June Richmond was an influential American jazz singer and actress, born on July 9, 1915, in Chicago, Illinois. She passed away at the age of 47 on August 14, 1962, in Gothenburg, Sweden. Richmond is celebrated as the first African-American jazz singer to perform regularly with a white band, a milestone she achieved in 1938 with Jimmy Dorsey's Orchestra. Her collaborations with prominent bands included recording with Cab Calloway in 1938 and performing with Andy Kirk from 1939 to 1944.

Richmond's career blossomed after she left Andy Kirk, as she pursued a successful solo career. She made her first recordings under her own name with Mercury Records in 1945. In 1946, she was featured in the Broadway musical "Are You With It?" and released several singles from the show. Her discography includes recordings for labels such as Odeon, Barclay, and Varga, and she notably recorded a 10" LP of songs from "Porgy and Bess" sung in French.

Richmond appeared in several films during the 1940s and 1950s, including "Murder in Swingtime" (1937), "Carolina Blues" (1944), and "Reet, Petite, and Gone" (1947). In 1948, she moved to Europe, where she continued her career, recording in Stockholm in 1951 and working with Quincy Jones in Paris in 1957.

Despite her talents and contributions to jazz, Richmond did not achieve widespread fame in the United States, partly due to societal biases of the era. However, her legacy has been preserved through a comprehensive two-disc CD collection titled "Hey, Lawdy Mama! Rare Recordings 1938-1961," released in 2022 by Jasmine Records. This collection highlights her powerful and versatile vocal abilities, showcasing her growth as an artist throughout her career.