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Today, September 26, is the birthday of Julie London; she was born Julie Peck in Santa Rosa, California on September 26, 1926.
Julie London ~ Cry Me a River
45 rpm single w/record sleeve
photo by Styrous®
London sang as a teenager in a band on the West Coast, prior to her first film appearance. She attended Hollywood Professional High School and graduated in 1944. She was discovered by talent agent Sue Carol (the wife of actor Alan Ladd) while an elevator operator.
Today, September 26, is the birthday of Julie London; she was born Julie Peck in Santa Rosa, California on September 26, 1926.
Julie London ~ Cry Me a River
45 rpm single w/record sleeve
photo by Styrous®
London sang as a teenager in a band on the West Coast, prior to her first film appearance. She attended Hollywood Professional High School and graduated in 1944. She was discovered by talent agent Sue Carol (the wife of actor Alan Ladd) while an elevator operator.
In 1944, she appeared in her
first film, Nabonga, which starred Buster Crabbe of Tarzan, Flash Gordon, and Buck Rogers fame.
Nabonga - 1944
Her first public professional singing performance was at the 881 Club. Her first recording was this 45 single, Cry Me a River, written by former high school classmate Arthur Hamilton. It was first published in 1953 and made famous in 1955 by London.
I remember hearing the song for the first time; it was soft, sensual, incredibly hypnotizing and her velvet, almost breathless voice was mesmerizing. I fell acoustically in love with her, sight unseen. Later I saw a photograph of her and it finished me off; I was eternally hooked.
date & photographer unknown
Arthur Hamilton later said of the song: "I had never heard the phrase. I just liked the combination of words... Instead of 'Eat your heart out' or 'I'll get even with you,' it sounded like a good, smart retort to somebody who had hurt your feelings or broken your heart."
A jazzy blues ballad, Cry Me a River was originally written for Ella Fitzgerald to sing in the 1920s-set film, Pete Kelly's Blues (released 1955), but the song was dropped.
photo by Styrous®
Another
former classmate was disc-jockey Jack Wagner of KHJ in Hollywood. Jack
was impressed with London's sultry looks as a high school student
and equally impressed with her singing talent. He helped to promote her
albums. He wrote the liner notes for her 1957 album, About the Blues (Liberty 3043). London was married to Jack Webb, star of the Dragnet TV series who also was the producer of Pete Kelly's Blues
in which London appeared in 1955. She later married Bobby Troup who
helped to sign her to the then new Liberty label. London made over 30
albums (link below).
"Julie London emerged as the consummate cocktail siren. Movie star, club performer, recording artist, and occasional television personality.
She was also the perfect physical type for conveying "aerodynamic glamour in the new age of mass-produced Frididaires and televisions." She was a blend of Dionysian flesh and Detroit steel, streamlined car and cocktail shaker combined. Her cool, sleek supple contours, cobalt blue eyes, and high tech vocals satisfied America's fascination for what Marshall McLuhan called "the assembly line goddess."
Cry Me a River has been used in many films, V For Vendetta (2006), Repo Men (2010), as well as the Michael Bublé adaption of the song used in the BBC advertising for, and theme music for coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics.
It has been covered by Joan Baez, Shirley Bassey, Dinah Washington, Barbra Streisand, Lesley Gore, Joe Cocker, Crystal Gayle, Aerosmith, Mari Wilson, Diana Krall, Etta James and many others.
photo by Styrous®
The "B" side of the record is S Wonderful, which is the complete opposite from Cry Me a River. It starts fast and jazzy then midway mellows out a bit but stays jazzy. It was composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics written by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced in the Broadway musical Funny Face (1927) by Adele Astaire and Allen Kearns. The song is considered a standard and has been recorded by many artists including Bing Crosby, Brian Wilson, Anita O'Day, Gene Kelly, Ella Fitzgerald Michael Feinstein, Judy Garland, Joe Williams, John Pizzarelli, Sarah Vaughan, Karrin Allyson, Diana Krall, João Gilberto, Shirley Bassey and Engelbert Humperdinck.
photo by Styrous®
The song was included in the 1951 movie An American in Paris, where it is sung by Gene Kelly and Georges Guétary, as well as in the 1957 American musical film Funny Face, in which it was performed by Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire. Doris Day also sang it in Starlift (1951) and Dean Martin sang it during the opening credits of the 1964 film Kiss Me, Stupid.
photo by Styrous®
Julie London
was a chain smoker from the age of 16 onward, at some periods smoking
in excess of three packs of cigarettes per day. She suffered a stroke in 1995 and was in poor health for the following five years. She died of cardiac arrest in the early morning hours of October 18, 2000, at the Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center in Encino, she was 74 years old.
She was buried next to her husband Bobby Troup, who had died the previous year, in the Courts of Remembrance Columbarium of Providence, at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. Her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (for recording) is at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, also in Los Angeles.
She was buried next to her husband Bobby Troup, who had died the previous year, in the Courts of Remembrance Columbarium of Providence, at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. Her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (for recording) is at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, also in Los Angeles.
Tracklist:
Side 1:
A - Cry Me A River, written by Arthur Hamilton - 2:36
Side 2:
B - S’Wonderful, written by George & Ira Gershwin* - 1:33
Credits:
Bass – Ray Leatherwood
Guitar – Barney Kessell*
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Matrix / Runout (Side A): EB-1287
Matrix / Runout (Side B): EB-1288
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A): 45-EB-1287-D8
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B): 45-EB-1288-D5
Rights Society: ASCAP
Julie London – Cry Me A River
Label: Liberty – 55006
Format: Vinyl, 7", Single
Country: US
Released: 1955
Genre: Jazz
Style: Easy Listening
Viewfinder links:
Aerosmith
Joe Cocker
Bing Crosby
Ella Fitzgerald
George Gershwin
Ira Gershwin
Lesley Gore
Gene Kelly
Marshall McLuhan
Anita O'Day
Barbra Streisand
Dinah Washington
Jack Webb
Brian Wilson
Net links:
ABC News ~ obit
Discover Music ~ Julie London
Emergency Fans ~ An inside joke?
The Times ~ obit
LA News ~ obit
NY Times ~ obit
Sac Jazz ~ Famous Julie London Songs
YouTube links:
Cry Me a River
'S Wonderful
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Anita O'Day
Barbra Streisand
Dinah Washington
Jack Webb
Brian Wilson
Net links:
ABC News ~ obit
Discover Music ~ Julie London
Emergency Fans ~ An inside joke?
The Times ~ obit
LA News ~ obit
NY Times ~ obit
Sac Jazz ~ Famous Julie London Songs
YouTube links:
Cry Me a River
'S Wonderful
", , , the assembly line goddess."
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, September 26, 2018
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