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Joni James Biography |
Joni James (born Joan [or Giovanna] Carmella Babbo, September 22, 1930) was a 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, but with the rise of Rock and Roll she fell from the charts, as did most of the pop singers of her generation. 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.
Hit songs
"Why Don't You Believe Me"
"Have You Heard"
"Wishing Ring"
"Your Cheatin' Heart"
"Is It Any Wonder"
"Almost Always"
"My Love, My Love"
"You're Foolin' Someone"
"How Important Can It Be?"
"You Are My Love"
"Give Us This Day"
"There Goes My Heart" |
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| Joni James Resources |
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