Grace Jones

Grace Jones (born May 19, 1948)^[1] is a Jamaican–American singer, model and actress.

Biography

Early life

Jones was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, the daughter of Marjorie and Robert W. Jones, who was a politician and Apostolic clergyman.^[3][4][5] Her parents took Grace and her brother Randy, to relocate to Syracuse, New York in 1965. Before becoming a successful model in New York City and Paris, Jones studied theatre at Syracuse University.

Musical career

Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance club hits and a large gay following. The three disco albums she recorded — Portfolio (1977), Fame (1978), and Muse (1979) — generated considerable success in that market. These albums consisted of pop melodies, such as "All on a Summer's Night" and "Do or Die", set to a disco beat, as well as standards such as "What I Did for Love", "Autumn Leaves", and "Send in the Clowns".

During this period, she also became a muse to Andy Warhol, who photographed her extensively. Jones also accompanied him to famed New York City nightclub Studio 54 on many occasions.

Towards the end of the 1970s, Jones adapted the emerging New Wave music to create a different style for herself. Still with Island, and now working with producers Alex Sadkin and Chris Blackwell, she released the acclaimed albums Warm Leatherette (1980) and Nightclubbing (1981). These included re-imaginings of songs by Sting, Iggy Pop, The Pretenders, Roxy Music, Flash and the Pan, The Normal, Ástor Piazzolla and Tom Petty.

Parallel to her musical shift was an equally dramatic visual makeover, created in partnership with stylist Jean-Paul Goude, with whom she had a son. Jones adopted a severe, androgynous look, with square-cut hair and angular, padded clothes. The iconic cover photographs of Nightclubbing and, subsequently, Slave to the Rhythm (1985) exemplified this new identity. To this day, Jones is known for her unique look at least as much as she is for her music. Her collaboration with Sadkin and Blackwell continued with the dub reggae-influenced album Living My Life.

In the mid-1980s, she worked with Trevor Horn for the conceptual musical collage Slave to the Rhythm and with producer Nile Rodgers for Inside Story (1986) - her first album after leaving the Island Records label. The well-received Slave to the Rhythm consisted of several re-workings of the title track (the single of which hit #12 in the UK), while Inside Story 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.^[6] Bulletproof Heart (1989) spawned the #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 Clivilles.

Although she has yet to become a truly mainstream recording artist in the United States (with the exception of her featured work on the Arcadia hit single "Election Day"), much of her musical output is still popular on the Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Dance Airplay charts, and many of her songs are regarded as classics to this day. Jones was able to find mainstream success in the United Kingdom, scoring a number of Top 40 entries on the UK Singles Chart. To date, she has released 45 singles (commercial and/or promotional), including several non-album tracks.

Voice

Grace Jones live at the Tivoli Gardens, 22 June, 2007

Grace Jones is a contralto vocalist. ^[7] While her image became more notable than her voice, she is in fact a highly stylized vocalist. She sings in two modes: her monotone speak-sing as in songs like "Private Life", "Walking in the Rain", and "The Apple Stretching", and in an almost soprano mode in such songs as "La Vie en Rose" and "Slave to the Rhythm".^[8] Her vocal range spans two-and-a-half octaves. She contributed significant vocals to Arcadia's 1985 hit single, "Election Day", from the album So Red the Rose, as well as their subsequent single, "The Flame".

Style and image

Grace Jones' masculine appearance, height (5' 10½" or 1.79 m) and manner influenced the cross-dressing movement of the 1980s. She would also exemplify the "Flat Top", a hairstyle popular among men in the late-80s, which she displayed on the cover of her first non-disco album, 1980's Warm Leatherette.

She maintained parallel recording and acting careers, and modeling work often overshadowed her musical output. Her strong visual presence extended to her concert tours. In her 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, wherein she collaborated with visual artist Keith Haring for her costume. Haring painted her body in tribal patterns and fitted her with wire armor.^[9] The muralist also painted her body for the video to "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You)".

Recent career

Jones recorded two albums during the 1990s but they remain unreleased thus far: 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. Also in 1998 she sang the title track for the film remake of cult TV series The Avengers. The song "Storm" was written and produced by Bruce Woolley, Chris Elliott and Marius DeVries and was performed with The Radio Science Orchestra.

In 2000, Jones cut "The Perfect Crime", an up-tempo song for Danish TV written by the composer duo Floppy M. On May 28, 2002, Jones performed onstage with Italian opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti during Pavarotti's annual "Pavarotti and Friends" concert to support the United Nations refugee agency's programmes for Angolan refugees in Zambia. The concert was held in Modena, Italy and Jones and Pavarotti were accompanied by the 70-strong Orchestra Sinfonica Italiana, conducted by Jose Molina.^[10]

In November 2004, Jones sang her hit "Slave to the Rhythm" at a tribute concert for Trevor Horn at Wembley Arena. She received rave reviews, despite having been absent in the music scene for some time. In February 2006, Jones was the celebrity runway model for Diesel's show in New York.

On October 20, 2006, the 3 CD compilation The Ultimate Collection was released in Europe by the CCM label. On November 3, 2006, Jones took part in a gathering of people sharing the surname, performing "Slave to the Rhythm" and "Pull up to the Bumper" to a large crowd of Joneses. 1,224 people were gathered that day at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, breaking the previous record for the largest surname-based gathering.^[11]

Producer Ivor Guest confirmed that Jones had completed recording of her new album in 2007.^[12] Jones revealed in an interview regarding her collaboration with Guest: "...we had a creative chemistry and the music flowed. We remain great friends and have created 23 tracks, of which the rest will form the next album."^[13] Nick Hooker has directed the first video from the upcoming album.^[14] Other participants on the new album include Sly and Robbie, Brian Eno, Bruce Woolley, Tricky and Tony Allen.^[15] In April 2007, Version2 listed "Corporate Cannibal" as the new video directed by Nick Hooker for Grace Jones.^[16] On June 22, 2007, Jones performed in Copenhagen at Tivoli Gardens theme park. Tivoli's website mentioned the title of her new album as Corporate Cannibal, without confirming a release date.^[17]

Jones was part of the line-up for Massive Attack's Meltdown at the Southbank Centre in London, taking place June 14 – June 22, 2008. Jones received positive reviews across many UK newspapers for her comeback show as part of the Meltdown festival on June 19, and previewed many new songs from her first album of new material in almost 20 years.^[18] She also performed at the relaunch of Elandra Resort in Mission Beach in Cairns, Queensland on June 28, 2008, her first performance in Australia in many years.. Jones headlined the Belgian Lokerse Feesten on August 8, 2008 with a full 2-hour show similar to the one at Meltdown.

Her new album was scheduled for release on October 27, 2008 on Wall of Sound/PIAS Records and is called Hurricane, with Jones touring the UK and headlining the Secret Garden Party from July 24–27, 2008 to promote the album's release. She also made a guest appearance and performance in 2008 at the Bestival (Isle of Wight) as well as Electric Picnic (Ireland). She is scheduled to tour Australia in January 2009 as part of the Sydney Festival.

Film career

In 1973, Jones played the role of Mary, a drug courier in Harlem in the film Gordon's War. Jones' work as an actress in mainstream film began with the role of Zula, the Amazon in the 1984 film Conan the Destroyer alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain. She next landed the role of May Day in the 1985 James Bond movie A View to a Kill.

Jones appeared in a number of other motion pictures including the 1986 vampire film, Vamp (wherein she used her Keith Haring body paint as part of her role as a vampiric exotic dancer) as well as eccentric supermodel Helen Strange in the Eddie Murphy film Boomerang - for which she recorded the song, "7 Day Weekend" - in 1992. In 2001, she appeared alongside Tim Curry in Wolf Girl (aka Blood Moon), as a transvestite circus freakshow performer named Christoph/Christine. She also appeared in an episode of the Beastmaster television series as the Impatra Warrior.

Awards and nominations

Jones is a three-time Saturn Award nominee, a Grammy nominee, a Razzie Award nominee and a Q Awards Winner:

Saturn Awards

• 1985: Best Supporting Actress for Conan the Destroyer: Nomination
• 1986: Best Supporting Actress for A View to a Kill: Nomination
• 1987: Best Supporting Actress for Vamp: Nomination

Grammy Awards

• 1984: Best Long Form Music Video for her A One Man Show: Nomination

MTV Video Music Award

• 1986: Best Female Video for "Slave to the Rhythm": Nomination

Q Music Award

• 2008: Idol award: Winner

Controversies

In 1981, Jones slapped 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. This topped a 2006 BBC poll of the most shocking British TV chat show moments.^[19]

In April 2005, Jones was accused of verbally abusing a Eurostar train manager in a quarrel over a ticket upgrade and either was escorted off the train or left of her own accord, later saying she was mistreated.^[20]

In November 2006, Jones was criticized for her behaviour at a Delta Airlines party. Witnesses claimed that, at one stage, she removed items of clothing, claiming to be "Queen Bitch Jungle Mother of Jew York". Her publicist later denied the claims as "ridiculous".^[21]

Personal life

Jones dated both the Swedish bodybuilder/actor Dolph Lundgren and Danish bodybuilder/actor Sven-Ole Thorsen in the 1980s. In 1989 Jones married Chris Stanley, they then divorced in 1990. In February 1996, Jones married a Belgian bodyguard from Antwerp named Atilla Altunbay, though they later divorced. She has a son named Paulo from her previous relationship with Jean-Paul Goude; Paulo is a member of French pop group La Gouache. On August 18, 2006, she was engaged to music producer Ivor Guest, the 4th Viscount Wimborne, though the relationship with Lord Wimborne, 20 years her junior, was described as "on/off" in the British press. However, an interview with Giles Hattersley of the Times on October 26, 2008, noted that "it appears they are no longer together". When Hattersley asked, "Didn't you want to be a viscountess?", Jones replied, "I'd rather be queen."^[22]

Discography

For further information, see: Grace Jones discography

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)

Filmography

• Gordon's War (1973)
• Let's Make a Dirty Movie (1976)
• Colt 38 Special Squad (1976)
• Army of Lovers or Revolution of the Perverts (1979) (documentary)
• Deadly Vengeance (1981)
• Made in France (1984) (documentary)
• Conan the Destroyer (1984)
• A View to a Kill (1985)
• Vamp (1986)
• Straight to Hell (1987)
• Siesta (1987)
• Superstar: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol (1990) (documentary)
• Boomerang (1992)
• Cyber Bandits (1995)
• McCinsey's Island (1998)
• Palmer's Pick Up (1999)
• No Place Like Home (2006)
• Falco - Damn, We Still Live! (2008)
• Chelsea On The Rocks (2008)

Television work

• A One Man Show (1982)
• Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special (1988)
• Wolf Girl (2001)
• Shaka Zulu: The Citadel (2001)

Appearances in popular culture

• Chicago electronic duo Microfilm^[23] mention Grace Jones in lyrics to their 2007 song "Paris". The lyrics "Tour Eiffel/You wear it well/Like Grace Jones/I think I fell...for you" refer to Jones' role in the Bond film A View to a Kill, where her character parachutes off the Eiffel Tower.
• On the reality TV series America's Next Top Model, cycle 2, the models dressed as famous celebrities for a photo shoot. Jones was one of them, modeled by Xiomara Frans.
• Spitting Image parodied Grace Jones in music video, portraying her as unsubtly post-modernist and pretentious (In is a kind of out. Sure is a kind of doubt. Goldfish is a kind of trout. Garbage is what this song's about...)
• On the sketch comedy TV show In Living Color, Kim Wayans regularly parodied Grace Jones as an extremely physical enthusiast of any activity, whether it be fighting an alligator for her dinner or pro wrestling, while regularly asking "Do you find me sexy?".
• In the early 1980s, Jones appeared in an advertising campaign for Honda's new line of motor scooters, which had become fashionable at the time. Jones persuades rock star Adam Ant (who, prior to the ad campaign, had never driven in his life) to try it. The commercial ends with Jones biting Ant on the ear, which was edited out for airings in the U.S., but was left intact when it aired elsewhere.

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References

External links

• Grace Jones at the Internet Movie Database
• Italian fans page
• Unofficial fan forum
• Grace Jones Cover of Dazed & Confused by Chris Cunningham