June Valli
June Valli 1966
Valli in 1966
Background information
Birth nameJune Foglia
Born(1928-06-30)June 30, 1928
The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
DiedMarch 12, 1993(1993-03-12) (aged 64)
Fort Lee, New Jersey, U.S.
GenresTraditional 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

  1. ^ "Obituaries: June Valli; Singer, 64". The New York Times. 1993-03-16. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  2. ^ a b "JUNE VALLI". Saxony Records. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  3. ^ 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. Open access icon
  4. ^ 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. Open access icon
  5. ^ "Hit Parade Renewed". The Times. The (San Mateo, California) Times. August 30, 1952. p. 5. Retrieved July 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ "Mail Bag". Waco Tribune-Herald. Waco Tribune-Herald. September 1, 1974. p. 54. Retrieved July 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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. Open access icon
  9. ^ "June Valli". Variety. March 12, 1993. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  10. ^ "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."


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