Biofile with Joni James

Biofile with Joni James  | read this item

Status: Legendary recording artist.

Music Inspirations: “Well, Sinatra. That’s easy. Ella – beautiful. Mabel Mercer – rare lyrics. Sara Vaughn – she was my big hero. I used to save my nickels to go watch her at the Blue Note in Chicago. Doris Day. I was friends with Rosemary Clooney who lived down the block from me in Beverly Hills. Mixed Emotions by Rosemary. Patty Page. I remember Barbra Streisand said I was her big influence. You are a bunch of your influences until you find your own voice. Nat King Cole. Perry Como was an all around hero. I always thought stars and champions should be on the high ground and live up to their status. The Lord gave it to you. You owe it to the world to behave like one. I really tried hard.”

Favorite Movies: “I’m mad about Jane Austen. I’m a classics lover. Wuthering Heights, Pride & Prejudice, Great Expectations. Works of Charlotte Bronte.”

Favorite TV Shows: “The classics on PBS. The news.”

Last Book Read: “It’s never last, I’m reading now. Now I’m going over my book. It’s like a phone book. I love words. I judge songs by their lyrical content. The words have to say something.”

Musical Tastes: “I love Bocelli, opera, classic country music,Ella, jazz, Big Band, hymns. I love all sorts of music. But I abhor this street music which is disgusting in its subject matter and its language. I think people should aspire to something higher. To be art.”

First Job: “Ice cakes and pack cookies for soldiers in World War II. I worked in a bakery to pay for my dance lessons.”

Childhood Dream: “When we were children we belonged to a group that had been organized to keep children occupied during the war. I just fell in love with ballet. One day someone said, Sing Joni. Just for a lark, Come on, sing. I said, No, I’m a dancer. They said, We heard you singing in the dressing room. Sing for us. So I did. And they said it was wonderful. And I thought, Why don’t they say that about my dancing [laughs]? Also I was supposed to be a journalist. I had a scholarship to DeKalb University in Chicago. I was always a book lover.”

Favorite Meal: “I love so many different things. Linguini with lobster sauce. Pink sauce, like carbonara.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “I love pistachio. In Italy. The real gelato.”

Early Performance Memory: “There was one at the University of Mississippi. In the late 50’s. When we flew there to Ole Miss, it had snowed in Mississippi. They weren’t used to that. On the afternoon of the show when we arrived for rehearsal, we saw the students were standing outside waiting on line. I said, Let them in. Let’s give them the show now. They started the performance, …Here she is, Joni James. The band played. We did it spontaneous. I was wearing an old wrinkled woolly dress from our plane ride on the little pink Cessna which they used to call Joni’s Pink Cloud. The university kids were so bright, so inquisitive, so enthusiastic. They were fascinated. I was fascinated by them, by their open-hearted, warm, student ways. We did the whole performance. The kids thought it was great fun. We just couldn’t do a rehearsal while letting them wait out in the snow.”

Pre-Performance Feeling: “I’m thinking about going out there with the people I love. I’m a people lover. Barbra Streisand has a song, ‘People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.’ That’s me. Now that I’m not with everybody it’s like, Where did everybody go? Sometimes I’m kind of lost.”

Greatest Moment of Career: “I’ve had so many beautiful ones. Oh, Carnegie Hall. I was the first pop singer to be able to sing in full concert with the symphony. The album was recorded. The other time was when we did ‘100 Strings and Joni.’ At Abbey Road Studios. I thought I died and went to heaven.”

Most Painful Moment: “Painful. I never really remember painful. I remember being there when Little Richard was there on a show with me in Hartford. Tony (Aquiviva, her husband) wanted to kill him. We were not accustomed to that kind of performance. Tony said to him, Listen, you’re on the program with a lady. We don’t want to hear that language. The show had done huge box office. We knew the audience reaction was a whole new awakening for us. How do I fit in with my little, soft songs? It was a shock. It was an awakening. The new revolution of an audience. An audience that got to be so into it. Everybody jumping out of their seats. Pandemonium. It looked like it was supposed to be a riot. What we were used to was a nice audience listening to the show in an appreciative way. We hadn’t had that wild, no holds barred, pow. It was a turning point, so to speak. We had to re-gear ourselves for the new thing. It was like an ice water shock. Later we did a show in Detroit at The Flame Bar, followed Laverne Baker. I came out…’Let there be you, Let there be me.’ Silence. Then an explosion. They called me The Sweet Singer. So it was nice that they got the message.”

Funny Memory: “I used to be the closing act of the show. I’d be waiting in the wings to go on stage, sometimes after a comedian, like Shecky Green. If I was there too soon, I’d be laughing. And laughing would sometimes do something to my throat and voice. So a lot of times I had to miss the fun.”

Embarrassing Memory: “Can’t think of any off hand just like that. I’d had some fabulous ones like being in the Cuban revolution, being in an earthquake. At the Michigan State Fair the zipper burst on my beautiful antique lace beaded gown. I had to hold it close, tight and walk out sideways. Holding my arms tight around. (What happened in Cuba?) I was playing in Guantanamo Bay at a gambing casino called San Souci for Bautista’s birthday during the takeover.”

Favorite Live Performers: “Sammy Davis was spectacular. So versatile. He came out of vaudeville training with his father and uncle. Judy Garland. So many of the great live performers had the vaudeville feeling. I like Celine Dion very much. I read somewhere she doesn’t talk for days sometimes, to protect her throat for the performances. But I’m not sure if it’s true.”

Which Performance(s) Were You At Your Best: “Oh. So many. You know, it’s a long time. A lot of different performances. Like the time in south Boston it was rainy, snowy, slushy. There were 2,000 people inside. We went in and I said to one of the waitresses, What’s happening? Why don’t they let the people in? She said, You’re what’s happening. It’s all filled up. There’s nowhere to put them. Honey, congratulations. What they’re waiting for is you! I never would have thought it. So all these years I tried to be worth it. If they love me like that I’ve got to do the best I can. I’ve got to be good for them.”

Interesting Fact: As fellow famous Illinoians, Joni’s wedding gown is on display next to Abraham Lincoln’s stove pipe hat at the Historical Society in Lincoln Park, IL.

Memorable Fan Encounter: “There was a young man who had AIDS. And his friends told me how much he loved my music. They told me if I called him, how much it would mean to him. So I did. How could I not? I spoke to his father after he died. He told me that his son came home to be with us in his final days. And he said they played the tape of my music over and over and over, like crazy. Just like he used to play it over and over. The father told me, We’re forever in your debt. With that tape he didn’t need the morphine. With your songs he had peace and comfort. So I replaced morphine.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “I love it when people have a fine moral character. I love people who work hard and love their country and family. I stand for things that are maybe traditional. I also love people who accomplish things. I think everyone has a gift and are bound to take advantage of their gifts. The ones who do I worship at their feet.”

How Would You Like To Be Remembered: “I would like to be remembered for what I truly am. In depth. Because everything’s so quick nowadays. It’s hard to know. It takes so long. I like all the details. A lot don’t. A lot just want to know the bottom line, the synopsis. If that’s all we get, we’re missing a lot of stuff. I’ve been so blessed, beyond belief. What did I do to deserve this. I don’t know but I’m glad the Lord picked me.”

Topics: Artist Music, Barbra Streisand, Blue Note, Charlotte Bronte, Childhood Dream, Classic Country Music, Doris Day, Favorite Tv, James Music, Jane Austen, Jazz Big Band, Joni James, Lyrical Content, Mabel Mercer, Mixed Emotions, Musical Tastes, Nat King Cole, Patty Page, Perry Como, Rosemary Clooney, Street Music, World War Ii, Wuthering Heights