June Valli | |
|---|---|
 Valli in 1966 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | June Foglia |
| Born | June 30, 1928 The Bronx, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | March 12, 1993 (aged 64) Fort Lee, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 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]
Early years
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]
Television
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]
Recordings
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]
Private life
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]
Death
Valli died of cancer on March 12, 1993, at her home [9] in Fort Lee, New Jersey. [10]
Charted Singles
| 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" | — |
References
- ^ "Obituaries: June Valli; Singer, 64". The New York Times. 1993-03-16. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
- ^ a b "JUNE VALLI". Saxony Records. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
-
^ Morton, Al (June 4, 1953).
"Television Is a Gluttonous Monster In Field of Drama". Delaware County Daily Times. Delaware County Daily Times. p. 10. Retrieved July 5, 2015 – via
Newspapers.com.
- ^
a
b
c Pesmen, Sandra (April 30, 1975).
"June Valli: Heading For 2nd Time At Top". The Raleigh Register. The Raleigh Register. p. 15. Retrieved July 5, 2015 – via
Newspapers.com.
-
^
"Hit Parade Renewed". The Times. The (San Mateo, California) Times. August 30, 1952. p. 5. Retrieved July 5, 2015 – via
Newspapers.com.
-
^
"Mail Bag". Waco Tribune-Herald. Waco Tribune-Herald. September 1, 1974. p. 54. Retrieved July 5, 2015 – via
Newspapers.com.
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Company. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
-
^ Scheuer, Steven (July 9, 1957).
"June Valli To Have Own TV Show". The Times. The (Hammond, Indiana) Times. p. 8. Retrieved July 5, 2015 – via
Newspapers.com.
- ^ "June Valli". Variety. March 12, 1993. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
- ^ "June Valli; Singer, 64", The New York Times, March 16, 1993. Accessed November 7, 2022. "June Valli, a singer who appeared on television variety shows from the 1950's through the 1970's, died on Friday at her home. She was 64 and lived in Fort Lee."
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
 | This article about a United States singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1930 births
- 1993 deaths
- 20th-century American singers
- 20th-century American women singers
- American people of Austrian descent
- American people of Italian descent
- People from Fort Lee, New Jersey
- Television personalities from New York City
- American women television personalities
- Deaths from cancer in New Jersey
- Entertainers from the Bronx
- Mercury Records artists
- RCA Victor artists
- Singers from New York City
- Traditional pop music singers
- American singer stubs