Joni James Dies: 1950s Pop Star Who Sang ‘Why Don’t You Believe Me?’ Was 91
deadline.comJoni James, a popular singer in the 1950s who scored several pre-rock hits including “Why Don’t You Believe Me?” and “How Important Can It Be?” and continued to chart throughout the decade, has died.
She was 91.James’ son, Michael Acquaviva, told The Washington Post that she died February 20 of natural causes in West Palm Beach, FL.Born Giavanna Carmello Babbo on September 22, 1930, in Chicago, James was working as a dancer by age 12 and toured in Canada in the late 1940s.
She also was modeling by high school. After pivoting to music, she first recorded for Sharp Records before moving to MGM.James was 22 when her first hit topped the U.S.
chart. Her version of “Why Don’t You Believe Me?” spent three weeks at the summit in December 1952, starting a run of eight Top 20 singles in 1952-53 including the Top 10 hits “Almost Always” “Have You Heard?” and a cover of the Hank Williams classic “Your Cheatin’ Heart.” Decades later, “Why Don’t You Believe Me?” was used in the 1981 raunchfest Porky’s.Dubbed “the Queen of Hearts,” she scored her second-biggest pop hit just before rock ‘n’ roll began to dominate the airwaves.
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