Joni James, a singer who influenced Streisand, has died at age 91

[+ WilliamM]

James was very popular in the 1950s with songs like "Have You Heard,"  "How Important Can It Be," "Danny Boy," "Little Things Mean A Lot."

In May 1959, she was one of first pop singers to perform a solo concert at Carnegie Hall backed by a 100 piece orchestra. The concert is still available on CD.

Barbra Streisand invited Joni James to sing "The Way We Were"  at her rAmerican Film Institute Award Tribute in 2001.

James had a comeback of sorts with concerts at Town Hall, Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall in 1997 to 2001. By 2001, Joni James cancelled concerts because of  9-11, including in Philadelphia.

She had retired to care for her husband who had a severe battle with diabetes 

Edited March 5, 2022 by WilliamM

[+ sync]

I liked her singing a lot.  Her singing voice had an appealing crystal-like clarity for me.