June Richmond

Active: '30s, '40s, '50s

Genres: Jazz

Instrument: Vocals

Biography

June Richmond became one of the very first black singers to be featured regularly with a white band when she performed with Jimmy Dorsey's Orchestra in 1938. An enthusiastic vocalist who was excellent on blues but also effective on ballads, Richmond was a popular attraction during the swing era although never a major name. She worked with Les Hite early on in California, toured with Dorsey, was with Cab Calloway (1938) and then became best-known for her association with Andy Kirk's Orchestra during 1939-42. She became a solo act after leaving Kirk and then from 1948 on mostly worked in Europe, at first based in France and then later on in Scandinavia. June Richmond died of a heart attack at the age of 47. Her only recordings as a leader were four numbers in 1951 with Svend Asmussen and four selections with the Quincy Jones Orchestra in 1957.