June Valli | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | June Foglia |
Born | The Bronx, New York City, U.S. | June 30, 1928
Died | March 12, 1993 Fort Lee, New Jersey, U.S. | (aged 64)
Genres | Traditional pop |
Occupation(s) | Vocalist Television personality |
June Valli (née Foglia; June 30, 1928 – March 12, 1993) was an American singer and television personality. [1] [2]
Born in the Bronx, Valli's father was Italian, and her mother was Austrian. [3] She worked as a bookkeeper after her high school graduation. Her singing of Stormy Weather at a friend's wedding reception led to an appearance on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, where she won. She subsequently appeared on Perry Como's and Ed Sullivan's TV shows. [4]
Valli was one of the stars of the 1950s television shows Stop the Music and Your Hit Parade. She sang on the latter show during its 1952–1953 season. [5] At the start of the 1953–1954 season, she was replaced by singer Gisele MacKenzie. [6]
Donald Swerdlow and his 12-year-old Bronx friends, students at Public School 6 were asked by June's manager to start a fan club for her. They did this and paraded in front of a TV studio carrying "picket signs" promoting her recordings of "Now Now Now" (an American version of the Israeli favorite, Hava Nagila, and the record's flip-side, "Always Always."
In 1957, Valli and Andy Williams were co-hosts of The Andy Williams-June Valli Show, a summer replacement program on NBC-TV. [7] A newspaper article noted, "It's her first chance in three years to settle down in one place." [8]
Valli recorded a number of hit songs, including "Strange Sensation", "A Shoulder to Cry On", " Crying in the Chapel", " Why Don't You Believe Me?" and " Unchained Melody". Throughout her career, she sang with various stars of the time, including Mel Torme and Fats Domino. Valli was also the singing voice in a series of commercials for Chiquita Bananas. [2]
Valli was married to famed WIND (AM) Chicago disc jockey Howard Miller for two years—a union that she called "my biggest mistake." [4] She later married Jim Merchant for 28 years. . [4]
Valli died of cancer on March 12, 1993, at her home [9] in Fort Lee, New Jersey. [10]
Year | Title | Chart positions |
---|---|---|
US | ||
1952 | "Strange Sensation" | 23 |
1953 | " Crying in the Chapel" | 4 |
1954 | "I Understand" | 8 |
"Tell Me, Tell Me" | 16 | |
1955 | " Unchained Melody" | 29 |
1958 | "The Wedding" | 43 |
1959 | "The Answer to a Maiden's Prayer" | 71 |
1960 | "Apple Green" | 29 |
1961 | "This World We Live In" | — |
June Valli | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | June Foglia |
Born | The Bronx, New York City, U.S. | June 30, 1928
Died | March 12, 1993 Fort Lee, New Jersey, U.S. | (aged 64)
Genres | Traditional pop |
Occupation(s) | Vocalist Television personality |
June Valli (née Foglia; June 30, 1928 – March 12, 1993) was an American singer and television personality. [1] [2]
Born in the Bronx, Valli's father was Italian, and her mother was Austrian. [3] She worked as a bookkeeper after her high school graduation. Her singing of Stormy Weather at a friend's wedding reception led to an appearance on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, where she won. She subsequently appeared on Perry Como's and Ed Sullivan's TV shows. [4]
Valli was one of the stars of the 1950s television shows Stop the Music and Your Hit Parade. She sang on the latter show during its 1952–1953 season. [5] At the start of the 1953–1954 season, she was replaced by singer Gisele MacKenzie. [6]
Donald Swerdlow and his 12-year-old Bronx friends, students at Public School 6 were asked by June's manager to start a fan club for her. They did this and paraded in front of a TV studio carrying "picket signs" promoting her recordings of "Now Now Now" (an American version of the Israeli favorite, Hava Nagila, and the record's flip-side, "Always Always."
In 1957, Valli and Andy Williams were co-hosts of The Andy Williams-June Valli Show, a summer replacement program on NBC-TV. [7] A newspaper article noted, "It's her first chance in three years to settle down in one place." [8]
Valli recorded a number of hit songs, including "Strange Sensation", "A Shoulder to Cry On", " Crying in the Chapel", " Why Don't You Believe Me?" and " Unchained Melody". Throughout her career, she sang with various stars of the time, including Mel Torme and Fats Domino. Valli was also the singing voice in a series of commercials for Chiquita Bananas. [2]
Valli was married to famed WIND (AM) Chicago disc jockey Howard Miller for two years—a union that she called "my biggest mistake." [4] She later married Jim Merchant for 28 years. . [4]
Valli died of cancer on March 12, 1993, at her home [9] in Fort Lee, New Jersey. [10]
Year | Title | Chart positions |
---|---|---|
US | ||
1952 | "Strange Sensation" | 23 |
1953 | " Crying in the Chapel" | 4 |
1954 | "I Understand" | 8 |
"Tell Me, Tell Me" | 16 | |
1955 | " Unchained Melody" | 29 |
1958 | "The Wedding" | 43 |
1959 | "The Answer to a Maiden's Prayer" | 71 |
1960 | "Apple Green" | 29 |
1961 | "This World We Live In" | — |