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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZCONNOR, Chris(b Mary Lotsenhizer, 8 November 1927, Kansas City MO; d 29 August 2009, Toms River NJ of cancer) Singer. Her father played violin; she studied clarinet for eight years, but later said that she always knew she wanted to be a singer. It was said that she began singing with a band at the U. of Missouri led by Bob Brookmeyer, but she said in an interview that she had met Brookmeyer but never sang with his band. She sang with a local band in Kansas City led by Eddie Sigoloff, and fans who remembered her were thrilled when she hit the big time. She headed for New York in 1949, and sang with Claude Thornhill. It was her dream to sing with Stan Kenton, and she was singing with Jerry Wald when she got the call. With Kenton '52-3 she established a reputation in the line of Kenton singers Anita O'Day and June Christy as a stylist in the cool school, with minimal vibrato, especially with a beautiful hit single, 'All About Ronnie'. She said that her experience with Kenton was invaluable, honing her phrasing and learning 'how to come in on exactly the right note while 18 or 20 musicians are playing their parts.' But she had been on the road for years and was tired of that. She went solo in mid-1953 and signed with Bethlehem: singles were issued with a Sy Oliver band; 10" and 12" LPs including With Ellis Larkins, This Is Chris, Lullabies For Lovers, Chris; she was suspended by the label '55 for refusing to record more than the minimum required by the contract. She went to Atlantic, where her first album Chris Connor '56 included sessions with three different groups, one a large orchestra directed by Ralph Burns. Others followed: A Jazz Date With Chris Connor '56, Chris Craft '58 (two of her best, later combined on a Rhino/Atlantic CD), Ballads Of The Sad Cafe '59, Chris In Person '60, Portrait Of Chris '61, Free Spirits '62, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not, more; title track from I Miss You So was a chart single (top 40 '56), as was 'Trust In Me' (no. 95, '57). ABC-Paramount released Sings Gentle Bossa Nova '65; she made a highly regarded appearance at an Austin Jazz Festival '66. A comeback in the mid-'70s included albums with Kenton and Maynard Ferguson; Sweet And Swinging was made '78 in NYC with a small group, The London Connection with Alan Barnes, both on Audiophile; Love Being Here With You '83 on Stash, Classic and New Again '86-7 were on Contemporary: fans thought her voice was as good as ever, interpretations maybe even better. |