Joni James on the cover of her 2002 collection Platinum & Gold: The MGM Years

Joni James (born Giovanna Carmella Babbo, on September 22, 1930) is an American singer of traditional pop music. Cover of Joni James collection Platinum & Gold: The MGM Years, taken from Amazon. ... 2002 (MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 22 is the 265th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (266th in leap years). ... 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... mainstream pop music Traditional pop music is a genre of music which encompasses music that succeeded big band music and preceded rock and roll as the most popular kind of music in the United States, most of Europe, and some other parts of the world. ...

She was born in Chicago, Illinois of Italian extraction in 1930. As an adolescent, she studied drama and ballet, and on graduating from high school, went with a local dance group on a tour of Canada. She then took a job as a chorus girl in the Edgewater Beach Hotel in her native Chicago. After doing a fill-in in Indiana, she decided to pursue a singing career. Some executives at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) spotted her in a television commercial, and she was signed by MGM in 1952. Her first hit, "Why Don't You Believe Me?" sold over a million copies. She had a number of hits following that one, including "Your Cheatin' Heart" (a cover of Hank Williams' hit) and "Have You Heard." ... 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Drama is a term generally used to refer to a literary form involving parts written for actors to perform. ... The Waltz of the Snowflakes from Tchaikovskys The Nutcracker Ballet is the name given to a specific dance form and technique. ... <3 Dance is awesome <3 and katie duda is the best dancer A contemporary dancer rehearsing Dance (from Old French dance, further history unknown) generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression (see also body language) or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting. ... Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, often constrasted with speech. ... For alternate meanings of MGM, see MGM (disambiguation). ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Hank Williams Sr. ...

She was reportedly the first American to record at London's Abbey Road Studios, and recorded five albums there. Abbey Road Studios, created in November of 1931 by EMI in London, England, is best known as the legendary recording studio used by the rock bands Cliff Richard and The Shadows and The Beatles. ...

In 1964 she retired from music, in part also because her husband, Anthony Acquaviva (a music director) was in bad health and needed her attention. For many years she was out of the public eye, but began touring again in the mid-1990s following Acquaviva's death. For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... The 1990s refers to the years 1990 to 1999; the last decade of the 20th Century, but in an economical sense The Nineties is often considered to span from the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 to the September 11 attacks in 2001. ...

On October 5, 1997 she married retired Air Force General Bernard Adolph Schriever, 20 years her senior, and an extremely important figure in post-war U.S. ballistic missile development. They honeymooned in France and the Greek Isles. Gen. Schriever passed away on June 20, 2005. October 5 is the 278th day of the year (279th in Leap years). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... General Bernard Adolph Schriever (1910–2005-06-20) was born in Bremen, Germany, and after immigrating to the United States, played a major rôle in the U.S. Air Force programs for space and ballistic missile research. ... June 20 is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 194 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

For her contribution to the recording industry, Joni James has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. An example of a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, for the film actress Carole Lombard. ...

Hit songs

• "Almost Always"
• "Give Us This Day"
• "Have You Heard"
• "How Important Can It Be?"
• "Is It Any Wonder"
• "My Love, My Love"
• "There Goes My Heart"
• "There Must Be a Way"
• "Why Don't You Believe Me"
• "Wishing Ring"
• "You Are My Love"
• "Your Cheatin' Heart"
• "You're Foolin' Someone"

Have You Heard? is a popular song. ... How Important Can It Be? is a popular song. ... My Love, My Love is a popular song. ... Why Dont You Believe Me? is a popular song. ... Your Cheatin Heart is a song written and recorded by the American country music singer and songwriter Hank Williams in 1952, but released after his death in 1953. ...

External references

• Joni's World, her official site
• Biography on the Iceberg site