The Jones Girls
| The Jones Girls | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1970–1993 |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | |
| Members |
Brenda Jones (deceased) Shirley Jones Valorie Jones (deceased) |
The Jones Girls were an American R&B vocal trio of sisters from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Consisted of Brenda, Shirley and Valorie Jones, The Jones Girls first signed and recorded for GM Records in 1970. The trio were best known for their singles during the late–1970s through the 1980s; most notably 1979's "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else". After a six–year tenure with GM, They then recorded for Philadelphia International Records with Gamble & Huff.
History
The group consisted of sisters Brenda (December 7, 1954 – April 3, 2017),[1][2] Valorie (1956 – December 2, 2001) and Shirley Jones. They served as backup singers for Lou Rawls, Teddy Pendergrass, Aretha Franklin, and Le Pamplemousse. They worked with Diana Ross from 1975–78 and were the backup singers on Linda Clifford's 1978 album If My Friends Could See Me Now and on Tower of Power's lowly rated 1979 album Back on the Streets. Their biggest hit was "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else". The song broke the Billboard Magazine Top 40 at number 38 in May 1979. The song was also a Top 5 R&B hit. It became a gold record. An additional hit followed in 1980, with the single "I Just Love The Man", charting at number 9 in January 1981. The less successful "Nights Over Egypt" (1981), charted at R&B #23 in 1982 was written by Dexter Wansel.
After the release and failure of their fourth U.S. album, On Target, lead singer Shirley Jones pursued a solo career and had a number 1 R&B hit on Billboard with "Do You Get Enough Love", from her top-ten debut album Always in the Mood (1986). "Do You Get Enough Love" was written by Bunny Sigler who also produced it with Kenny Gamble.[3] Valorie Jones died on December 2, 2001, in Detroit, Michigan, at the age of 45.[4][5] In 2007, Shirley Jones released an album Ladies Night Out together with Jean Carn and Cherrelle, on CD and DVD.
Brenda eventually moved to Atlanta, where she sang frequently with her four-piece band, performing both Jazz and R&B numbers, including many Jones Girls' tunes. She later moved to New York after her children were grown, to have a more active performing and recording schedule. On April 3, 2017, she was visiting her daughter in Wilmington, Delaware, and was killed while attempting to cross the street and being hit by several cars. She was 62.[6] Shirley continues to perform successfully as The Jones Girls with two of her nieces and a nephew on background vocals.
Covers
"Who Can I Run To", from the band's self-titled 1979 debut album, was covered by Xscape in 1995. Their cover version became a number number 1 R&B and number 8 pop hit. The original version was the B-side of "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else".
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Record Label | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [7] |
US R&B [7] | |||||||||||||
| 1979 | The Jones Girls | 50 | 8 | Philadelphia Int'l | ||||||||||
| 1980 | At Peace with Woman | 96 | 7 | |||||||||||
| 1981 | Get as Much Love as You Can | 155 | 25 | |||||||||||
| 1983 | On Target | — | 59 | RCA | ||||||||||
| 1984 | Keep It Comin' | 201 | — | Philadelphia Int'l | ||||||||||
| 1992 | Coming Back | — | — | ARP | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Compilation albums
- The Best of the Jones Girls (2000, The Right Stuff)
- Keeping up with the Joneses: The Early Years (2000, Sequel UK)
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [7] |
US R&B [7] |
US Dan [7] |
US A/C [7] | |||||||||||
| 1970 | "My Own Special Way" | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1972 | "Come Back" | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Your Love Controls Me" | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1973 | "Taster of the Honey (Not the Keeper of the Bee)" | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1974 | "If You Don't Love Me No More" | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Will You Be There" | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1975 | "I Turn to You" | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Hey Lucinda" | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1979 | "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else" | 38 | 5 | 12 | — | |||||||||
| "We're a Melody" | — | 78 | — | 50 | ||||||||||
| 1980 | "I'm at Your Mercy" | — | 77 | — | — | |||||||||
| "Dance Turned into a Romance" | — | 22 | — | — | ||||||||||
| "I Just Love the Man" | — | 9 | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1981 | "Back in the Day" | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "(I Found) That Man of Mine" | — | 20 | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1982 | "Nights Over Egypt" | — | 23 | — | — | |||||||||
| "Get as Much Love as You Can" | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1983 | "On Target" | — | 43 | — | — | |||||||||
| "2 Win U Back" | — | 47 | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1984 | "Better Things to Do" | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1992 | "Sweet Ecstasy" | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "You Threw Our Love Away" | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
References
- ↑ Brenda Jones Williams December 7, 1954 – April 3, 2017 (age 62)
- ↑ NewsOne - Brenda Jones 62, The Jones Girls - RIP - April 3, 2017
- ↑ White, Adam; Bronson, Fred (1993). The Billboard Book of Number One Rhythm & Blues Hits. Billboard Books:Watson-Guptill Publications, New York. p. 368.
- ↑ "Valorie Jones (1956 - 2001) - Find A Grave Memorial". Findagrave.com. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
- ↑ "SoulfulDetroit.com FORUM". Soulfuldetroit.com. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
- ↑ "Singer Brenda Jones, of the R&B Group The Jones Girls, Has Passed Away - EBONY". Ebony.com. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "US Charts > The Jones Girls". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
External links
- The Jones Girls at AllMusic
- Soul Tracks profile of The Jones Girls
- Billboard profile of The Jones Girls
- Soul Walking profile of The Jones Girls
- The Jones Girls on PhillySoulClassics.com