Giovanna Carmella Babbo (September 22, 1930 – February 20, 2022), known professionally as Joni James, was an American singer of

traditional pop Traditional pop (also known as vocal pop or pre-rock and roll pop) is Western culture, Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known ...

Biography

Giovanna Carmella Babbo was born to an Italian-American family in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, on September 22, 1930, as one of six children supported by her widowed mother. As an

adolescent Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated w ...

, she studied

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

and

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

, and on graduating from Bowen High School, located in the South Chicago neighborhood, went with a local dance group on a tour of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. 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, and picked the

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Joni James at the urging of her managers. Some executives at

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

(MGM) spotted her in a

television commercial A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...

, and she was signed by MGM in 1952. Her first hit, " Why Don't You Believe Me?", sold over two million copies. She had a number of hits following that one, including " Your Cheatin' Heart" (a cover of

Hank Williams Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...

' hit) and " Have You Heard?". She was the first American to record at

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...

, and recorded five

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

s there. She was also very popular across parts of the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

where she performed at

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

's now defunct EM Club in 1957. She also scored a big hit in Manila with Filipino

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

Salvador Asuncion's work titled "In Despair". Joni James had seven Top 10 hits on the various ''Billboard'' charts that existed before the Hot 100: "Why Don't You Believe Me?" (No. 1 in 1952) " Have You Heard?" (No. 4 in 1953) " Your Cheatin' Heart" (No. 2 in 1953) " Almost Always" (No. 9 in 1953) " My Love, My Love" (No. 8 in 1953) " How Important Can It Be?" (No. 2 in 1955) and " You Are My Love" (No. 6 in 1955) as well as sixteen other

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

hits from 1952 to 1960. She has sold more than 100 million records and recorded more than 25 albums.

Personal life

James married composer-conductor Anthony "Tony" Acquaviva at

St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York St. Patrick's Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is the seat of the Archbishop of New York as well as a parish church. The cathedral occupies a city block bounded by Fifth Avenue, M ...

in 1956. In 1964, she retired from the

music industry The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by Songwriter, writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music and sheet music, presenting live music, concerts, ...

in part because Acquaviva was in bad health and needed her attention. She cared for him until his death in 1986. Shortly after her first husband's death, James met retired

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

General Bernard Schriever. He had led the crash program that developed U.S.

ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are powered only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) typic ...

s — both

ICBM An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range (aeronautics), range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more Thermonuclear weapon, thermonuclear warheads). Conven ...

s and IRBMs in 1953–62. The couple wed on October 5, 1997, in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

. They honeymooned in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and the Greek Isles, then took up residence in Schriever's home in Washington, D.C. Bernard Schriever died on June 20, 2005, aged 94. James is mentioned by Snoopy in the last panel of the May 1, 1976 comic strip of Charles M. Schulz's '' Peanuts''. Schulz was a fan and friend of James who had Snoopy featured on the cover of her ''Jukebox Joni'' 1999 compilation album.

Later years

For many years she was out of the public eye, but began touring again in the mid-1990s some years after she was widowed, performing memorable concerts at New York's Town Hall, Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall. In October 2001, just a few weeks after 9/11, she appeared at the Academy of Music in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, accompanied by the

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

orchestra. The streets of the city were still lined with armed soldiers, and she was a guest of honor at the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...

's Life Achievement Tribute to

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

.Album notes, "Why Don't You Believe Me?", Joni James (BYD77053) With her renewed popularity, nearly her entire body of work was released on the Capitol-EMI, DRG and Taragon labels under her personal supervision and, in 2000, she released a new recording, ''Latest and Greatest''. James died at a hospital in

West Palm Beach, Florida West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...

, on February 20, 2022, at the age of 91. She was interred at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

. For her contributions to the entertainment industry, James has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

Singles

Albums

* '' Let There Be Love'' MGM (1954) * ''Joni James' "Award Winning Album"'' MGM 3346 (1954) * ''Little Girl Blue'' MGM (1955) * ''When I Fall in Love'' MGM (1955) * ''In the Still of the Night'' MGM (1956) * ''Songs by Victor Young and Songs by Frank Loesser'' MGM (1956) – later reissued as ''My Foolish Heart'' * ''Merry Christmas from Joni'' MGM (1956) * ''Give Us This Day (Songs of Inspiration)'' MGM (1957) * ''Sings Songs by Jerome Kern and Songs by Harry Warren'' MGM (1957) * ''Among My Souvenirs'' MGM (1958) * ''Je T'aime... I Love You'' MGM (1958) * ''Songs of Hank Williams'' MGM (1959) * ''Joni Swings Sweet'' MGM (1959) * ''Joni Sings Irish Favo(u)rites'' MGM (1959) * '' 100 Strings and Joni'' MGM 3755 (1959) * ''Joni at Carnegie Hall'' MGM (1960) * ''I'm In the Mood for Love'' MGM (1960) * ''100 Strings & Joni In Hollywood'' MGM (1960) – also known as ''Joni Sings Hollywood'' * ''One Hundred Voices... One Hundred Strings & Joni'' MGM (1960) – also stylized as ''100 Voices, 100 Strings & Joni'' * ''100 Strings & Joni On Broadway'' MGM (1960) * ''The Mood is Blue'' MGM (1961) * ''The Mood is Romance'' MGM (1961) * ''The Mood is Swinging'' MGM (1961) * ''Folk Songs by Joni James'' MGM (1961) – also known as ''Joni Sings Folksongs'' * ''Ti Voglio Bene... I Love You'' MGM (1961) * ''Joni After Hours'' MGM (1962) * ''I'm Your Girl'' MGM (1962) * ''Country Style'' MGM (1962) * ''I Feel a Song Coming On'' MGM (1962) * ''Like 3 O'Clock in the Morning'' MGM (1962) * ''Something for the Boys'' MGM (1963) * ''Beyond The Reef'' MGM (1964) * ''Joni Sings the Gershwins'' MGM (1964) * ''My Favorite Things'' MGM (1964) * ''Put On A Happy Face'' MGM (1964) * ''Italianissima!'' MGM (1964) * ''Bossa Nova Style'' MGM 4286 (1965) * ''Why Don't You Believe Me?'' Bygone Days BYD77053 (2010) – compilation

References

External links

Sangley Naval Station Message Board
*
Gary James Interview with Joni James
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Joni 1930 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American women American people of Italian descent American women pop singers MGM Records artists Singers from Chicago Traditional pop music singers Burials at Arlington National Cemetery