
The way your smile just beams
The way you sing off key
The way you haunt my dreams
No, no, they can't take that away from me
We may never, never meet again
On the bumpy road to love
Still, I'll always, always keep the memory of
The way you hold your knife
The way we danced till three
The way you changed my life
No, no, they can't take that away from me
No, they can't take that away from me
W e may never, never meet again
On the bumpy road to love
Still, I'll always, always keep the memory of
The way you hold your knife
The way we danced till three
The way you changed my life
No, no, they can't take that away from me
No, they can't take that away from me
Can't take that away
Can't take that away from me
The lyrics to June Christy's "They Can't Take That Away From Me" are a touching tribute to a love that has ended, but whose memory will live on. As the singer acknowledges the fact that their romance is coming to a close, she remains hopeful that the love they shared will continue to exist in some way. The line "The song is ended, but as the songwriter wrote, the melody lingers on" is particularly poignant, as it suggests that even though the relationship is over, the memory of it will persist.
Throughout the song, the singer lists a series of small but meaningful details that she will never forget about her former love. From the way he wore his hat, to the way he held his knife, to the way they danced until three in the morning, these details paint a vivid picture of their time together. The singer acknowledges that although they may never see each other again, these memories will always be hers to cherish.
Overall, the lyrics to "They Can't Take That Away From Me" are a bittersweet tribute to a love that has come to an end, but whose legacy will live on. The singer remains grateful for the time she spent with her former love, even as she prepares to say goodbye.
Line by Line Meaning
Our romance won't end on a sorrowful note,
Even though you may leave tomorrow, our love will not end sadly.
Though by tomorrow you're gone,
Even if you leave soon, my feelings for you won't change.
The song is ended, but as the songwriter wrote,
Our time together may have come to an end, but the memories will last forever.
The melody lingers on.
Our love may have ended, but the memories and feelings of it will always stay alive.
They may take you from me, I'll miss your fond caress.
Even if they take you away, I will always miss the way you touched me with love.
But though they take you from me, I'll still possess.
Even if you are gone, I will still have the memories and the love that we shared.
The way you wear your hat
I will never forget the unique way you wear your hat.
The way your sip your tea
The image of you sipping your tea will always bring a smile to my face.
The memory of all that
I hold onto the memories of every detail of our time together.
No, no, they can't take that away from me
Even if they take everything else, they cannot take away the memories and love we shared.
The way your smile just beams
I will never forget the way your smile radiates love and happiness.
The way you sing off key
Your imperfections in singing make it even more special to me.
The way you haunt my dreams
Even in my dreams, I relive the moments we cherished and they mean something to me.
We may never, never meet again
It's possible that we may never see each other again.
On the bumpy road to love
Our relationship had its ups and downs, but we still loved each other through it all.
Still, I'll always, always keep the memory of
I will always cherish the memories of our time together.
The way you hold your knife
I remember how you held your knife at the dinner table, so unique to you.
The way we danced till three
The memory of dancing together till late night is one that brings joy to my heart.
The way you changed my life
You had an impact on my life, positively influencing me and leading me to change for the better.
No, no, they can't take that away from me
No one or anything can take away the memories and love that I have for you.
No, they can't take that away from me
No matter what happens, the love and memories from our time together will stay with me always.
Can't take that away
Nothing can take away the love and memories that we shared.
Can't take that away from me
The love and memories from our time together belong to me, and no one can take them away.
Lyrics © RALEIGH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rahhim De Pinedo
beautiful rendition as always, thank you Miss June for for brightening people life
David Hiller
Frank Rosolino plays the perfect trombone solo.
John Benn
WOW WOW WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From a mad keen 73yo Aussie fan.