Joni James

Joni James (born Giovanna Carmella Babbo, on September 22, 1930) is an American singer of traditional pop music.

She was born in Chicago, Illinois of Italian extraction in 1930. As an adolescent, she studied drama

Joni James (born Giovanna Carmella Babbo, on September 22, 1930) is an American singer of traditional pop music.

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 "Why Don't You Believe Me".