Grace Jones

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Grace Jones

Grace Jones on her Hurricane Tour 2009
Background information
Birth name Grace Jones
Born 19 May 1948 (1948-05-19) (age 63)[1]
Origin Linstead, St. Catherine, Jamaica
Genres Pop, R&B, dance-pop, synthpop, rock, New Wave, reggae, electronic, disco
Occupations actress, singer/songwriter, model, artist
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1976–present
Labels Island Records, Manhattan Records, Capitol Records, Wall of Sound, PIAS Recordings

Grace Jones (born May 19, 1948) is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.

Jones started out as a model and became a muse to Andy Warhol, who photographed her extensively.[2][3] During that era she regularly went to the New York City nightclub Studio 54. Grace secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and angular, padded clothes. Many of her the singles were hits on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Dance Airplay charts, for example 1981 "Pull Up to the Bumper", which spent seven weeks at #2 on the U.S. dance chart.[4] Jones was able to find mainstream success in Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, scoring a number of Top 40 entries on the UK Singles Chart. Her most notable albums are Warm Leatherette, Nightclubbing and Slave to the Rhythm, while her biggest hits (other than "Pull Up to the Bumper") are "I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)", "Private Life", "Slave to the Rhythm" and "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You)".

Jones is also an actress. Her acting occasionally overshadowed her musical output in America; but not in Europe, where her profile as a recording artist was much higher. She appeared in some low-budget films in the 1970s and early 1980s. Her work as an actress in mainstream film began in the 1984 fantasy-action film Conan the Destroyer alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the 1985 James Bond movie A View to a Kill. In 1986 she played a vampire in Vamp, and both acted in and contributed a song to the 1992 film Boomerang with Eddie Murphy. In 2001, she appeared in Wolf Girl alongside Tim Curry.

Contents

[edit] Life and career

[edit] Background and early career

Grace Jones was born in Spanish Town, the daughter of Marjorie and Robert W. Jones, who was a politician and Apostolic clergyman.[5] Her parents took Grace and her brothers, Chris and Noel Jones (Bishop Noel Jones), and relocated to Syracuse in 1965, where she studied theatre at Syracuse University.[6] Before becoming a successful model in New York City and Paris, Jones studied theatre at Onondaga Community College. In the 1973 film Gordon's War, Jones played the role of Mary, a Harlem drug courier.

Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits and a large gay following.[7] The three disco-oriented albums she recorded – Portfolio (1977), Fame (1978), and Muse (1979) – generated considerable success in that market. These albums consisted of pop melodies set to a disco beat, such as "On Your Knees" or "Do or Die" and standards such as "What I Did for Love" from musical A Chorus Line, Jacques Prévert's "Autumn Leaves", "Send in the Clowns" from Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music and Édith Piaf's signature tune "La Vie en rose". During this period, she also became a muse to Andy Warhol, who photographed her extensively.[2][3] Jones also accompanied him to New York City nightclub Studio 54 on many occasions. The colourful artwork and design for Jones' three first albums and accompanying single releases were created by another of Warhol's longtime collaborators, Richard Bernstein, arguably best known for his many cover illustrations for Interview Magazine in the 1970s and early 1980s.[8] In 1978, she appeared with French model and singer Amanda Lear in the controversial six-episode Italian TV series Stryx.

[edit] Early 1980s: Compass Point Studios period

At the beginning of the 1980s, Jones adapted the emerging New Wave music to create a different style for herself. Still with Island, and now working with producers Chris Blackwell, Alex Sadkin and the Compass Point All Stars, and recording at Blackwell's Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, she released the acclaimed album Warm Leatherette in 1980. This included re-imaginings of songs by The Pretenders ("Private Life"), Roxy Music ("Love Is the Drug"), Tom Petty ("Breakdown"), The Normal ("Warm Leatherette") and Smokey Robinson ("The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game"). The record met with even greater success than her previous disco albums and the song "Private Life" was her first to enter UK Singles Chart, still remaining one of her highest-charting singles in that country. Parallel to her musical shift was an equally dramatic visual makeover, created in partnership with stylist Jean-Paul Goude.[9] Jones adopted a severe, androgynous look, with square-cut hair and angular, padded clothes. The cover photographs of Warm Leatherette and Nightclubbing exemplified this new identity.

1981 saw the release of Nightclubbing, a rapid follow-up to Warm Leatherette. Jones chose a number of well-known hits to reinterpret, including The Police's "Demolition Man", Iggy Pop's and David Bowie's "Nightclubbing" and Ástor Piazzolla's "I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)". The latter would become one of the Jones's most recognisable tunes and the self-penned, post-disco dance track "Pull Up to the Bumper", which spent seven weeks at #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, and became a Top 5 single on the U.S. R&B chart when released as a single in the fall of 1981.[10] However, both Warm Leatherette and Nightclubbing albums also included a few tracks co-written by Jones herself, such as "A Rolling Stone" and "Feel Up". In the UK, Nightclubbing claimed the number one slot on music magazine New Musical Express' Album of the Year listing.[11] In 1981, Jones, appearing alongside noted psychotherapist Sonja Vetter, caused a controversy slapping chat show host Russell Harty across the face live on air after he turned to interview other guests and she felt she was being ignored.[12][13] This topped a 2006 BBC poll of the most-shocking British TV chat show moments.[14]

In 1981 and 1982, Jones toured the UK, Continental Europe, Scandinavia and the US with her One Man Show, a performance art/pop theatre presentation devised by Jean-Paul Goude and Jones herself, in which she performed tracks from the albums Portfolio, Warm Leatherette and Nightclubbing dressed in elaborate costumes and masks – in the opening sequence as a gorilla – and alongside a series of Grace Jones lookalikes. A video version, filmed live in London and New York City and completed with some studio footage, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Long-Form Music Video next year.[15] Her collaboration with Blackwell, Sadkin and the Compass Point All Stars continued with the dub reggae-influenced album Living My Life (1982), which featured the self-penned "My Jamaican Guy", sung in patois and a cover of "The Apple Stretching" by Melvin Van Peebles. In 1984, Jones's work as an actress in mainstream film began, with the role of Zula, the Amazon, in Conan the Destroyer alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and former NBA player Wilt Chamberlain. She next landed the role of May Day in the fourteenth James Bond movie A View to a Kill (1985).

[edit] Late 1980s and 1990s

In the mid-1980s, she worked with Trevor Horn and Bruce Woolley for the conceptual musical collage Slave to the Rhythm, which was released in the fall of 1985. The well-received album consisted of several re-workings of the title track, which is arguably the most popular song ever delivered by Grace Jones. Although never charted in the Hot 100,the single did well on the R&B charts,Dance charts and in the UK, peaking at number 12.[16] Slave to the Rhythm, together with Warm Leatherette and Nightclubbing albums, is now recognised as one of Grace Jones's best works.[17][18] In December, her first retrospective album was released. Island Life collected most of the singles from her 1977 debut up to recent 1985 hits. It included new versions of "Love Is the Drug" and "Pull Up to the Bumper," which were re-issued and charted again. Her next studio release, the first album after leaving the Island Records label, was Inside Story (1986), on which she worked with Nile Rodgers. It produced her last Billboard Hot 100 hit to date, "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You)", one of several songs she co-wrote with Bruce Woolley.[19]

She sang vocals along with Simon Le Bon in the international top 10 dance-pop hit "Election Day", which Le Bon's then band Arcadia released in October 1985.[citation needed] She appeared in the 1986 vampire film Vamp where she played a queen vampire.

Her ninth studio album, Bulletproof Heart (1989), spawned the Number 1 U.S. Hot Dance Club Play hit "Love on Top of Love (Killer Kiss)", produced by C+C Music Factory's David Cole and Robert Clivillés. The second and the final single, "Amado Mio", was a cover version of the song used in 1946 film Gilda and originally performed by Rita Hayworth. Bulletproof Heart met with lukewarm reception. In 1992 Jones appeared in Eddie Murphy film Boomerang, for which she also contributed the song "7 Day Weekend" to its soundtrack, and released two more singles in 1993: "Evilmainya", recorded for the film Freddie as F.R.O.7, and "Sexdrive". She recorded two albums during the 1990s, but they remain unreleased thus far.[20] In 1994, she was due to release an electro album titled Black Marilyn with artwork featuring the singer as Marilyn Monroe; in 1998, she was scheduled to release an album entitled Force of Nature, on which she worked with trip hop musician Tricky. The release of Force of Nature was cancelled due to a disagreement between them and only a white label 12" single featuring two dance mixes of "Hurricane (Cradle to the Grave)" was issued;[21] a slowed-down version of this song became the title track of her comeback album released ten years later. In 1999 she appeared in an episode of the Beastmaster television series as the Umpatra Warrior.

[edit] Recent career

In 2000, Jones cut "The Perfect Crime"(to the show Crime Perfeito), an up-tempo song for Danish TV written by the composer duo Floppy M. aka Jacob Duus & Kåre Jacobsen. Also in 2000, Jones collaborated with rapper Lil' Kim, appearing on the song "Revolution" from her album The Notorious K.I.M..[22] A year later, she appeared alongside Tim Curry in Wolf Girl (also known as Blood Moon), as a transvestite circus performer named Christoph/Christine. On 28 May 2002, she performed onstage in Modena, Italy with Italian opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti during his annual Pavarotti and Friends concert to support the UN refugee agency's programs for Angolan refugees in Zambia.[23] Together they performed the aria "Pourquoi me réveiller?" from Jules Massenet's opera Werther. In November 2004, Jones sang her hit "Slave to the Rhythm" at a tribute concert for record producer Trevor Horn at London's Wembley Arena.[24][25] In April 2005 Jones raised a controversy, when she was accused of verbally abusing a Eurostar train manager in a quarrel over a ticket upgrade, and she either was escorted off the train or left of her own accord, later saying that she had been mistreated.[26] In February 2006, Jones was the celebrity runway model for Diesel's show in New York.

Grace Jones at Roskilde Festival 2009.

Producer Ivor Guest confirmed that he and Jones had completed recording her new album in 2007. Other participants on the album included the original Compass Point All Stars line-up, including Sly and Robbie, Mikey Chung and Wally Badarou, joined by Brian Eno, Bruce Woolley, Tricky and Tony Allen. The Hurricane album (initially to be titled Corporate Cannibal[27]) was released on 27 October 2008, on Wall of Sound/PIAS Records, meeting with positive reviews.[28][29][27] "Corporate Cannibal" became the album's lead single, with its music video directed by Nick Hooker.[30] Jones embarked on a concert tour at the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009, and appeared at Secret Garden Party and Latitude Festival to promote the new album. The video for the second single, "Williams' Blood", used live footage from the Hurricane Tour. Grace Jones also collaborated with the avant-garde poet Brigitte Fontaine on a duet named "Soufi" from Fontaine's album Prohibition released in autumn 2009, and produced by Ivor Guest. On 26 April 2010 Grace Jones performed at Royal Albert Hall, receiving rave reviews.[31] A One Man Show was released on DVD, as Grace Jones – Live in Concert, in 2010 with 3 bonus videoclips ("Slave to the Rhythm", "Love Is the Drug" and "Crush"). "Love You to Life" was the third commercial single off Hurricane. In 2011 Jones again collaborated with Brigitte Fontaine on two tracks from Fontaine's 2011 release entitled L'un n'empêche pas l'autre and performed at the opening ceremony of the 61st FIFA Congress.[32] Autumn 2011 saw the release of the "dub" version of Hurricane. The singer is currently recording her next album for a 2012 release and has collaborated with Boy George on an as yet unreleased track.

[edit] Style, image and voice

Grace Jones live in Copenhagen, Denmark.

In the late 1970s, Jones adapted the emerging New Wave music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look, with square-cut hair and angular, padded clothes, created in partnership with stylist Jean-Paul Goude.[9] She would also exemplify the so-called "flat top" hairstyle in many of her concerts in the 1970s, which would become popular among black men in the 1980s. Her first album cover to feature this hairstyle was 1980's Warm Leatherette. Her strong visual presence was an advantage for her music videos and concert tours. In her concert performances, she adopted various personas and wore outlandish costumes, particularly during her years with Goude. One such performance was at the Paradise Garage in 1985, for which she collaborated with visual artist Keith Haring for her costume. Haring painted her body in tribal patterns and fitted her with wire armour.[33] The muralist also painted her body for the video to "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You)" and the 1986 vampire film Vamp. Grace Jones's striking appearance, height (5'10½" or 1.79 m), and manner influenced the cross-dressing movement of the 1980s. To this day, she is known for her unique look at least as much as she is for her music[12] and has been an inspiration for numerous other artists, including Annie Lennox,[34] Lady Gaga and Rihanna.[35][36]

Jones is a contralto. Although her image became equally as notable as her voice, she is a highly stylised vocalist. She sings in two modes: in her monotone speak-sing as in songs such as "Private Life", "Walking in the Rain" and "The Apple Stretching" and in an almost-soprano mode in songs such as "La Vie en rose" and "Slave to the Rhythm". Her voice spans two and a half octaves.[20][35]

[edit] Personal life

At the turn of the 1970s and 1980s, Grace Jones had a relationship with Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren[37] and with French graphic designer Jean-Paul Goude, with whom she has a son, Paulo. Jones has been married twice; her first husband was producer Chris Stanley whom she married in 1989. She married second husband, bodyguard Atila Altaunbay in 1996. The couple later divorced.[38] Her current boyfriend is music producer Ivor Guest.[39]

[edit] Discography

Main article: Grace Jones discography

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Movies

[edit] Television work

[edit] Awards and nominations

Jones is a three-time Saturn Award nominee, a Grammy nominee, an MTV Video Music Awards nominee, a Razzie Award nominee and a Q Awards winner. She has also ranked 82nd on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll.[40]

Grammy Awards

  • 1983: Best Long Form Music Video for her A One Man Show (Nomination)

MTV Video Music Award

Q Music Award

  • 2008: Q Idol (Winner)

Razzie Awards

  • 1987: Worst Supporting Actress for Siesta (Nomination)

Saturn Awards

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Grace Jones (I) – Biography". www.imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005063/bio. Retrieved 25 September 2010. 
  2. ^ a b "Grace Jones (Getty Museum)". www.getty.edu. http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=133858. Retrieved 29 April 2010. 
  3. ^ a b "Grace Jones is Back". evilmonito.com. http://evilmonito.com/2009/01/29/grace-jones-is-back/. Retrieved 29 April 2010. 
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Billboard's Hot Dance/Disco 1974–2003. Record Research Inc.. 
  5. ^ "Grace Jones Biography (1952?-)". www.filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/38/Grace-Jones.html. Retrieved 25 September 2010. 
  6. ^ "The Outrageous Grace Jones". Ebony (Johnson Publishing Company): 94. 1979. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3hgmlzie_LkC&printsec=frontcover. Retrieved 2012-01-01. 
  7. ^ Salewicz, Chris (2009). Keep on Running – The Story of Island Records. Island Records Company. p. 120. 
  8. ^ "Richard Bernstein, 1939–2002". www.observer.com. http://www.observer.com/node/46693. Retrieved 25 September 2010. 
  9. ^ a b Salewicz, Chris (2009). Keep on Running – The Story of Island Records. Island Records Company. p. 129. 
  10. ^ "allmusic ((( Grace Jones > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". www.allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4630/charts-awards/billboard-singles. Retrieved 16 October 2009. 
  11. ^ "Rocklist.net...NME End Of Year Lists 1981...". www.rocklistmusic.co.uk. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/1981.html. Retrieved 25 September 2010. 
  12. ^ a b Molloy, Ally (2010). A-Z of the 80s. London: John Blake Publishing. p. 134. 
  13. ^ "YouTube – Grace Jones on Russell Harty Barmy diva throws legendary strop!!!!". www.youtube.com. 3 August 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpWo15Jc2JQ. Retrieved 27 May 2010. 
  14. ^ "BBC News – UK – TV's top 10 tantrums". bbc.co.uk. 31 August 2001. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1518975.stm. Retrieved 29 April 2010. 
  15. ^ "GRACE JONES". bangtheparty.wordpress.com. http://bangtheparty.wordpress.com/category/grace-jones/. Retrieved 25 September 2010. 
  16. ^ "Chart Stats – Grace Jones – Slave To The Rhythm". www.chartstats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=12842. Retrieved 25 September 2010. 
  17. ^ "Films and Music by Grace Jones – Rate Your Music". www.rateyourmusic.com. http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/grace_jones#Album. Retrieved 27 September 2010. 
  18. ^ "allmusic ((( Grace Jones > Discography > Main Albums )))". www.allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4630/discography. Retrieved 27 September 2010. 
  19. ^ "HFA Songfile Home Page". www.harryfox.com. https://www.harryfox.com/public/songfile.jsp. Retrieved 25 September 2010. 
  20. ^ a b "Grace Jones Trivia – Grace Jones Interesting Facts – Grace Jones Notes". www.gracejones.org. http://www.gracejones.org/grace-jones-trivia-2.php. Retrieved 27 September 2010. 
  21. ^ "Grace Jones – Hurricane (Vinyl) at Discogs". www.discogs.com. http://www.discogs.com/release/215220. Retrieved 30 August 2008. 
  22. ^ http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,1023051,00.html
  23. ^ "ReliefWeb » Document » Pavarotti and friends to stage concert for Angolan refugees". www.reliefweb.int. 2002-05-23. http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/AllDocsByUNID/396691a0b8518b56c1256bc2005077d3. Retrieved 29 September 2010. 
  24. ^ Alexis Petridis (13 November 2004). "Produced by Trevor Horn, Wembley Arena, London – Music – The Guardian". The Guardian (UK). http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2004/nov/13/popandrock. Retrieved 29 September 2010. 
  25. ^ "BBC – collective – Produced by Trevor Horn". www.bbc.co.uk. 21 November 2004. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A3308645. Retrieved 29 September 2010. 
  26. ^ "BBC NEWS – Entertainment – Film – Grace Jones denies train fracas". www.bbc.co.uk. 6 April 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4416565.stm. Retrieved 29 September 2010. 
  27. ^ a b Susie Goldring (22 October 2008). "BBC – Music – Review of Grace Jones – Hurricane". www.bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/n6f9. Retrieved 29 September 2010. 
  28. ^ Joshua Klein (21 November 2008). "Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Grace Jones: Hurricane". www.pitchfork.com. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12453-hurricane/. Retrieved 29 September 2010. 
  29. ^ Phil Freeman. "allmusic ((( Hurricane > Review )))". www.allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1447364/review. Retrieved 29 September 2010. 
  30. ^ "nick hooker". www.nickhooker.com. http://www.nickhooker.com/news.html. Retrieved 29 September 2010. 
  31. ^ Rick Pearson (27 April 2010). "Grace Jones is true queen of glam". www.thisislondon.co.uk. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/music/review-23828317-grace-jones-is-true-queen-of-glam.do. Retrieved 28 April 2010. 
  32. ^ "Curtain rises on Congress". FIFA. 31 May 2011. http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/federation/bodies/news/newsid=1441187.html. 
  33. ^ "Grace Jones". www.english.emory.edu. http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/GraceJones.html. Retrieved 27 September 2010. 
  34. ^ O'Brien, Lucy (1991). Annie Lennox. London: Sidgwick & Jackson. 
  35. ^ a b "10 Things You Never Knew About... Grace Jones". /www.clashmusic.com. http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/10-things-you-never-knew-about-grace-jones. Retrieved 2012-01-01. 
  36. ^ Simon Hattenstone (17 April 2010). "Grace Jones: 'God I'm scary. I'm scaring myself' – Music – The Guardian". The Guardian (UK). http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/apr/17/grace-jones-interview. Retrieved 29 April 2010. 
  37. ^ Chafetz, Gary S. (September 2008). The Perfect Villain: John McCain and the Demonization of Lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Martin and Lawrence Press. p. 60. ISBN 9780977389889. http://books.google.com/books?id=VewbAQAAMAAJ. Retrieved 21 May 2011. 
  38. ^ Sewards, Lisa (7 November 2008). "'It's hard being a freak!' Grace Jones has built a 30-year career on scaring the hell out of us. But, she says, she's really a big softie". London: dailymail.co.uk. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1083750/Its-hard-freak-Grace-Jones-built-30-year-career-scaring-hell-But-says-shes-really-big-softie.html. Retrieved 20 November 2011. 
  39. ^ Miranda Sawyer (11 October 2008). "State of Grace: Miranda Sawyer meets Grace Jones". The Guardian (UK). http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/oct/12/grace-jones-hurricane. Retrieved 1 January 2012. 
  40. ^ "Rock On The Net: VH1: 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll". www.rockonthenet.com. http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1999/vh1women.htm. Retrieved 27 September 2010. 

[edit] External links

Find more about Grace Jones on Wikipedia's sister projects:
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Quotations from Wikiquote
Grace Jones
Studio albums
Portfolio (1977)  · Fame (1978)  · Muse (1979)  · Warm Leatherette (1980)  · Nightclubbing (1981)  · Living My Life (1982)  · Slave to the Rhythm (1985)  · Inside Story (1986)  · Bulletproof Heart (1989)  · Hurricane (2008)
Compilations
Singles
"I Need a Man"  · "Sorry"  · "La Vie en rose"  · "Do or Die"  · "On Your Knees"  · "A Rolling Stone"  · "Love Is the Drug"  · "Private Life"  · "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game"  · "Breakdown"  · "Demolition Man"  · "I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)"  · "Pull Up to the Bumper"  · "Feel Up"  · "Walking in the Rain"  · "Nipple to the Bottle"  · "The Apple Stretching"  · "My Jamaican Guy"  · "Living My Life"  · "Cry Now, Laugh Later"  · "Slave to the Rhythm"  · "Jones the Rhythm"  · "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You)"  · "Party Girl"  · "Victor Should Have Been a Jazz Musician"  · "Crush"  · "Love on Top of Love"  · "Amado Mio"  · "7 Day Weekend"  · "Evilmainya"  · "Sexdrive"  · "Love Bites"  · "Hurricane (Cradle to the Grave)"  · "Corporate Cannibal"  · "Williams' Blood"  · "Love You to Life"
Filmography
Related
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