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

traditional pop music Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is 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 as pop standard ...

Biography

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

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

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

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

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 ...

, and on graduating from Bowen High School, located in the

South Chicago South Chicago, formerly known as Ainsworth, is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois. This chevron-shaped community is one of Chicago's 16 lakefront neighborhoods near the southern rim of Lake Michigan 10 miles south of downtown. ...

neighborhood, went with a local dance group on a tour of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

. 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 is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

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 and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

(MGM) spotted her in a

television commercial A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

, and she was signed by MGM in 1952. Her first

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

, "

Why Don't You Believe Me? "Why Don't You Believe Me?" is a popular song written by Lew Douglas, King Laney, and Roy Rodde and published in 1952. A recording by Joni James (MGM Records catalog number 11333) reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' charts for four weeks in S ...

", sold over two million copies. She had a number of hits following that one, including "

Your Cheatin' Heart "Your Cheatin' Heart" is a song written and recorded by country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1952. It is regarded as one of country's most important standards. Williams was inspired to write the song while driving with his fiancée ...

" (a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

' hit) and "

Have You Heard? "Have You Heard?" is a popular song written by Lew Douglas, Frank LaVere and LeRoy W. Rodde and published in 1952. The biggest hit version was recorded by Joni James in 1952, charting the next year. The recording by Joni James was released ...

". She was the first American to record at

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

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

, and recorded five

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

s there. She was also very popular across parts of the

Asia-Pacific Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the world near the western Pacific Ocean. The Asia-Pacific region varies in area depending on context, but it generally includes East Asia, Russian Far East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Paci ...

region, particularly in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

where she performed at

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

'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 any of the different ''Billboard'' charts that existed previously to the Hot 100. "Why Don't You Believe Me?" (No. 1 in 1952) "

" (No. 4 in 1953) "

" (No. 2 in 1953) "

Almost Always In probability theory, an event is said to happen almost surely (sometimes abbreviated as a.s.) if it happens with probability 1 (or Lebesgue measure 1). In other words, the set of possible exceptions may be non-empty, but it has probability 0. ...

" (No. 9 in 1953) " My Love, My Love" (No. 8 in 1953) "

How Important Can It Be? "How Important Can It Be?" is a popular song written by Bennie Benjamin and George David Weiss, and published in 1955. Background The lyrics of the song find the narrator asking her lover why her indiscretions with other boyfriends before him mat ...

" (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 the current, 40 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. "Top 40" or "cont ...

hits from 1952 to 1961. 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, Mad ...

in 1956. In 1964, she retired from the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

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 ...

General

Bernard Schriever Bernard Adolph Schriever (14 September 1910 – 20 June 2005), also known as Bennie Schriever, was a United States Air Force general who played a major role in the Air Force's space and ballistic missile programs. Born in Bremen, Germany, Schr ...

, two decades her senior. 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 guided only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles stay within t ...

s — both

ICBM An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons ...

s and

IRBM An intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) is a ballistic missile with a range of 3,000–5,500 km (1,864–3,418 miles), between a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) and an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Classifying b ...

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

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...

. They honeymooned in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and the

Greek Isles Greece has many islands, with estimates ranging from somewhere around 1,200 to 6,000, depending on the minimum size to take into account. The number of inhabited islands is variously cited as between 166 and 227. The largest Greek island by a ...

, then took up residence in Schriever's home in Washington, D.C. Bernard Schriever died on June 20, 2005, aged 94.

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 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerci ...

, she appeared at the Academy of Music in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, 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 motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

's Life Achievement Tribute to

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

.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, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lagoon. The populati ...

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

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

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

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

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

Joni James at Find A Grave
* * {{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