 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (May 2013) |
June Richmond | |
|---|---|
 June Richmond on Swedish National Radio | |
| Background information | |
| Born | July 9, 1915 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | August 14, 1962 (aged 47) Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actress |
June Richmond (July 9, 1915 in Chicago, Illinois – August 14, 1962 in Gothenburg, Sweden) was an American jazz singer and actor.
June Richmond is considered the first African-American jazz singer who sang regularly in a white band when she appeared in 1938, with Jimmy Dorsey's Orchestra, with whom she recorded several sides for Decca Records.[1] She had previously worked in Les Hite's band in California, and after her time at Dorsey she joined Cab Calloway (1938), with whom she recorded for Vocalion Records, and then worked from 1939 to 1942 in Andy Kirk's orchestra, again recording for Decca. After she left Kirk, she launched a successful career as a soloist; In 1946, she had a featured role in the Broadway musical Are You With It?[2] In 1948 she appeared mostly in Europe. She first settled in France, where she sang worked with Henri Renaud, and later in Scandinavia.[citation needed]
Her first recordings under her own name originated in 1945 when she signed with Mercury Records, releasing several singles, including two songs from her Broadway musical "Are You With It?"[3] She then moved to Europe, where she recorded six titles in Stockholm with Svend Asmussen. In 1957, in Paris, she recorded another four numbers with the orchestra of Quincy Jones, "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues", "Sleep", "Everybody's Doing It" and "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea". She also recorded a series of 45 EP albums for the Odeon, Barclay and Varga labels and a 10" LP of eight songs from Porgy and Bess sung in French.[4]
- ^ "The Vocal Group Harmony Web Site - Record of the Week". Retrieved November 23, 2022.
- ^ "Are You with It? – Broadway Musical – Original | IBDB". Archived from the original on 2021-03-07. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
- ^ "The Vocal Group Harmony Web Site - Record of the Week".
- ^ June Richmond sings from 'Porgy and Bess', rateyourmusic.com. Accessed November 23, 2022.