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June Richmond

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. 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? In 1948 she appeared mostly in Europe. She first settled in France, where she sang worked with Henri Renaud, and later in Scandinavia.

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?" 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.

She appeared in several films in the 1940s and 1950s, including Murder in Swingtime (1937), Carolina Blues (1944), Reet, Petite, and Gone (1947), The Dreamer (1948), Tour of the Grand Dukes (France, 1953), and Liebe, Jazz und Übermut (Germany, 1957).

June Richmond died of a heart attack in 1962 at the age of 47. A comprehensive two-disc CD collection, Hey, Lawdy Mama! was released in 2022 by Jasmine Records.

Birth and Death Data: Born July 9, 1915 (Chicago), Died August 14, 1962 (Gothenburg)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1938 - 1943

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 63431 10-in. 3/16/1938 Joseph! Joseph! Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 63436 10-in. 3/16/1938 The weekend of a private secretary Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 63691 10-in. 4/29/1938 The Darktown Strutters' Ball Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 63718 10-in. 5/6/1938 If you were in my place Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 63719 10-in. 5/6/1938 I let a song go out of my heart Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 65249 10-in. 3/23/1939 (I wanna go where you go) Then I'll be happy Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy vocalist  
Decca 66879 10-in. 11/15/1939 Please don't talk about me when I'm gone Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy vocalist  
Decca 67010 10-in. 1/2/1940 Wham (Wham-re-bop-boom-bam) Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy vocalist  
Decca 67013 10-in. 1/2/1940 It always will be you Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy vocalist  
Decca 67893 10-in. 6/25/1940 Fine and mellow Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy vocalist  
Decca 67895 10-in. 6/25/1940 Fifteen minute intermission Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy vocalist  
Decca 67896 10-in. 6/25/1940 Take those blues away Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy vocalist  
Decca 67919 10-in. 7/8/1940 Midnight stroll Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy vocalist  
Decca 68546 10-in. 1/3/1941 Cuban boogie woogie Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy vocalist  
Decca 69520 10-in. 7/17/1941 47th Street jive Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy vocalist  
Decca 71050 10-in. 7/14/1942 Hey lawdy Mama Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy vocalist  
Decca 71052 10-in. 7/14/1942 Ride on, ride on Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy vocalist  
Decca 71241 10-in. 7/31/1942 Hip hip hooray Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy vocalist  
Decca 71242 10-in. 7/31/1942 Unlucky blues Andy Kirk ; Twelve Clouds of Joy vocalist  
Decca 71536 10-in. 12/3/1943 Fare Thee well honey Andy Kirk Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 71537 10-in. 12/3/1943 Baby don't you tell me no lie Andy Kirk Orchestra vocalist  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Richmond, June," accessed April 24, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/116263.

Richmond, June. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/116263.

"Richmond, June." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 24 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/116263

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