June Christy: Funny That Way

I'm still on a June Christy kick. I just love Christy's voice. In her sunny optimism, there's so much pain and hurt. I hear volumes of regret, disappointment and insecurity but determination to get beyond all of it. I'm sure part of it was a mess of fatigue from enormous amounts of stress while recording and touring with Stan Kenton between 1945 and 1950.

The following is one of my favorite vocal videos and is rarely comes up in YouTube searches. Most searches bring up the other videos from Christy's 1950 session for Snader Telecriptions in Los Angeles, but this one somehow avoids capture. I found it when I looked for it specifically. Here, she's joined by Dick Anderson (cl), Ernie Felice (accordion), Claude Williamson (p), Dick Fisher (g) and Rolly Bundock (b).

Enlarge your screen by clicking the rectangle in the lower right-hand corner of your YouTube frame. This will let you see Christy up close. Watch her left hand, as her pointer and thumb have something of a conversation as she finds the right notes. Ernie Felice passed away last week. I'll have more over the weekend. [Pictured above, June Christy on tour with Stan Kenton, Frank Driggs Collection]

Here's June Christy singing He's Funny That Way...