Grace Jones | |
|---|---|
_(53885124610)_(cropped).jpg) Jones in 2024 | |
| Born | Grace Beverly Jones (1948-05-19)19 May 1948 (age 77) |
| Other names | Grace Mendoza |
| Citizenship |
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| Alma mater | Onondaga Community College |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1973–present |
| Works | Discography |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Noel Jones (brother) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Labels | |
Musical artist | |
| Website | gracejones |
Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress.[13] She began her modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working forfashion houses such asYves St. Laurent andKenzo, and appearing on the covers ofElle andVogue Hommes. She worked with photographers such asJean-Paul Goude,Helmut Newton,Guy Bourdin, andHans Feurer, and became known for her distinctiveandrogynous appearance and bold features.
Beginning in 1977, Jones embarked on a music career, securing a record deal withIsland Records and initially becoming a high-profile figure ofNew York City'sStudio 54-centereddisco scene. In the early 1980s, she moved toward anew wave style that drew onreggae,funk,post-punk, andpop music, frequently collaborating with both the graphic designer Jean-Paul Goude and the musical duoSly & Robbie. She scored Top 40 entries on theUK Singles Chart with "Private Life", "Pull Up to the Bumper", "Love Is the Drug", and "Slave to the Rhythm". In 1982, she released themusic video collectionA One Man Show, directed by Goude, which earned her a nomination forBest Video Album at the26th Annual Grammy Awards. Her most popular albums includeWarm Leatherette (1980),Nightclubbing (1981), andSlave to the Rhythm (1985).
As an actress, Jones appeared in several indie films prior to her first mainstream appearance as Zula in the fantasy-action filmConan the Destroyer (1984) alongsideArnold Schwarzenegger andSarah Douglas. She subsequently appeared in theJames Bond movieA View to a Kill (1985) asMay Day, and starred as avampire inVamp (1986), all of which earned her nominations for theSaturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1992, Jones acted in theEddie Murphy filmBoomerang, and contributed tothe soundtrack. She also appeared alongsideTim Curry in the 2001 filmWolf Girl.
Jones was ranked 82nd onVH1's100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll (1999). In 2008, she was honored with aQ Idol Award. Jones influenced thecross-dressing movement of the 1980s and has been cited as an inspiration for multiple artists, includingAnnie Lennox,Lady Gaga,Rihanna,Solange,Lorde,Róisín Murphy,Brazilian Girls,Nile Rodgers,Santigold, andBasement Jaxx. In 2016,Billboard ranked her as the 40th greatestdance club artist of all time.[12]
Grace Jones was born on May 19, 1948, inSpanish Town, Jamaica, to Marjorie (née Williams) (1927–2017)[14][15] and Robert W. Jones (1925–2008),[16] who was a local politician andApostolic clergyman.[17][18][19][20] The couple already had two children, and would go on to have four more.[21] Robert and Marjorie moved to theEast Coast of the United States,[21] where Robert worked as an agricultural labourer until aspiritual experience during a suicide attempt inspired him to become aPentecostal minister.[22] While they were in the US, they left their children with Marjorie's mother and her new husband, Peart.[23] Jones knew him as "Mas P" ('Master P') and later noted that she "absolutely hated him"; as a strict disciplinarian he regularly beat the children in his care, representing what Jones described as "serious abuse".[24] She was raised into the family's Pentecostal faith,[25] having to take part in prayer meetings and Bible readings every night.[26] She initially attended the Pentecostal All Saints School,[27] before being sent to a nearby public school.[28]As a child, Jones was shy and had only one schoolfriend. She was teased by classmates for her "skinny frame", but she excelled at sports and found solace in the nature of Jamaica.[29]
[My childhood] was all about the Bible and beatings. We were beaten for any little act of dissent, and hit harder the worse the disobedience. It formed me as a person, my choices, men I have been attracted to... It was a profoundly disciplined, militant upbringing, and so in my own way, I am very militant and disciplined. Even if that sometimes means being militantly naughty, and disciplined in the arts of subversion.
Marjorie and Robert eventually brought their children – including the 13 year-old Grace – to live with them in the US, where they had settled inLyncourt,Salina, New York, nearSyracuse.[31][32] It was in the city that her father had established his own ministry, the Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ, in 1956.[33] Jones continued her schooling and after she graduated, enrolled atOnondaga Community College majoring in Spanish.[34][35] Jones began to rebel against her parents and their religion; she began wearing makeup, drinking alcohol, and visiting gay clubs with her brother.[36] At college, she also took a theatre class, with her drama teacher convincing her to join him on asummer stock tour inPhiladelphia.[37][35] Arriving in the city, she decided to stay there, immersing herself in theCounterculture of the 1960s by living inhippie communes, earning money as ago-go dancer, and usingLSD and other drugs.[38] She later praised the use of LSD as "a very important part of my emotional growth... The mental exercise was good for me".[39]
She moved back to New York at 18 and signed on as a model withWilhelmina Models. She moved to Paris in 1970.[35][40] The Parisian fashion scene was receptive to Jones's unusual, androgynous, bold, dark-skinned appearance.Yves St. Laurent,Claude Montana, andKenzo Takada hired her for runway modelling, and she appeared on the covers ofElle,Vogue Hommes, andStern working withHelmut Newton,Guy Bourdin, and Hans Feurer.[41] Jones also modelled forAzzedine Alaia, and was frequently photographed promoting his line. While modelling in Paris, she metJerry Hall andJessica Lange. Hall and Jones frequentedLe Sept, one of Paris's most popular gay clubs of the 1970s and 1980s, and socialised withGiorgio Armani andKarl Lagerfeld.[42] In 1973, Jones appeared on the cover of a reissue ofBilly Paul's 1970 albumEbony Woman.
Jones was signed byIsland Records, who put her in the studio with disco record producerTom Moulton.[43] Moulton worked atSigma Sound Studios inPhiladelphia, andPortfolio, was released in 1977. The album featured three songs from Broadway musicals, "Send in the Clowns" byStephen Sondheim fromA Little Night Music, "What I Did for Love" fromA Chorus Line and "Tomorrow" fromAnnie.[43] The second side of the album opens up with a seven-minute reinterpretation ofÉdith Piaf's"La Vie en rose" followed by three new recordings, two of which were co-written by Jones, "Sorry", and "That's the Trouble". The album finished with "I Need a Man", Jones's first club hit.[44] The artwork to the album was designed byRichard Bernstein, an artist forInterview.
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In 1978, Jones and Moulton madeFame, an immediate follow-up toPortfolio, also recorded at Sigma Sound Studios.[45] The album featured another reinterpretation of a French classic, "Autumn Leaves" byJacques Prévert. The Canadian edition of the vinyl album included another French-language track,"Comme un oiseau qui s'envole", which replaced "All on a Summers Night"; in most locations this song served as the B-side of the single "Do or Die". In the North American club scene,Fame was a hit album and the "Do or Die"/"Pride"/"Fame" side reached top 10 on both the USHot Dance Club Play and Canadian Dance/Urban charts.[46] The album was released on compact disc in the early 1990s, but soon wentout of print. In 2011, it was released and remastered by Gold Legion, a record company that specialises in reissuing classic disco albums on CD.
Jones's live shows were highly sexualized and flamboyant, leading her to be called "Queen of the Gay Discos".[6] In the same year she was cast in the highly controversial Italian TV programStryx, aired byRai 2, where she portrayed the character of Rumstryx.[47][48][49]
Muse was the last of Jones's disco albums.[50] The album features a re-recorded version "I'll Find My Way to You", which Jones released three years prior toMuse. Originally appearing in the 1976 Italian film,Colt 38 Special Squad in which Jones had a role as a club singer, Jones also recorded a song called "Again and Again" that was featured in the film. Both songs were produced by composerStelvio Cipriani. Icelandic keyboardistThor Baldursson arranged most of the album and also sang duet with Jones on the track "Suffer". Like the last two albums, the cover art is by Richard Bernstein. LikeFame,Muse was later released by Gold Legion.[51]
With anti-disco sentiment spreading, and with the aid of theCompass Point All Stars, Jones transitioned intonew wave music with the 1980 release ofWarm Leatherette. The album included covers of songs byThe Normal ("Warm Leatherette"),The Pretenders ("Private Life"),Roxy Music ("Love Is the Drug"),Smokey Robinson ("The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game"),Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ("Breakdown") andJacques Higelin ("Pars"). Sly Dunbar revealed that the title track was also the first to be recorded with Jones.[52][53] Tom Petty wrote the lyrics to "Breakdown", and he also wrote the third verse of Jones's reinterpretation.[54] The album included one song co-written by Jones, "A Rolling Stone". Originally, "Pull Up to the Bumper" was to be included on the album, but its R&B sound did not fit with the rest of the material.[55] By 1981, she had begun collaborating with photographer and graphic designerJean-Paul Goude, with whom she also had a relationship.[56] An extended version of "Private Life" was released as a single, with a cover of theJoy Division song "She's Lost Control", a non-album track, as the B-side.
The 1981 release ofNightclubbing included Jones's covers of songs byFlash and the Pan ("Walking in the Rain"),Bill Withers ("Use Me"),Iggy Pop/David Bowie ("Nightclubbing") andÁstor Piazzolla ("I've Seen That Face Before"). Three songs were co-written by Jones: "Feel Up", "Art Groupie" and "Pull Up to the Bumper".Sting wrote "Demolition Man"; he later recorded it withThe Police on the albumGhost in the Machine. "I've Done It Again" was written byMarianne Faithfull. The strong rhythm featured onNightclubbing was produced by Compass Point All Stars, includingSly and Robbie,Wally Badarou,Mikey Chung,Uziah "Sticky" Thompson andBarry Reynolds. The album entered in the Top 5 in four countries, and became Jones's highest-ranking record on the USBillboard mainstream albums and R&B charts.
Nightclubbing claimed the number 1 slot onNME's Album of the Year list.[57]Slant Magazine listed the album at No. 40 on its list of Best Albums of the 1980s.[58]Nightclubbing is now widely considered Jones's best studio album.[59] The album's cover art is a painting of Jones by Jean-Paul Goude. Jones is presented as a man wearing anArmani suit jacket, with a cigarette in her mouth and aflattop haircut. While promoting the album, Jones slapped chat-show hostRussell Harty live on air after he had turned to interview other guests, making Jones feel she was being ignored.[60]
Having already recorded two reggae-oriented albums under the production of Compass Point All Stars, Jones went toNassau, Bahamas in 1982 and recordedLiving My Life; the album resulted in Jones's final contribution to the Compass Point trilogy, with only one cover,Melvin Van Peebles's "The Apple Stretching". The rest were original songs; "Nipple to the Bottle" was co-written withSly Dunbar, and, apart from "My Jamaican Guy", the other tracks were collaborations withBarry Reynolds. Despite receiving a limited single release, thetitle track was left off the album. Further session outtakes included "Man Around the House" (Jones, Reynolds) and a cover of "Ring of Fire", written byJune Carter Cash andMerle Kilgore and popularized byJohnny Cash, both of which were included on the 1998 compilationPrivate Life: The Compass Point Sessions. The album's cover art resulted from another Jones/Goude collaboration; the artwork has been described as being as famous as the music on the record.[61] It features Jones's disembodied head cut out from a photograph and pasted onto a white background. Jones's head is sharpened, giving her head and face an angular shape.[62] A piece of plaster is pasted over her left eyebrow, and her forehead is covered with drops of sweat.
Jones's three albums under the production of the Compass Point All Stars resulted in Jones'sOne Man Show, aperformance art/pop theatre presentation devised by Goude and Jones in which she also performed tracks from the albumsPortfolio ("La Vie en rose"),Warm Leatherette, ("Private Life", "Warm Leatherette"),Nightclubbing ("Walking in the Rain", "Feel Up", "Demolition Man", "Pull Up to the Bumper" and "I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)") and fromLiving My Life, "My Jamaican Guy" and the album'stitle track. Jones dressed in elaborate costumes and masks (in the opening sequence as a gorilla) and alongside a series of Grace Joneslookalikes. A video version, filmed live in London and New York City and completed with some studio footage, was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Long-Form Music Video the following year.[63]
After the release ofLiving My Life, Jones took on the role of Zula theAmazonian inConan the Destroyer (1984) and was nominated for aSaturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1985, Jones starred asMay Day, henchwoman to main antagonistMax Zorin in the 14thJames Bond filmA View to a Kill; Jones was also nominated for aSaturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. That same year, she was featured on theArcadia song "Election Day". Jones was among the many stars to promote theHonda Scooter; other artists includedLou Reed,Adam Ant, andMiles Davis.[64] Jones also, with her boyfriendDolph Lundgren posed nude forPlayboy.[65]
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After Jones's success as a mainstream actress, she returned to the studio to work onSlave to the Rhythm, the last of her recordings forIsland.Bruce Woolley, Simon Darlow,Stephen Lipson andTrevor Horn wrote the material, and it was produced by Horn and Lipson.[66] It was a concept album that featured several interpretations of the title track. The project was originally intended forFrankie Goes to Hollywood as a follow-up to "Relax", but was given to Jones.[67] All eight tracks on the album featured excerpts from a conversation with Jones, speaking about many aspects of her life. The interview was conducted by journalistPaul Morley. The album featuresvoice-overs from actorIan McShane reciting passages fromJean-Paul Goude's biographyJungle Fever.Slave to the Rhythm was successful inGerman-speaking countries and in the Netherlands, where it secured Top 10 placings.[68] It reached number 12 on theUK Albums Chart in November 1985 and became the second-highest-ranking album released by Jones.[69][70] Jones earned anMTV Video Music Award nomination for the title track's music video.
After her success withSlave to the Rhythm, Island releasedIsland Life, Jones's first best-of compilation, which featured songs from most of her releases with Island (Portfolio,Fame,Warm Leatherette,Nightclubbing,Living My Life andSlave to the Rhythm). American writer and journalistGlenn O'Brien wrote the essay for the inlay booklet. The compilation charted in the UK, New Zealand and the United States.[71] The artwork on the cover of the compilation was of another Jones/Goude collaboration; it featured Jones's celestial body in a montage of separate images, following Goude's ideas on creating credible illusions with his cut-and-paint technique. The body position is anatomically impossible.[72]
The artwork, a piece called "Nigger Arabesque", was originally published in theNew York magazine in 1978, and was used as a backdrop for the music video of Jones's hit single"La Vie en rose".[73] The artwork has been described as "one of pop culture's most famous photographs".[74] The image was also parodied inNicki Minaj's 2011 music video for "Stupid Hoe", in which Minaj mimicked the pose.[75]
AfterSlave to the Rhythm andIsland Life, Jones started to record again under a new contract withManhattan Records, which resulted inInside Story, Jones teamed up with music producerNile Rodgers ofChic, whom Jones had previously tried to work with during the disco era.[76] The album was recorded at Skyline Studios in New York and post-produced at Atlantic Studios and Sterling Sound.Inside Story was the first album Jones produced, which resulted in heated disputes with Rodgers. Musically, the album was more accessible than her previous albums with the Compass Point All Stars, and explored different styles of pop music, with undertones of jazz, gospel, and Caribbean sounds. All songs on the album were written by Jones andBruce Woolley. Richard Bernstein teamed up with Jones again to provide the album's artwork.Inside Story made the top 40 in several European countries. The album was Jones's last entry to date on USBillboard 200 albums chart. The same year, Jones starred as Katrina, an Egyptian queen vampire in thevampire filmVamp. For her work in the film, Jones was awarded aSaturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In 1987, Jones appeared in two films,Straight to Hell, andMary Lambert'sSiesta, for which Jones was nominated forGolden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress.Bulletproof Heart was released in 1989, produced by Chris Stanley, who co-wrote, and co-produced the majority of the songs, and was featured as a guest vocalist on "Don't Cry Freedom".Robert Clivillés andDavid Cole ofC+C Music Factory produced some tracks on the album.
In 1990, Jones appeared as herself in the documentary,Superstar: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol. 1992 saw Jones starring as Helen Strangé, in theEddie Murphy filmBoomerang, for which she also contributed the song "7 Day Weekend" toits soundtrack. Jones released two more soundtrack songs in 1992; "Evilmainya", recorded for the filmFreddie as F.R.O.7, and "Let Joy and Innocence Prevail" for the filmToys. In 1994, she was due to release anelectro album titledBlack Marilyn with artwork featuring the singer asMarilyn Monroe. "Sex Drive" was released as the first single in September 1993, but the album was shelved due to Jones disliking the mixes that were presented by producers, whom she felt were primarily interested in sampling and had "minced" her vocals. Jones stated that the experience turned her off working on music.[77] The track "Volunteer", recorded during the same sessions, leaked in 2009.[78] In 1995, Jones reunited with Tom Moulton for adisco-house take onCandi Staton's 1978 song "Victim", however, the song's release was cancelled by Island Records.[79][80]
In 1996, Jones released "Love Bites", an up-tempo electronic track to promote theSci-Fi Channel'sVampire Week, which consisted of a series of vampire-themed films aired on the channel in early November 1996. The track features Jones singing from the perspective of a vampire. The track was released as a non-label promo-only single. As of 2013[update], it had not been made commercially available.[81]
In June 1998, Jones was scheduled to release an album titledForce of Nature, on which she worked withtrip hop musicianTricky.[82] The release ofForce of Nature was cancelled due to a disagreement between the two, and only awhite label 12" single featuring two dance mixes of "Hurricane" was issued at the time;[83] a slowed-down version of this song became the title track of her comeback album released ten years later while another unreleased track from the album, "Clandestine Affair" (recycling the chorus from her unreleased 1993 track "Volunteer"), appeared on a bootleg 12" in 2004.[84] Jones recorded the track "Storm" in 1998 for the filmThe Avengers, and in 1999, appeared in an episode of theBeastmaster television series as the Umpatra Warrior.
The same year, Jones recorded "The Perfect Crime", an up-tempo song for Danish TV written by the composer duo Floppy M. aka Jacob Duus and Kåre Jacobsen.[citation needed] In 2000, Jones collaborated with rapperLil' Kim, appearing on the song "Revolution" from her albumThe Notorious K.I.M..[85] In 2001, Jones starred in the film,Wolf Girl (also known asBlood Moon), as anintersex circus performer named Christoph/Christine. In 2002, Jones joinedLuciano Pavarotti on stage for his annualPavarotti and Friends fundraiser concert to support the United Nations refugee agency's programs for Angolan refugees inZambia. In November 2004, Jones sang "Slave to the Rhythm" at a tribute concert for record producerTrevor Horn at London'sWembley Arena.[86][87]
Despite several comeback attempts throughout the 1990s, Jones's next full-length record was released almost twenty years later, after Jones decided "never to do an album again,"[88] changing her mind after meeting music producerIvor Guest through a mutual friend,millinerPhilip Treacy. After the two became acquainted, Guest let Jones listen to a track he had been working on, which became "Devil in My Life", once Jones set the lyrics to the song. The lyrics to the song were written after a party in Venice.[89]
The two ended up with 23 tracks. The album,Hurricane, included autobiographical songs, such as "This Is", "Williams' Blood" and "I'm Crying (Mother's Tears)", an ode to her mother Marjorie. "Love You to Life" was another track based on real events and "Corporate Cannibal" referred tocorporate capitalism. "Well Well Well" was recorded in memory ofAlex Sadkin, member ofCompass Point All Stars who had died in a motor accident 1987. "Sunset Sunrise" was written by Jones's son, Paulo; the song ponders the relationship between mankind and mother nature. Four songs were removed from the album, "The Key to Funky", "Body Phenomenon", "Sister Sister" and "Misery". For the production of the album, Jones teamed up withSly and Robbie,Wally Badarou,Barry Reynolds,Mikey Chung, andUziah "Sticky" Thompson, of theCompass Point All Stars, with contributions from trip-hop artistTricky, andBrian Eno.[90]
The album was released onWall of Sound on 3 November 2008, in the United Kingdom.PIAS, the umbrella company of Wall of Sound, distributedHurricane worldwide excluding North America.[91] The album scored 72 out of 100 on review aggregatorMetacritic.[92] Prior to the album's release, Jones performed atMassive Attack'sMeltdown festival in London on 19 June 2008, Jones performed four new songs from the album and premiered the music video which Jones and artist Nick Hooker collaborated on, which resulted in "Corporate Cannibal".[93][94][95] Jones promoted the album even further by appearing on talk showFriday Night with Jonathan Ross, performed at several awards galas, and embarked onThe Hurricane Tour. The same year, Jones was honoured withQ Idol Award.
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In 2009,Chris Cunningham produced a fashion shoot forDazed & Confused using Jones as a model to create "Nubian versions" of Rubber Johnny.[96] In an interview for BBC'sThe Culture Show, it was suggested that the collaboration may expand into a video project. Jones also worked with the avant-garde poetBrigitte Fontaine on a duet named "Soufi" from Fontaine's albumProhibition released in 2009, and produced byIvor Guest.
In March 2010, Jones performed for guests at the 18th annualElton John AIDS FoundationAcademy Award Viewing Party. The Elton John AIDS Foundation is one of the world's leading nonprofit organisations supporting HIV prevention programs, and works to eliminate the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS. The event raised US$3.7 million.[97][98] The same year, a budget DVD version ofA One Man Show was released, asGrace Jones – Live in Concert. It included three bonus video clips ("Slave to the Rhythm", "Love Is the Drug" and "Crush").
In 2011, Jones collaborated again with Brigitte Fontaine on two tracks from her release entitledL'un n'empêche pas l'autre and performed at the opening ceremony of the61st FIFA Congress.[99] Jones released a dub version of the album,Hurricane – Dub, which came out on 5 September 2011. The dub versions were made byIvor Guest, with contributions fromAdam Green, Frank Byng, Robert Logan and Ben Cowan.
In April 2012, Jones joinedDeborah Harry,Bebel Gilberto, andSharon Stone at the Inspiration Gala inSão Paulo, Brazil, raising $1.3 million for amfAR (the Foundation for AIDS Research). Jones closed the evening with a performance of"La Vie en Rose" and "Pull Up to the Bumper".[100] Two months later, Jones performed "Slave to the Rhythm" at theDiamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II (whilst keeping a hula hoop spinning round her waist throughout), and theLovebox Festival.[101] On 27 October 2012, Jones performed her only North American show of 2012, a performance at New York City'sRoseland Ballroom.[102] The same year, Jones presentedSir Tom Jones with not only theGQ Men of the Year award, but her underwear. Tom Jones accepted the gift in good humour, and replied by saying, "I didn't think you wore any".[103]
Universal Music Group released a deluxe edition of herNightclubbing album as a two-disc set and Blu-ray audio on 28 April 2014. The set contains most of the 12" mixes of singles from that album, plus two previously unreleased tracks from theNightclubbing sessions, including a cover of theGary Numan track "Me! I Disconnect from You".
In October 2014, Jones was announced as having contributed a song, "Original Beast", to the soundtrack ofThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.[104]
Jones's memoir entitledI'll Never Write My Memoirs was released on 29 September 2015.[105]
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In 2017, Jones collaborated with Britishvirtual bandGorillaz, appearing on the song "Charger" from their fifth studio albumHumanz.[106] In October 2018, Jones received theOrder of Jamaica from the Jamaican government.[107]
In June 2022, Jones served as curator of the 27th edition of the Meltdown Festival, the UK's longest-running artist-curated music festival.[108][109] Jones had been announced as the curator already for the 2020 festival, but due to theCOVID-19 pandemic it was rescheduled to 2022.[110] During her show that closed the festival, Jones announced that a brand new 'African hybrid' record was in production, and previewed "The Sun Shines in Wartime" (or "Sunshine In Wartime) and "Blacker Than Black" (or "Born Black") from the album.[111] Jones provided guest vocals onBeyoncé's song "Move" from her seventh studio albumRenaissance, released in July 2022.[112]
On 14 November 2022, music festivalCamp Bestival announced their 2023 lineup, which included Jones, alongsidePrimal Scream,Melanie C,Craig David,The Kooks, theHuman League, and others.[113][114] On 23 July 2023, Jones headlined the music acts atBluedot Festival.[115][116]
"Grace was very open. We worked together to create this intimidating character. I mean, she's naturally intimidating anyway with her body shape, very straight neck, prominent cheekbones, and clean-cut jawline. She'sfeminine, no doubt about that, but I've always thought that she was far more beautiful without the artifices she employed to make herself more feminine. I tried to emphasize that body shape through a sort of minimalistGerman expressionism, with its games of shadows and its angular shapes. Grace is from Jamaica, so she speaks English in a quite thought-out way. I also advised her to address her audience – mostly composed ofhomosexuals – like a teacher would, with severity. All of that stuff contributed to the building of her image."
Jones' "appearance was equally divisive" as the sonic fluidity of her music – with her "striking visuals [leading] to her becoming a muse for the likes ofIssey Miyake andThierry Mugler.[118] Her image has been described as "neo-cubist".[119] Jones's distinctiveandrogynous appearance, square-cut, angular padded clothing, manner, and height of 179 cm (5'10+1⁄2")[citation needed] influenced thecross-dressing movement of the 1980s. To this day, she is known for her unique look at least as much as she is for her music[120] and has been an inspiration for numerous artists, includingAnnie Lennox,[121]Lorde,[122]Rihanna,[123]Janelle Monáe,[124] andNile Rodgers.[125] Jones was listed as one of the 50 best-dressed over 50 byThe Guardian in March 2013.[126]
Kyle Munzenrieder ofW magazine wrote that "everyone fromMadonna toBjörk toBeyoncé toLady Gaga has taken more than a few pages from her playbook".[127] Jones's work is often discussed for its visual aspect, which was largely the work of French illustrator, photographer, and graphic designerJean-Paul Goude. According to Jake Hall ofi-D, "their collaborative work [went on] to define the visual landscape of the 70s and 80s," and Goude "helped create one of the most intriguing legends in musical history."[118] Goude saw Jones as hismuse, declaring she was "beautiful andgrotesque at the same time,"[128] and dated her from 1977 to 1984. He "[designed her] album covers, [...] directed her music videos, choreographed live performances, and helped develop her image."[129]
Jones was featured prominently in Goude's work from that period, "which, over the course of the '80s, became increasingly synonymous with willful distortion" - using a technique he refers to as "French correction".[129] The artist stated in 2012: "chopping up photos and rearranging them in a montage to elongate limbs or exaggerate the size of someone's head or some other aspect appealed to me on a lot of levels – I'm always searching for equilibrium, symmetry, and rhythm in an image."[117] Goude's work "centers around artistic depictions ofrace,ethnicity, andglobal culture", with an "enchantment with the far-away and theexotic".[118] As a result, much of his depictions ofblack women are considered controversial and exploitative,[118][128] as Jones was presented as "awhite man's rendition of the African feminine."[119] Goude's images depicted herhypersexualized and androgynous, emphasizing her "blackness" andJamaican heritage. Writer Abigail Gardner felt Jones' body "was presented and manipulated in ways that are clearly congruent with conceiving of that display as artefactual."[119] Essentially, Hall writes, "Goude treated Jones as an artistic vehicle first and foremost - ahyperbole which, despite destroying their personal relationship, allowed Goude to translate his grandiose vision of Jones the phenomenon into a series of imagery which painted her as asurreal, impossible muse."[118]
It has been noted that Jones' ties with the 1970s and 1980s New York art scene are important in understanding her visual identity during this period, and she was close toAndy Warhol, who created a number of paintings and other works of the singer.[130][131] She also knew artistRichard Bernstein, and artist and social activistKeith Haring, who painted her head-to-toe for a series of photographs taken byRobert Mapplethorpe and for her role in the 1986 filmVamp.[132][133][134][131]
In 2020, the first ever art exhibition centred around Jones was presented atNottingham Contemporary in the United Kingdom, in an attempt to represent "a multi-facetedpop cultureicon while trying to reformulate an alternative image of Grace Jones that does not fall into clichés."[135]
Vice described Jones's musical output as "weird, vibrant and progressive," stating that she "has wovendisco,new wave,post-punk,art pop,industrial,reggae, andgospel into a tight sound that is distinctly hers, threaded together with lilting, powerful vocals."[136] Her early music was rooted in disco. She opted for a new wave sound in the early 1980s. She recorded a series of albums (1980'sWarm Leatherette through 1982'sLiving My Life) backed by the Jamaicarhythm section duoSly and Robbie. Her music during this era was described as a new wave hybrid of reggae,funk,pop, androck.[7] According to John Doran ofBBC Music,Warm Leatherette andNightclubbing were "post-punk pop" albums that, "delved into the worlds of disco, reggae and funk much more successfully than most of her 'alternative' contemporaries, while still retaining a blank-eyed alienation that was more reminiscent ofDavid Bowie orIan Curtis than most of her peers."[137]
Jones has acontralto vocal range. She sings in two modes: either in her monotone speak-sing voice as in songs such as "Private Life", "Walking in the Rain" and "The Apple Stretching", or in an almost-soprano mode in songs such as "La Vie en Rose", "Slave to the Rhythm", and "Victor Should Have Been a Jazz Musician".[138]
Jones's father, Bishop Robert W. Jones, was strict and their relationship was strained. According to his particular denomination's beliefs, one should only use one's singing ability to glorify God.[29] He died on 7 May 2008.[18] Her mother, Marjorie, always supported Jones's career (she sings on "Williams' Blood" and "My Jamaican Guy") but could not be publicly associated with her music.[29] Marjorie's father, John Williams, was also a musician[139] and played withNat King Cole.[29]
Jones described her childhood as having been "crushed underneath the Bible",[34] and since has refused to enter a Jamaican church due to her bad childhood experiences.[140]
Jones used the surname "Mendoza" in her 20s, so that her parents would not know that she was working as ago-go dancer.[141]
Through her relationship with longtime collaboratorJean-Paul Goude, Jones has one son, Paulo, born 12 November 1979. From Paulo, Jones has one granddaughter.[138] Jones married Atila Altaunbay in 1996. She disputes rumors that she married Chris Stanley in her 2015 memoirI'll Never Write My Memoirs, saying, "The truth is, I only ever married one of my boyfriends, Atila Altaunbay, a Muslim from Turkey." She spent four years with Swedish actorDolph Lundgren, her former bodyguard;[142] she got him a part as a KGB officer inA View to a Kill (1985).[143] Jones started dating Danish actor and stuntmanSven-Ole Thorsen in 1990, and was in an open relationship as of 2007.[144]
Jones's brother ismegachurch preacher BishopNoel Jones, who starred on the 2013 reality showPreachers of LA.[145]
| As actress | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 1973 | Gordon's War | Mary | ||
| 1976 | Attention les yeux! | Cuidy | ||
| Quelli della Calibro 38 | Club Singer | Uncredited | ||
| 1978 | Stryx | Rumstryx | TV series | |
| 1981 | Deadly Vengeance | Slick's girlfriend | ||
| 1984 | Conan the Destroyer | Zula | ||
| 1985 | A View to a Kill | May Day | ||
| 1986 | Vamp | Katrina | ||
| 1987 | Straight to Hell | Sonya | ||
| Siesta | Conchita | |||
| 1992 | Boomerang | Helen Strangé | ||
| 1992 | Freddie as F.R.O.7 | Messina (singing voice) | ||
| 1995 | Cyber Bandits | Masako Yokohama | ||
| 1998 | McCinsey's Island | Alanso Richter | ||
| Palmer's Pick Up | Ms. Remo | |||
| 1999 | BeastMaster | Nokinja | Episode: "The Umpatra" | |
| 2001 | Wolf Girl | Christoph/Christine | ||
| Shaka Zulu: The Citadel | The Queen | TV movie | ||
| 2006 | No Place Like Home | Dancer | ||
| 2008 | Falco – Verdammt, wir leben noch! | Waitress | ||
| Chelsea on the Rocks | Bev | |||
| 2016 | Gutterdämmerung | Death / The Devil | ||
| Video games | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 1994 | Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller | Solene Solux | ||
| Stage work | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Location | |
| 1997 | The Wiz | Evillene | US Touring Revival | |
| As musician | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1982 | A One Man Show | "Warm Leatherette" (intro includes excerpts from "Nightclubbing"), "Walking in the Rain", "Feel Up" "La Vie en rose", "Demolition Man", "Pull Up to the Bumper", "Private Life", "My Jamaican Guy", "Living My Life", "I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)" |
| 1983 | The Video Singles | Includes the videos for "Pull Up to the Bumper", "Private Life" and "My Jamaican Guy", all directed by Jean-Paul Goude. |
| 1988 | Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special (TV special) | Guest performer: reinterpretation of "The Little Drummer Boy" |
| 2002 | Pavarotti & Friends 2002 for Angola | Guest performer: "Pourquoi Me Réveiller" (feat.Luciano Pavarotti) |
| 2005 | So Far So Goude | DVD only available as a bonus with the purchase ofThames & Hudson's biography onJean-Paul Goude[147] |
| 2010 | Grace Jones – Live in NYC 1981 | Remastered version ofA One Man Show with 3 bonus music videos, "Slave to the Rhythm", "Love Is the Drug" and "Crush" |
| 2012 | The Diamond Jubilee Concert (TV special) | Guest performer: "Slave to the Rhythm" |
| Documentaries | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1979 | Army of Lovers or Revolution of the Perverts/Armee der Liebenden oder Revolte der Perversen | |
| 1984 | Mode in France | |
| 1990 | Superstar: The Life and Times ofAndy Warhol | |
| 1996 | In Search of Dracula withJonathan Ross | |
| 1998 | Behind the Music –Studio 54 | |
| 2007 | Queens of Disco | |
| 2017 | Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami | |
| Year | Awards | Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Billboard Music Awards | Herself | Top Disco Artist - Female | Nominated |
| 1984 | Grammy Awards | A One Man Show | Best Video Album | Nominated |
| 1985 | Bravo Otto Awards | Herself | Best Female Actress (Silver) | Won |
| Saturn Awards | Conan the Destroyer | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | |
| 1986 | A View to a Kill | Nominated | ||
| MTV Video Music Awards | "Slave to the Rhythm" | Best Female Video | Nominated | |
| 1987 | Saturn Awards | Vamp | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
| 1988 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Siesta | Worst Supporting Actress | Nominated |
| 1999 | Golden Raspberry Awards[148] | "Storm" | Worst Original Song | Nominated |
| 2008 | Q Awards[149] | Herself | Q Icon | Won |
| 2009 | Helpmann Awards | Hurricane Tour | Best International Contemporary Music Concert | Nominated |
| 2014 | Rober Awards Music Poll | Nightclubbing | Best Reissue | Nominated |
| 2016 | NME Awards | I'll Never Write My Memoirs | Best Book | Nominated |
| 2017 | The Voice of a Woman Awards[150] | Herself | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won |
| Bahamas International Film Festival | Career Achievement Award | Won | ||
| 2023 | Grammy Awards[151] | Renaissance | Album of the Year (as a featured artist) | Nominated |
I don't spend much time in the States even though I have a place in New York and am a US citizen...
Jamaican born R&B singer Grace Jones
R&B singer Grace Jones who later branched out into disco, reggae and rock.
Even Moulton buried the hatchet for a 1997 house remake of Candi Staton's "Victim", but Island nixed its release on conceptual grounds: They thought Grace Jones couldn't be a victim of anything.
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