Jill Jones
Encyclopedia
Jill Jones is an American
singer and songwriter
, who was a backing vocalist
for Teena Marie
and Prince
in the 1980s.
on July 11, 1962. Her mother, a fashion model, is of Black
and Native American
heritage, and her father, a jazz drummer, is Italian. Jones was raised mostly by her grandparents, until relocating to Los Angeles when her mother remarried. She began a singing career at age fifteen as a backup vocalist for her cousin Teena Marie
, whom her mother managed.
Today, Jones is a passionate supporter of liberal causes. She maintains her own fan pages on Myspace and facebook.
Highlights from her early career include various collaborative works with Prince in the 1980s-1990s, including a collaborative debut released under her own name.
Jones' solo career since 2001 has witnessed the release of three acoustic and dance albums, with 2009's "Living for the Weekend" being her most recent album.
tour. Prince loved her voice, encouraged her to sing, and stayed in touch with Jones. She became a backup vocalist for Prince when he invited her to the Sunset Sound recording studios in 1982, to sing backing vocals for several tracks on the album 1999
. She was credited under just her initials J.J. She also was featured in music videos for the songs "1999
" and "Little Red Corvette
", as well as in an unreleased video for "Automatic
", and then joined the tour for 1999 to sing backing vocals with the Prince side-project Vanity 6
. After the tour, she moved to Minneapolis and became Prince's on-and-off again girlfriend. She had a bit part as a waitress in the film Purple Rain
(1984), and had a more-than-cameo appearance in the sequel Graffiti Bridge
(1990), where she takes off an undergarment to end a conflicting scene with Prince.
Her debut album was the self-titled Jill Jones
(1987), released on Prince's Paisley Park Records
. Prince was credited as a co-writer with Jones, but wrote all of the songs himself. Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from critics, but was not a commercial success. As of 2007, the album has been out of print for many years.
Several demos were recorded for a second album on Paisley Park, and a video was filmed for the track "Boom Boom", but an album never surfaced. In 1993, she released the dance single "Bald" on Flying Records.
Jones also did backing vocals for Apollonia 6
and recorded the Prince-written single "G-Spot". She also sang lead vocals on Japanese artist Ryuichi Sakamoto
's single "You Do Me" from his 1990 album Beauty, and contributed a version of Blondie
's "Call Me" to a Giorgio Moroder
tribute album. In addition, Jones wrote and co-produced the song "The Great Pretender" for Lisa Lisa. She was also lead vocalist for the band Baby Mother, who recorded an album in 1995 for London Records
, which remains unreleased. In 1996, she toured performing co-lead vocals as part of Chic
with Nile Rodgers
and Bernard Edwards
before his death, and can be heard on the 1999 Chic release "Live At The Budokan".
The Prince song "She's Always In My Hair", a B-side to the single "Raspberry Beret
" (1985), was written about Jones.
Though Prince aided in the production of her first album, there was no input from Prince on the second one, which was more pop-rock orientated. From 2001 to the present, Jones has proven to be just as comfortable with performing acoustic rock as she is with producing edgy and modern dance tracks.
She is also featured in the unreleased Vanity 6 song "Vibrator". In this song, she does a skit in a department store where Vanity goes to get batteries for her vibrator. Prince is also in the skit.
Jones performed lead vocals in 2004's album "The Grand Royals Ft. Jill Jones - Wasted".
In 2008, Jill Jones surprised audience members during a performance in New York by Jeremy Gloff
, by coming up on stage to sing along with Jeremy's cover of her song "So Much in Love" On April 28, 2009, Jones released "Living for the Weekend" on the "Peace Bisquit" label. Although "Wasted" and "Two" are out of print, both albums can be found on the iTunes Music Store, along with "Living for the Weekend".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, who was a backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
for Teena Marie
Teena Marie
Mary Christine Brockert, better known by her stage name Teena Marie, was an American singer, songwriter and producer...
and Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
in the 1980s.
Biography
Jones was born in OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
on July 11, 1962. Her mother, a fashion model, is of Black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
and Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
heritage, and her father, a jazz drummer, is Italian. Jones was raised mostly by her grandparents, until relocating to Los Angeles when her mother remarried. She began a singing career at age fifteen as a backup vocalist for her cousin Teena Marie
Teena Marie
Mary Christine Brockert, better known by her stage name Teena Marie, was an American singer, songwriter and producer...
, whom her mother managed.
Today, Jones is a passionate supporter of liberal causes. She maintains her own fan pages on Myspace and facebook.
Highlights from her early career include various collaborative works with Prince in the 1980s-1990s, including a collaborative debut released under her own name.
Jones' solo career since 2001 has witnessed the release of three acoustic and dance albums, with 2009's "Living for the Weekend" being her most recent album.
Early music career
Jones met Prince in 1980 at age 18, when Teena Marie was the opening act during his Dirty MindDirty Mind
Dirty Mind is the third studio album by American musician Prince, released October 8, 1980 on Warner Bros. Records. Produced, arranged and composed primarily by Prince, it contains prominently sexual lyrics and incorporates musical elements of funk, dance and rock music. The album debuted at number...
tour. Prince loved her voice, encouraged her to sing, and stayed in touch with Jones. She became a backup vocalist for Prince when he invited her to the Sunset Sound recording studios in 1982, to sing backing vocals for several tracks on the album 1999
1999 (album)
1999 is the fifth studio album by Prince, released on October 27, 1982. It was his first top ten album on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and became the fifth best-selling album of 1983. 1999 was Prince's breakthrough album, but his next album Purple Rain would become his most...
. She was credited under just her initials J.J. She also was featured in music videos for the songs "1999
1999 (song)
"1999" is a song by Prince, the title track from his 1982 album of the same name. The song is one of Prince's best-known, and a defining moment in his rise to superstar status....
" and "Little Red Corvette
Little Red Corvette
"Little Red Corvette" is a song by the American musician Prince. Released as a single from the album 1999 in 1983, the song was his biggest hit at the time, and his first to reach top-10 status in the U.S., peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart...
", as well as in an unreleased video for "Automatic
Automatic (Prince song)
"Automatic" is a song by Prince from his 1982 album, 1999. It was released as a 7" single only in Australia, with the B-side of "Something in the Water "....
", and then joined the tour for 1999 to sing backing vocals with the Prince side-project Vanity 6
Vanity 6
Vanity 6 was a female vocal trio assembled by Prince in the early 1980s.They released one studio album, which blended the sounds of pop, New Wave, dance music, R&B, and funk.-Formation:...
. After the tour, she moved to Minneapolis and became Prince's on-and-off again girlfriend. She had a bit part as a waitress in the film Purple Rain
Purple Rain (film)
Purple Rain is a 1984 film directed by Albert Magnoli and written by Magnoli and William Blinn. Prince makes his film debut in this movie, which was developed to showcase his particular talents, hence, the film contains several extended concert sequences. The film grossed more than US$80 million at...
(1984), and had a more-than-cameo appearance in the sequel Graffiti Bridge
Graffiti Bridge (film)
Graffiti Bridge is a 1990 drama/musical written, directed, and starring Prince. It is a sequel to his first film, Purple Rain, though notorious for its relatively low quality and poor performance at the box-office...
(1990), where she takes off an undergarment to end a conflicting scene with Prince.
Her debut album was the self-titled Jill Jones
Jill Jones (album)
Jill Jones is the self-titled debut solo album from the artist of the same name; Jill Jones. The album was released in 1987 on Paisley Park / Warner Bros. Records. It was produced by Jones and Prince....
(1987), released on Prince's Paisley Park Records
Paisley Park Records
Paisley Park Records was Prince's record label, associated with and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album Purple Rain...
. Prince was credited as a co-writer with Jones, but wrote all of the songs himself. Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from critics, but was not a commercial success. As of 2007, the album has been out of print for many years.
Several demos were recorded for a second album on Paisley Park, and a video was filmed for the track "Boom Boom", but an album never surfaced. In 1993, she released the dance single "Bald" on Flying Records.
Jones also did backing vocals for Apollonia 6
Apollonia 6
Apollonia 6 was a 1980s female singing trio created by Prince as a continuation/succession of a previous group, Vanity 6.-Formation and Purple Rain:...
and recorded the Prince-written single "G-Spot". She also sang lead vocals on Japanese artist Ryuichi Sakamoto
Ryuichi Sakamoto
After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...
's single "You Do Me" from his 1990 album Beauty, and contributed a version of Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
's "Call Me" to a Giorgio Moroder
Giorgio Moroder
Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
tribute album. In addition, Jones wrote and co-produced the song "The Great Pretender" for Lisa Lisa. She was also lead vocalist for the band Baby Mother, who recorded an album in 1995 for London Records
London Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
, which remains unreleased. In 1996, she toured performing co-lead vocals as part of Chic
Chic (band)
Chic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...
with Nile Rodgers
Nile Rodgers
Nile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...
and Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards born in Greenville, North Carolina, was a bass player and record producer, both as a member of the Funk/Disco band Chic and on his own. He died of pneumonia while touring in Japan.-History:...
before his death, and can be heard on the 1999 Chic release "Live At The Budokan".
The Prince song "She's Always In My Hair", a B-side to the single "Raspberry Beret
Raspberry Beret
"Raspberry Beret" is a song by Prince and The Revolution. It was the first U.S. single from their 1985 album, Around the World in a Day. The sound was different from any previous Prince track, incorporating Middle Eastern finger cymbals, stringed instruments, and even a harmonica on the extended...
" (1985), was written about Jones.
Though Prince aided in the production of her first album, there was no input from Prince on the second one, which was more pop-rock orientated. From 2001 to the present, Jones has proven to be just as comfortable with performing acoustic rock as she is with producing edgy and modern dance tracks.
She is also featured in the unreleased Vanity 6 song "Vibrator". In this song, she does a skit in a department store where Vanity goes to get batteries for her vibrator. Prince is also in the skit.
Solo career
With the help of former Paisley Park photographer and close friend David Honl, Jones released a second album entitled Two in 2001, with instrumentalist Chris Bruce.Jones performed lead vocals in 2004's album "The Grand Royals Ft. Jill Jones - Wasted".
In 2008, Jill Jones surprised audience members during a performance in New York by Jeremy Gloff
Jeremy Gloff
Jeremy Gloff is an American performance artist, advice columnist, singer, and songwriter.-Biography:Jeremy was born in New York on January 8, 1975...
, by coming up on stage to sing along with Jeremy's cover of her song "So Much in Love" On April 28, 2009, Jones released "Living for the Weekend" on the "Peace Bisquit" label. Although "Wasted" and "Two" are out of print, both albums can be found on the iTunes Music Store, along with "Living for the Weekend".
Albums
- Jill JonesJill Jones (album)Jill Jones is the self-titled debut solo album from the artist of the same name; Jill Jones. The album was released in 1987 on Paisley Park / Warner Bros. Records. It was produced by Jones and Prince....
(1987), Paisley Park - Two (2001), Dav Music
- Wasted (The Grand Royals Ft. Jill Jones) (2004), Peace Bisquit
- Living for the Weekend (2009), Peace Bisquit
Singles
- "Mia Bocca" b/w "77 Bleeker St." (1987), Paisley Park
- "G-Spot" b/w "Baby Cries (Ay Yah)" (1987), Paisley Park
- "For Love" (1987), Paisley Park
- "Bald" (1993), Flying Records
- "Station" (2001), Dav
- "Someone To Jump Up (2008)
External links
- [ Jill Jones] at Allmusic