Joni James, '50s pop star, dead at 91

Joni James’ son, Michael Acquaviva, told The Washington Post that she died February 20 of natural causes in West Palm Beach, Florida

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."