Joni James
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Joni James | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Giovanna Carmella Babbo |
| Born | September 22, 1930 , Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Genre(s) | Traditional Pop |
| Years active | 1952-1964 |
| Label(s) | MGM |
| Website | Official site |
Joni James (born Giovanna 'Joan' Carmella Babbo, on September 22, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American singer of traditional pop music.
James was born into an Italian family in Chicago. As an adolescent, she studied drama and ballet, and on graduating from high school, went with a local dance group on a tour of Canada. She then took a job as a chorus girl in the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. After doing a fill-in in Indiana, she decided to pursue a singing career. Some executives at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) spotted her in a television commercial, and she was signed by MGM in 1952. Her first hit, "Why Don't You Believe Me?" sold over a million copies. She had a number of hits following that one, including "Your Cheatin' Heart" (a cover of Hank Williams' hit) and "Have You Heard."
She was reportedly the first American to record at London's Abbey Road Studios, and recorded five albums there. She was also very popular across parts of the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in the Philippines where she performed at Manila's now defunct EM Club in 1957. She also scored a big hit in Manila with Filipino composer Salvador Asuncion's work entitled "In Despair."
Joni James had seven Top Ten hits on the Billboard pop chart. "Why Don't You Believe Me" (#1 in 1952) "Have You Heard" (#4 in 1953) "Your Cheatin' Heart" (#2 in 1953) "Almost Always" (#9 in 1953) "My Love, My Love" (#8 in 1953) "How Important Can It Be?" (#2 in 1955) and "You Are My Love" (#6 in 1955) as well as sixteen other Top 40 hits from 1952 to 1961. She has sold more than 100 million records.
In 1964 she retired from music in part because her husband, composer-conductor Nick Acquaviva was in bad health and needed her attention. For many years she was out of the public eye, but began touring again in the mid-1990s following Acquaviva's death.
On October 5, 1997, she married retired Air Force General Bernard Adolph Schriever, 20 years her senior, and an extremely important figure in post-war U.S. ballistic missile development. They honeymooned in France and the Greek Isles. Gen. Schriever died on June 20, 2005.
For her contributions to the entertainment industry, Joni James has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In a 1968 Peanuts strip, after a dust-up with the cat next door, Snoopy says, "Just don't ask to borrow my Joni James records again!"
[edit] Hit songs
- "Almost Always"
- "Don't Tell Me Not To Love You/Somewhere Someone Is Lonely" MGM 12175
- "Give Us This Day"
- "Have You Heard"
- "How Important Can It Be?"
- "I Woke Up Crying/The Maverick Queen" MGM 12213
- "Is It Any Wonder?"
- "My Believing Heart/You Never Fall In Love Again" MGM 12126
- "My Love, My Love/You're Foolin' Someone" MGM 11543
- "Only Trust Your Heart/I Need You So" MGM 12450
- "There Goes My Heart"
- "There Must Be a Way"
- "Why Don't You Believe Me?/Purple Shades" MGM 11333
- "Wishing Ring"
- "You Are My Love/I Lay Me Down To Sleep" MGM 12066
- "Your Cheatin' Heart"
- "You're Nearer/You're My Everything" MGM 30829
