Joni James
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Joni James (born Joan [or Giovanna] Carmella Babbo, September 22, 1930) was an American singer of traditional pop music.
She was born in Chicago, Illinois. 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 her native 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 "Why Don't You Believe Me".
In 1964 she retired from music, in part also because her husband, Anthony Acquaviva (a music director) 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.
For her contribution to the recording industry, Joni James has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Hit songs
- "Almost Always"
- "Give Us This Day"
- "Have You Heard"
- "How Important Can It Be?"
- "Is It Any Wonder"
- "My Love, My Love"
- "There Goes My Heart"
- "There Must Be a Way"
- "Why Don't You Believe Me"
- "Wishing Ring"
- "You Are My Love"
- "Your Cheatin' Heart"
- "You're Foolin' Someone"
External references
- Joni's World (http://jonijames.com/), her official site
- Biography on the Iceberg (http://www.theiceberg.com/artist/1215/joni_james.html) site