Rickie Lee Jones | |
|---|---|
 Jones performing in 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1954-11-08)November 8, 1954 (age 71) Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Genres | Rock,R&B,pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Labels | Warner Bros.,Geffen,Reprise,Artemis,V2,New West,Fantasy, OSOD/Thirty Tigers,Buffalo Records |
| Website | rickieleejones |
Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. Over the course of a career that spans five decades and 15 studio albums, she has recorded in various musical styles includingrock,R&B,pop,soul, andjazz.[1] A two-timeGrammy Award winner (from eight nominations),[2] Jones was listed at No. 30 onVH1's100 Greatest Women in Rock & Roll in 1999.[3]AllMusic stated: "Few singer/songwriters are as individual and eclectic as Rickie Lee Jones, a vocalist with an expressive and smoky instrument, and a composer who can weave jazz, folk, and R&B into songs with a distinct pop sensibility."[1]
She released herself-titled debut album in 1979, to critical and commercial success. It peaked at No. 3 on the U.S.Billboard 200, and spawned the hit single "Chuck E.'s in Love", which peaked at No. 4 on theBillboard Hot 100.[4] The album wentplatinum later that year,[5] and earned Jones four Grammy Award nominations in1980, includingBest New Artist, which she won.[2] Her second album,Pirates, followed in 1981 to further critical and commercial success; it peaked at No. 5 on theBillboard 200, wentgold,[5] and ranked No. 49 onNPR's list of the 150 Greatest Albums Made by Women in 2017.[6]
Her third album,The Magazine, appeared in 1984 before Jones took a brief hiatus from recording. Her fourth album,Flying Cowboys, was released in 1989 and later went gold.[5] Jones won her second Grammy Award in1990 for "Makin' Whoopee", a duet withDr. John, this time in the category ofBest Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group.[2] Jones' seventh Grammy Award nomination followed in2001 in the category ofBest Traditional Pop Vocal Album for her albumIt's Like This (2000).[2] In 2021, Jones released her memoirLast Chance Texaco: Chronicles of an American Troubadour.[7] Her 15th studio album,Pieces of Treasure, was released in 2023 and earned Jones her eighth Grammy Award nomination, for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.[8]
Jones was born the third of four children to Richard and Bettye Jones, on the north side ofChicago, Illinois, on November 8, 1954.[9] She was named after her father, who was a singer, songwriter, painter, and trumpet player. Her mother, Bettye, was raised in orphanages aroundMansfield, Ohio.[10] She has a brother, Daniel, and two sisters, Janet Adele and Pamela Jo.[11] Her paternal grandfather,Frank "Peg Leg" Jones, and her grandmother, Myrtle Lee, were vaudevillians based in Chicago.[12] A singer, dancer, and comedian, Peg Leg Jones's routine consisted of singing and accompanying himself on ukulele, soft shoe dance, acrobatics, and comedy.[12]
Jones lived inPhoenix, Arizona, from age 4 to 14.[13]
At the age of 21, Jones began singing traditional jazz and original compositions in bars and coffee houses inVenice, California. There she met Alfred Johnson, a piano player and songwriter, with whom she wrote "Weasel and the White Boys Cool", and "Company", which would later appear on Jones's debut album.[14] In 1977, Jones metTom Waits atThe Troubadour.[15] They dated for about two years, before splitting in 1979.[15]
Rickie Lee Jones was released in March 1979 and became a critical and commercial hit, buoyed by the success of the jazz-flavored single "Chuck E.'s in Love", which hitNo. 4 on theBillboard Hot 100, and featured an accompanyingmusic video. The song was occasioned by her friend, Chuck E. Weiss, telephoning her and Tom Waits, all three of them close friends at the time, in the fall of 1977 to tell them that he had fallen in love.[16] The album, which included guest appearances byDr. John,Randy Newman, andMichael McDonald, reached No. 3 on theBillboard 200, went Platinum,[5] and produced another Top 40 hit with "Young Blood" (No. 40) in late 1979.
Her appearance – as an unknown (one month after her debut record had been released) – onSaturday Night Live on April 7, 1979, sparked an overnight sensation. She performed "Chuck E.'s in Love" and "Coolsville".[17] Jones was covered byTime magazine on her very first professional show, in Boston, and they dubbed her "The Duchess of Coolsville". Touring after the album's release, she playedCarnegie Hall on July 22, 1979. Members of her group included native New York guitaristBuzz Feiten, who was featured on the album and would appear in her recorded works for over a decade. Following her first-ever performances in the spring/summer of 1979, Jones appeared on the cover ofRolling Stone magazine. Photographed byAnnie Leibovitz, the cover image showed Jones posing in a crouched stance, wearing a black bra and a white beret.[18]
Jones secured four nominations at the22nd Annual Grammy Awards:Song of the Year andBest Pop Vocal Performance, Female for "Chuck E.'s in Love";Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female for "The Last Chance Texaco"; andBest New Artist, which she won. The album also earned a nomination forBest Engineered Recording - Non-Classical, credited to Tom Knox.[19]
In 1980,Francis Ford Coppola asked Jones to collaborate with Waits on his upcoming filmOne from the Heart, but she balked, citing their recent breakup in late 1979.[15] Coppola argued that the duet would be perfect for the film, since the two main characters in the film are separated, and he asked her to reconsider. Waits ultimately sang with country pop starCrystal Gayle.[20]
In 1981, Jones released her second album,Pirates, which received high marks from critics and was a commercial success. The album reached No. 5 on theBillboard 200, and soon achieved Gold certification.[5]Rolling Stone remained a fervent supporter of Jones, with a second cover feature in 1981;[21] the magazine also included a glowing five-star review ofPirates.[22] The single "A Lucky Guy" became the onlyBillboard Hot 100 hit from the album, peaking at No. 64, but "Pirates (So Long Lonely Avenue)" and "Woody and Dutch on the Slow Train to Peking" became minor Top 40 hits on theBillboard Mainstream Rock chart.[4]
Jones left New York for San Francisco where she befriendedRobin Williams. In Los Angeles, she recorded the EPGirl at Her Volcano, producing the record herself and drawing the cover art. It was released as a 10" record in 1983, featuring a mix of live and studio cover versions ofjazz andpop standards, as well as one Jones original, "Hey, Bub", which was originally written forPirates. Jones then relocated to Paris.[7]: 332
In 1983, Jones lived in Paris for four months, writing new material for her third full-length solo album,The Magazine, released in September 1984.The Magazine was produced by Jones andJames Newton Howard and included a three-song suite, subtitled "Rorschachs", which featured multi-tracked vocals and minimalist synth patterns.[23] The lead single, "The Real End", reached No. 82 on theBillboard Hot 100 in 1984.[4]
Jones took a four-year break from her recording schedule, largely attributed to the deaths of her mentor Bob Regher as well as her father, Richard Loris Jones, that same year.[24] During this period, she replacedShirley Jones for the role of the Fairy Godmother inFilmation's 1987 film,Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night, including a performance of the original song "Love is the Light Inside Your Heart".[25]
After a successful tour of Norway and Sweden, and then opening forRay Charles in Israel withMichael Lang managing her, she returned to the US, signed toGeffen Records byGary Gersh, who teamed her withSteely Dan'sWalter Becker for her long-awaited fourth album. In September 1988, the two of them began work onFlying Cowboys. The album was released in September 1989, and produced two hits: "Satellites", which hit No. 1 on the new Adult radio format; and "The Horses", co-written with Becker. The latter song was covered byKenny Loggins, and also featured in the movieJerry Maguire (1996). "The Horses" also became an Australian No. 1 hit single forDaryl Braithwaite when he covered it in 1991.[26]Flying Cowboys made the US Top 40, reaching No. 39 on theBillboard 200, with the college radio hit "Satellites" making it to No. 23 on theBillboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.[4] The album was certified Gold in 1997.[5]
Her 1988 collaboration withRob Wasserman,"Autumn Leaves" on his albumDuets, earned Jones aGrammy Award nomination forBest Jazz Vocal Performance, Female in1989.[2] Her duet withDr. John, a cover of "Makin' Whoopee", won her second Grammy Award in1990, this time in the category ofBest Jazz Vocal Collaboration.[2]
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Following a tour withLyle Lovett, Jones enlistedDavid Was to produce her first album of jazz covers. Her producer chose an innovative approach and she agreed, thus the Argentinian flavoredPop Pop, set the pace for what would become a habit with Jones - mixing styles of jazz and pop and not staying in one genre for a whole recording:Tin Pan Alley toJimi Hendrix. The album, released in September 1991, was a hit on theBillboard Contemporary Jazz Albums, peaking at No. 8, but became her least commercially successful record yet, reaching No. 121 on theBillboard 200.[4]
Soon after,The Orb issued "Little Fluffy Clouds", featuring asampled Jones interview. However, Jones' record company objected to the unauthorized use of her voice and pursued the issue in the court system. In 1992 she toured extensively withRob Wasserman, with whom she had collaborated in the mid-1980s.
Her swan song for Geffen Records wasTraffic from Paradise, released in September 1993. The album was slightly more successful than its predecessor, reaching No. 111 on theBillboard 200, and was notable for its collaboration withLeo Kottke, its musical diversity, and a cover ofDavid Bowie's "Rebel Rebel", which was originally planned to be the title track for the Oscar-winning filmBoys Don't Cry. Before his death, Bowie was quoted as saying that this version was his favorite cover of his work.
Throughout this period, her songs were featured in a number of films and television series, includingHouse M.D.,Thirtysomething,Frankie and Johnny,When a Man Loves a Woman,Jerry Maguire,Friends with Money and the French filmSubway.[27] Jones sang a duet withLyle Lovett on "North Dakota" for his 1992 albumJoshua Judges Ruth and has also sung on albums byJohn Mellencamp,Leo Kottke andArlo Guthrie.
Jones' first solo shows in 1994 paved the way for her acoustic albumNaked Songs, released in September 1995 through a one-off deal withReprise Records. The album, which reached No. 121 on theBillboard 200, featured acoustic re-workings of Jones classics and album material, but no new songs. The same year, Jones producedLeo Kottke'sPeculiaroso album.[28]
Emphasizing her experimentation and change, Jones embraced electronic music forGhostyhead, released on Reprise Records in June 1997. The album, a collaboration withRick Boston (both are credited with production and with twenty-one instruments in common), found Jones employing beats, loops, and electronic rhythms, and also showcased Jones' connection with thetrip hop movement of the mid-to-late 1990s. Despite critical acclaim, it did not meet with commercial success, peaking at No. 159 on theBillboard 200.[4]
Jones' second album of cover versions,It's Like This, was released on the independent record labelArtemis Records in September 2000. The album included cover versions of material by artists includingThe Beatles,Steely Dan,Marvin Gaye, and theGershwin brothers. It made it onto threeBillboard charts – No.148 on theBillboard 200, No. 10 on Top Internet Albums, and No. 42 on Top Independent Albums. The album also secured Jones another Grammy Award nomination forBest Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Her cover art design (shared with a staff artist but never credited to Jones) won numerous awards and is in the book Best Album Covers.
In November 2001, Artemis issued a release of archival material titledLive at Red Rocks with cover art by a young fan who had recently died in a swimming accident. Her parents brought her drawing of flying horses to one of Jones' shows in Oregon, and Jones used it for this live release.
AfterGhostyhead, Jones largely retired from public view, tending her garden and bringing up her teenage daughter Charlotte.[29]
Released on the independent labelV2 in October 2003,The Evening of My Best Day featured influences from jazz,Celtic folk, blues, R&B, rock, andgospel, and spawned a successful and lengthy spurt of touring. The album peaked at No. 189 on theBillboard 200.[4] She invited punk bass iconMike Watt (the Minutemen, Iggy Pop) to perform on "It Takes You There", while "Ugly Man" was a direct aim at theGeorge Bush 'regime' evoking, with an anthem-likeHugh Masekela arrangement, what she termed "theBlack Panther horns", and calling for "revolution, everywhere that you're not looking, revolution."[30]
Renewed interest in Jones led to the three-disc anthologyDuchess of Coolsville: An Anthology, released through reissue specialistsRhino in June 2005.[31] A lavish package designed by Lee Cantelon, the alphabetically arranged release featured album songs, live material, covers, and demos, and featured essays by Jones as well as various collaborators, as well as tributes from artists includingRandy Newman,Walter Becker,Quincy Jones, andTori Amos.[32]
Also in 2005, Jones was invited to take part in her boyfriend and collaborator Lee Cantelon's music version of his bookThe Words, a book of the words of Christ, set into simple chapters and themes. Cantelon's idea was to have various artists recite the text over primal rock music, but Jones elected to try something that had never been done, to improvise her own impression of the texts, melody and lyric, in stream of consciousness sessions, rather than read Jesus' words. The sessions were recorded at an artist's loft on Exposition Boulevard in Culver City. When Cantelon could no longer finish the project, Jones picked it up as her own record and hired Rob Schnaf to finish the production atSunset Sound in 2007, and the result wasThe Sermon on Exposition Boulevard, released on the independentNew West Records in February 2007. It included "Circle in the Sand", recorded for the soundtrack to the filmFriends with Money (2006), for which Jones also cut "Hillbilly Song".[32]The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard debuted at No. 158 on theBillboard 200 and No. 12 on the Top Independent Albums tally. Writer Ann Powers included this on her list of Grammy-worthy CDs for 2007.[33]
For her next project,Balm in Gilead (2009), Jones opted to finish half-written songs dating back as far as 1986 ("Wild Girl") as well as include new ones (the 2008-penned "The Gospel of Carlos, Norman and Smith", "Bonfires"). The album also included a new recording of "The Moon Is Made of Gold", a song written by her father Richard Loris Jones in 1954.Ben Harper,Victoria Williams,Jon Brion,Alison Krauss and the lateVic Chesnutt all made contributions to the album.[32]
In May 2010, Jones performed at theSydney Opera House as part of theVivid Live festival.[34] Jones also served as the narrator ofCam Archer's 2010 filmShit Year.[35]
On September 18, 2012, Jones releasedThe Devil You Know on Fantasy/Concord Records.[36]The Devil You Know includes a collection of covers produced by Ben Harper, including a solo version of "Sympathy for the Devil". Shortly afterward she left Los Angeles and moved to New Orleans.[37]
In 2015, Jones released her albumThe Other Side of Desire, and the single "Jimmy Choos" which references theshoe brand.[38] A documentary film,Rickie Lee Jones: The Other Side of Desire, on the making of the album, was also released.[39] It was her first album of all new original material sinceBalm in Gilead six years earlier.
In 2019, Jones released a single of the Paul Rodgers/Simon Kirke song, "Bad Company", followed by her albumKicks which included "Bad Company" and cover versions of many other songs. In June of that year, she played at theGlastonbury Festival.[40]
In 2021, Jones's memoirLast Chance Texaco: Chronicles of an American Troubadour was released by Grove Press.[7][41] Simon and Schuster bought the audio book rights.
In 2001, Jones was the organizer of the web community "Furniture for the People", which was founded by Jones to promote "peace and activism", and to act as a public forum. Members of the group engage in activities such asgardening,social activism,bootleg exchange andleft-wing politics.[42]
TheGrammy Awards are awarded annually byThe Recording Academy of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry. Often considered the highest music honor, the awards were established in 1958.[43] Jones has won two awards, from eight nominations.
| Year | Work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Rickie Lee Jones | Best New Artist | Won | [2] |
| "Chuck E.'s in Love" | Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female | Nominated | |||
| "The Last Chance Texaco" | Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female | Nominated | ||
| 1989 | "Autumn Leaves" | Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female | Nominated | |
| 1990 | "Makin' Whoopee"(withDr. John) | Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group | Won | |
| 2001 | It's Like This | Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album | Nominated | |
| 2024 | Pieces of Treasure | Nominated |
Studio albums[edit]
| Extended plays[edit]
Live albums[edit]
Compilation albums[edit]
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