Chris Connor moved to New York in 1949 and secured a job as a big band singer, working with Claude Thornhill and his vocal group The Snowflakes.
After a brief period with Wald, she landed her dream job as a replacement for June Christy in Stan Kenton's orchestra.
Fans often consider this period the peak of Connor's career, as she had complete artistic control over both the songs and the musicians with whom she would work.
She also recorded many relatively unknown compositions during this time, including those of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Frank Loesser, Margo Guryan, Sy Coleman, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Bronislau Kaper, Peggy Lee, Ornette Coleman, Benny Goodman, Alex North, Ogden Nash and Bart Howard.
Her first release with the label, Chris Connor at the Village Gate, failed to mirror the sales success of her previous Atlantic efforts (although it was critically acclaimed).
After her ABC contract expired, Chris Connor began releasing albums for various record labels, many of which were geared for the Japanese market.