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.
We'll Be Together Again
June Christy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Remember the sun has shone
Laugh, and the world will laugh with you
Cry, and you'll cry alone
No tears, no fears
Remember, there's always tomorrow
So what if we have to part
Your kiss, your smile
Are memories I'll treasure forever
So try thinking with your heart
We'll be together again
Times when I know you'll be lonesome
Times when I know you'll be sad
Don't let temptation surround you
Don't let the blues make you bad
Some day, some way
We both have a lifetime before us
For parting is not goodbye
We'll be together again
The lyrics to June Christy's song We'll Be Together Again reflect a powerful message about love and hope in the face of adversity. The first stanza encourages the listener to remain positive, even in the midst of darkness, with a reminder that the sun has shone before and will shine again. The second stanza speaks to the idea that memories are something to treasure, and that the heart should be trusted when it comes to matters of love. The chorus offers words of comfort, reassuring that a physical separation does not mean the end of a relationship, but rather signals the beginning of a new journey. The bridge offers further encouragement not to give in to loneliness or sadness, but to keep looking forward to the future, which is full of potential.
Overall, the song suggests that love is a powerful force that can conquer even the most difficult circumstances. By encouraging the listener to remain positive, to hold onto memories, and to trust in the future, the song speaks to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring nature of true love.
Line by Line Meaning
Here in a moment of darkness
Even in difficult times
Remember the sun has shone
Think about the good times and keep hope
Laugh, and the world will laugh with you
Positive attitudes are contagious
Cry, and you'll cry alone
But negative attitudes only isolate us
No tears, no fears
Be strong and don't worry
Remember, there's always tomorrow
Things can get better with time
So what if we have to part
Even if we have to separate
We'll be together again
We can still reunite in the future
Your kiss, your smile
Memories that make us happy
Are memories I'll treasure forever
Memories that are valuable and meaningful
So try thinking with your heart
Make decisions based on love and emotion
We'll be together again
Our separation is not the end
Times when I know you'll be lonesome
Moments when you feel lonely
Times when I know you'll be sad
Moments when you feel sad
Don't let temptation surround you
Avoid negative influences
Don't let the blues make you bad
Don't let sadness bring you down
Some day, some way
Inevitably, at some point in time
We both have a lifetime before us
We have plenty of time to make more memories
For parting is not goodbye
Leaving doesn't mean it's over
We'll be together again
We can still come back together
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: CARL FISCHER, FRANKIE LAINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
lastknowngood0
SWEET. June does a super job on this Jazz Standard!
lastknowngood0
Yeah love this by June. She was the West Coast Singer that we all dug back in the day! She was not only Something Cool but Something else! <3 ;-)
mizpahboy
Very nice
Nadia Lynggaard
Superb !! with Love Nadia
lastknowngood0
June and Bob Cooper fell in love and stayed married for life. Wow that would be a rarity these days , Someday Someway we' both have a lifetime before us
<3 <3 <3.
We'll Be Together Again
No tears
No fears
Remember there's always tomorrow
So what if we have to part
We'll be together again
Your kiss
Your smile
Are memories I'll treasure forever
So try thinking with your heart
We'll be together again
[Chorus]
Times when I know you'll be lonesome
Times when I know you'll be sad
Don't let temptation surround you
Don't let the blues make you bad
Some day
Some way
We both have a lifetime before us
For parting is not goodbye
We'll be together again.
[Chorus]
Songwriters: CARL FISCHER,FRANKIE LAINE