The Empress of Soul
LINDA JONES
Linda Jones…
Born December 14, 1944, in Newark, NJ, Linda Jones was considered by many to be one of the greatest soul singers who ever lived. In a Rolling Stone Magazine interview Gladys Knight was asked to name one of her favorite singers and Gladys replied, “Linda Jones.” Jones put her heart and soul into every lyric and it often has been said the listener could feel her pain in every word.
Hypnotized…
At the beginning of her professional career she released a few 45s before getting her big break in 1967 when she recorded the now classic soul ballad “Hypnotized” on the Warner Bros. Records R&B label Loma. This classic performance has been included in just about every Slow Jam & R&B/Classic Soul compilation ever created selling more than one million copies of the single combined. After leaving Loma, Jones worked with several different record labels including Gamble & Huff’s label (Neptune) and the last label she would ever record for, Turbo/All Platinum.
Prolific Song Writer, Credit or Not…
Jones was a great songwriter, writing her classics “Things I’ve Been Through," “I’ve Given You The Best Years Of My Life” and many of her talking intros and break downs. If one is lucky and has the original 45s of many of her recordings, one will see the correct writer credits with her name, for when her songs started to be re-released in later years her name was removed from the list of songwriters allegedly by her producer at the time.
Real Suffering…
Linda suffered from chronic diabetes and had only one kidney but her illnesses never stopped her from singing. Then on March 14, 1972, the rising star of the soul sound finished a matinee performance at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem. She had only one more evening performance before finishing her two-week engagement at the sold-out theater. Linda was not feeling well that day and decided to go back home to Newark, New Jersey, to rest between shows. The curtain call and encore of that matinee show would be her last. Linda fell asleep to rest for the final performance of her engagement and immediately went into diabetic shock. She slipped into a coma and the star with the soulful voice like no other faded away quietly. She was only 27 years old and she left behind two daughters, Terry and Robin.
The Soul Lives On…
As with all people who transcend greatness in their lives, Jones' soulful talent continued making its indelible mark even after her untimely death. Her version of the Jerry Butler song “Your Precious Love" charted No. 15 later in 1972.
She wrote the talking intro to her interpretation of the song "Your Precious Love," which pulled the listener in from the very first syllable. And that's the power she had over her audience. Linda’s daughter Terry recalls her aunts and uncles discussing the time when Linda came home from a concert and said Mohammad Ali was in the audience at her show. In the movie "Ali", starring Will Smith, an actress playing a soul singer in a nightclub sings Linda's version of “Your Precious Love.” It wasn't until after the release of the movie that Linda's daughter Terry became aware that her mother's version of "Your Precious Love" was being used. After investigating, Terry found out that the producers of the film did not know whom to contact for clearance of Linda’s likeness. They did not use Linda’s name. They just used the song.
Although her career was ended prematurely, Linda remains a vital influence in today’s music and she would be so happy to know that her music is even being sampled by hip hop artists who understand the magnitude of her voice and her soul.
People are "Talkin'"...
Terry Jones: "Helen and I would travel all over the world singing and performing, and I would see Mom's music (Greatest Hits Compilations) in the Top 10 at Tower Records in Tokyo and in major retail chains in London. In 1996 we were in the Tokyo Tower Records and Mariah (Carey) was number one and my own mother was number two! At that moment I realized the power of Linda Jones; before then she was just mom to me. Also growing up I would see TV commercials selling her music on compilations like Time/Life, and as a child I didn’t understand. It was just painful because it constantly reminded me of the loss of my mother. 'Soul Talkin'' is really about me reclaiming my mother's legacy and shining the proper light on her as a woman and on her as a musician."
And thus, "Soul Talkin'", co-produced by Terry Jones and her singing/business partner Helen Bruner and distributed on their independent record label, was released on September 16, 2008. Billboard Magazine: "One of the more distinctive voices in R&B/soul history is Linda Jones…(and) Jones…is back, thanks to 'Soul Talkin'…both (Terry) Jones and Bruner are featured on the noteworthy track "Baby I Know." USA Today: the track titled "Things I've Been Through 08" is a "revamped version of the titanic '70s vocal performance from the greatest soul singer…" Urban Network: "This writer believes "Soul Talkin'" is chock full of undeniable songs like the powerhouse "Can I Dig It," and the sass of "Linda's 2 Minute Slow Jam." Part of Linda's musical charm was her penchant for soul-talking; an engaging conversation that takes place during interludes or breaks on her recordings, pre-dating today's prevalent rap style cadence."
The Empress Acknowledged
On December 3, 2008, during a live televised program on CBS, GRAMMY® Nominations for the 51st Annual GRAMMY® Awards were announced. And when "Baby I Know" was listed in the Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance category, Linda Jones, the Empress of Soul, along with her daughter Terry Jones and Helen Bruner, became GRAMMY Award Nominees.
TERRY AND HELEN ARE DEAR FRIENDS OF MINE AND I COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD!! ROX
No comments:
Post a Comment