This week we’re celebrating the centennial of singer and actress Julie London.
Known for her sultry voice and an intimate approach to a song, she evokes the sex appeal of Peggy Lee, the buttery alto of Annie Ross, and the hard swing of Anita O’Day, while always being uniquely Julie. London’s career spanned over five decades in radio, film, recordings, concerts, and television, despite her intense shyness and near-crippling stage fright. She recorded over 30 albums during her career and famously introduced what would become her most popular song, “Cry Me a River,” on her debut album in 1955.
We’ll listen to a range of her recordings from that very album to her final studio recording for a motion picture soundtrack in 1981.