Joni James was born September 22, 1930. After being discovered in a television commercial, in 1952 by MGM executives, James began to record on their label. Her first hit was “Why Don’t You Believe Me?” that record alone sold over a million copies.
James was more popular in Europe and Asia and was the first American to record at London’s Abbey Road Studios. Between 1956 and 1961 she sold more than 100 million records. Even though she was prosperous, James retired from music in 1964. Her husband at the time, composer/conductor Nick Acquaviva, was in bad health. Soon after Acquaviva’s death she began to record again.
Also a patriot, Joni has given of her time to the USO and many other armed services events. In October 1997 she married a Retired Air force General Bernard Adolph Schriever. He was very important in post-war U.S. Ballistic missile development. Though the marriage was short lived, she stayed with Schriever until he died in 2005. Currently Joni still sings and makes appearances through out the country, still blessing us with this beautiful voice.
“Autumn Leaves” was originally a 1945 French song called “Les Feuilles Mortes” which means dead leaves with music by Joseph Kosma and words by Jacques Prévert. Joni’s version was among one of the earliest renditions of this now famous song. Her literal interpretation of the song leaves no question that she felt the sadness of this love that didn’t last through end of the summer. It makes me think about Martha’s Vineyard or the French Riviera when they are warm. Falling in love with that person that came to vacation just like you did. Meeting at first on the market square. Then finally speaking a local social event that everyone in town was at. A soul mate for a summer, never to see again. The one that got away. Man or woman it doesn’t matter we’ve all had a love like this. I wonder what life would have been like…..if they had come back the next year….
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