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.
What's New
June Christy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How is the world treating you
You haven't changed a bit
Handsome as ever I must admit
What's new
How did that romance come through
We haven't met since then
What's new
Probably I'm boring you
But seeing you is grand
And you were sweet to offer your hand
I understand
Adieu
Pardon my asking what's new
Of course you couldn't know
I haven't changed
I still love you so
Adieu
Pardon my asking what's new
Of course you couldn't know
I haven't changed
I still love you so
The song "What's New" by June Christy is a classic jazz standard performed by many different artists since its initial release in 1939. The lyrics follow a conversation between two former lovers who are catching up with each other after a long absence. The first speaker begins by asking the second how the world has been treating them, noting that they haven't changed at all and are as handsome as ever. The second speaker responds by asking about the first speaker's romantic life, noting that they haven't seen each other since the first speaker's last romance. The first speaker responds by saying that seeing the second speaker again is grand and they are grateful to have been offered their hand. They admit that they are probably boring the second speaker, but they are still in love with them, as they were when they last met. The song concludes with the first speaker saying goodbye and apologizing for asking about what's new, noting that the second speaker couldn't know that they still love them.
The lyrics of "What's New" are a poignant expression of the emotions involved in a chance encounter with a former lover. The first speaker clearly still harbors strong feelings for the second speaker, and the second speaker is clearly aware of this, despite their polite and somewhat superficial conversation. The ambiguity of the second speaker's responses adds to the emotional tension of the song, as the audience wonders how they truly feel about their former lover. The song's melody and gentle pace reflect the bittersweet nature of the encounter, making it a classic jazz ballad that has endured for decades.
Line by Line Meaning
What's new
What is new in your life?
How is the world treating you
How are you dealing with the challenges that life has presented you with?
You haven't changed a bit
You look exactly the way I remember you.
Handsome as ever I must admit
You still look like the most attractive person in the room.
How did that romance come through
I'm curious to know how your romantic situation has developed since we last spoke.
We haven't met since then
It's been a long time since we saw each other the last time.
Gee but it's nice to see you again
I'm so happy to see you again after all this time.
Probably I'm boring you
I might be talking about something boring to you.
But seeing you is grand
Although I might be boring you, it is still wonderful to see you again.
And you were sweet to offer your hand
It was kind of you to extend your hand in greeting to me.
I understand
I appreciate you reaching out to me and I acknowledge your gesture.
Adieu
Goodbye
Pardon my asking what's new
I hope you don't mind me asking what has been happening in your life.
Of course you couldn't know
I didn't expect you to be aware of what has been going on in my life.
I haven't changed
My feelings for you have remained the same.
I still love you so
I still have strong feelings of love for you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHNNY BURKE, BOB HAGGART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Wayne Brasler
No one like her; the brilliance of her talent remains striking.
Johnnie Johnson
Great voice. Timeless 👍