Gloria Jones

Infobox musical artist 2
Name = Gloria Jones

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Img_capt = Gloria Jones in 1976, performing with T. Rex
Background = solo_singer
Born = birth date and age|1945|10|19|df=y
Cincinnati, Ohio
Genre = Gospel, Northern soul, R&B
Instrument = Piano, vocals, clavinet
Label = Uptown, Minit, Motown, EMI
Associated_acts = Marc Bolan, T.Rex

Gloria Jones (born Gloria Richetta Jones, 19 October 1945, Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American singer and songwriter. She recorded the 1964 northern soul song, "Tainted Love", later a hit for the British synth-pop duo, Soft Cell.

Biography

Early life and career

scene.

In 1964, Jones, in her late-teens, was discovered by the songwriter Ed Cobb. Signing with Cobb's Greengrass Productions, she recorded her first hit record, "Heartbeat Pts 1 & 2," which Cobb wrote and produced. She toured the United States, performing on several American television programs, footage of which still exists. One performance occurred at a Rock and Soul show in Disneyland in the summer of 1965. "Heartbeat" became a rhythm and blues tune which was recorded later by Dusty Springfield, Spencer Davis and many other artists.

By then, Jones had recorded other songs for Uptown Records, a subsidiary of Capitol/EMI. Included among these was another Cobb written song, "Tainted Love". Marc Almond of the duo, Soft Cell, whose cover version of "Tainted Love" reached #1 worldwide, originally heard the song in a nightclub in Northern England. So strong was Gloria's following there that she was proclaimed the "Northern Queen of Soul."fact|date=October 2008 Jones also recorded an album for the Uptown label entitled "Come Go With Me" which was released in 1966.

Jones studied piano, and acquired an advanced classical degree primarily in the works of Bach.fact|date=October 2008 In 1968, she joined the cast of "Catch My Soul", a rock and soul version of the play, "Othello", which included cast members Jerry Lee Lewis, The Blossoms, and Dr. John. During the summer of 1968, she performed in a play called "Revolution", at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. That winter, she joined the Los Angeles cast of "Hair", the musical. Eventually, she was to meet Pam Sawyer, who asked her to write for Motown Records. Jones and Sawyer were amongst the second string of writers at Motown, but still wrote for such artists as Gladys Knight & the Pips, Commodores, The Four Tops and The Jackson 5. As Jones was also initially a singer for the label, protocol demanded a pseudonym, so for some of her earlier co-writes she used the name LaVerne Ware.

Songs that Gloria worked on during this period include The Supremes' "Have I Lost You" (writer), Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross' "My Mistake" (writer), Junior Walker's "I Ain't Goin' Nowhere" (writer/producer) and the Four Top's "Just Seven Numbers" (writer). The most remembered song that Jones penned was Gladys Knight and the Pips "If I Were Your Woman", which was nominated for a Grammy in 1971. However, Jones left Motown at the end of 1972, subsequent to the release of her album "Share My Love".

After Motown

Jones first met Marc Bolan of T. Rex in 1969 while performing in "Hair" (Los Angeles cast). While touring in Europe, Bolan and Jones met for the second time at the Speakeasy in London. In 1972, she was recommended by Warner Brothers Bob Regere to sing backing vocals behind T. Rex at the Winterland in San Francicso.

Soon after joining T. Rex, Jones and Bolan became romantically involved. Together, they had a son, Rolan Bolan. She sang backing vocals and played clavinet with T. Rex from 1973 to 1977. Jones released an album in 1976, called "Vixen", featuring several songs written by Bolan, and he also was the producer. In 1977, Jones worked with the group Gonzales, producing several of their singles, and also penning the disco hit, "Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet" for the group. She toured the UK with Gonzales, first on the Bob Marley tour, and then with Osibisa.

She was the driver of the car, an Austin Mini, that crashed and killed Bolan on 16 September 1977. Jones nearly died in the accident, and was in the hospital for several days afterwards. She did not learn of Bolan's death until the day of his funeral.fact|date=October 2008 When she was well enough to leave the hospital, she soon found that Bolan's fans had looted what was left of her and Marc's possessions, and since she and Marc were not legally married, she was not entitled to any inheritance, except for £10,000 which Marc left her in his will, drafted in 1973.fact|date=October 2008

After Bolan

Having lost her possessions, Jones and her son moved back to Los Angeles where they stayed with Jones' family.

In 1978, she released the album "Windstorm", which was a dedication to the memory of Bolan. On the back cover, it is written "Special Dedication in memory of my son's father, the late Marc Bolan, whom we miss very much." Her single "Bring On The Love" was a success on the American R&B chart.

Jones stayed in the music industry for several years after, releasing an album produced by Ed Cobb, titled "Reunited" in 1981. She also collaborated again with Billy Preston and other Cogic Singers for a 1984 reunion album "The Cogic's". She has since worked as a musical supervisor for films and is presently living in Sierra Leone, where she is building The Marc Bolan School Of Music And Film.

Backing vocalist work (on non T.Rex albums)

* With Little Feat on "Dixie Chicken"
* With Harry Nilsson on "Duit on Mon Dei"
* With Billy Preston on "Late at Night" and "A Whole New Thing"
* With Neil Young on "Neil Young"
* With Steve Harley on "Hobo with a Grin"

Discography

olo singles

* 1964 - "Tainted Love" / "My Bad Boy's Coming Home"
* 1966 - "Come Go With Me" / "How Do You Tell An Angel"
* 1966 - "Heartbeat (Part 1)" / Heartbeat (Part 2)"
* 1966 - "Finders Keepers" / "Run One Flight Of Stairs"
* 1971 - "Look What You Started" / "When He Touches Me"
* 1971 - "I Know" / "I Believe In You"
* 1973 - "Tin Can People" / "So Tired"
* 1975 - "I Ain't Going Nowhere" / "Simplicity Blues"
* 1976 - "Get It On (Part 1)" / "Get It On (Part 2)"
* 1976 - "Tainted Love" (New Version) / "Go Now" (Album Version) (12" - MAXI)
* 1977 - "To Know You Is To Love You" / "City Port" (with Marc Bolan)
* 1977 - "Go Now" (Single Version) / "Drive Me Crazy (Disco Lady)"
* 1977 - "Bring On The Love" (Single Version) / "Cry Baby"
* 1977 - "Bring On The Love" (Album Version) / "Bring On The Love" (Instrumental)
* 1978 - "When I Was a Little Girl" /"When I Was a Little Girl" (Instrumental)
* 1978 - "Windstorm" / "Blue Light Microphone"
* 1979 - "Listen To Me" / "Father I'm Coming Home" (From the v/a Double Album "Alpha Omega")

ingles - As writer/producer (with Gonzalez)

* 1976 - "Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet"
* 1977 - "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)"
* 1977 - "Just Let It Lay"
* 1978 - "Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet" (Remix)

olo studio albums and EPs

* 1966 - " Come Go With Me"
* 1973 - "Share My Love"
* 1977 - " Vixen"
* 1979 - " Windstorm"
* 1982 - " Reunited"

olo compilations

* 1996 - "Vixen" / "Windstorm"

T. Rex albums

* 1974 - "Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow"
* 1974 - "Light of Love"
* 1975 - "Bolan's Zip Gun"
* 1976 - "Futuristic Dragon"
* 1977 - "Dandy in the Underworld"

ee also

* List of notable cover versions N-Z
* List of disco artists

References

*

External links

* [http://www.myspace.com/thegloriajones Official MySpace]
* [http://www.youtube.com/TheGloriaJones Official YouTube channel]
* [http://www.myspace.com/marcbolanschoolofmusicandfilm Marc Bolan School Of Music And Film]