Etta Jones

Etta Jones

born on 25/11/1928 in Aiken, SC, United States

died on 16/10/2001 in Mount Vernon, NY, United States

Etta Jones

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Etta Jones (November 25, 1928 – October 16, 2001) was an American jazz singer.[1] Her best-known recordings were "Don't Go to Strangers" and "Save Your Love for Me". She worked with Buddy Johnson, Oliver Nelson, Earl Hines, Barney Bigard, Kenny Burrell, Milt Jackson, Cedar Walton, and Houston Person.[2]

Biography

Jones was born in Aiken, South Carolina, United States,[1] and raised in Harlem, New York. Still in her teens, she joined Buddy Johnson's band for a nationwide tour although she was not featured on record. Her first recordings—"Salty Papa Blues", "Evil Gal Blues", "Blow Top Blues", and "Long, Long Journey"—were produced by Leonard Feather in 1944, placing her in the company of clarinetist Barney Bigard and tenor saxophonist Georgie Auld.[1] In 1947, she recorded and released an early cover version of Leon Rene's "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" (previously released by the Basin Street Boys on Rene's Exclusive label) while at RCA Victor Records.[3] She performed with the Earl Hines sextet from 1949 to 1952.[4]

She had three Grammy nominations, for the Don't Go to Strangers album in 1960, the Save Your Love for Me album in 1981, and My Buddy (dedicated to her first employer, Buddy Johnson) in 1998. In 2008 the album Don't Go to Strangers was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[5]

Following her recordings for Prestige, on which Jones was featured with high-profile arrangers such as Oliver Nelson and jazz stars such as Frank Wess, Roy Haynes, and Gene Ammons, she had a musical partnership of more than thirty years with tenor saxophonist Houston Person, who received equal billing with her. He also produced her albums and served as her manager, after the pair met in one of Johnny "Hammond" Smith's bands.

Although Etta Jones is likely to be remembered above all for her recordings on Prestige, her close professional relationship with Person (frequently, but mistakenly, identified as Jones' husband) helped ensure that the last two decades of her life would be marked by uncommon productivity, as evidenced by a string of albums for Muse Records. In 1996 she recorded The Melody Lingers On, the first of five sessions for the HighNote label.

Her last recording, a tribute to Billie Holiday, was released on the day of Jones' death. Only one of her recordings—her debut album for Prestige Records (Don't Go to Strangers, 1960)—enjoyed commercial success with sales of over a million copies. Her remaining seven albums for Prestige and, beginning in 1976, her twelve recordings for Muse Records, and seven recordings for HighNote Records secured her a devoted following.[1]

She died in Mount Vernon, New York, at the age of 72 from cancer.[2] She was survived by her husband, John Medlock, and a granddaughter.

Discography

  • The Jones Girl... Etta... Sings, Sings, Sings (King 554, 1957; reissued as Etta Sings, King 707, 1960)
  • Don't Go to Strangers (Prestige, 1960)
  • Something Nice (Prestige, 1960–61 [rel. 1961])
  • So Warm (Prestige, 1961)
  • From the Heart (Prestige, 1962)
  • Lonely and Blue (Prestige, 1962)
  • Love Shout (Prestige, 1962–63 [rel. 1963])
  • Hollar! (Prestige, 1960-62 [rel. 1963])
  • Jonah Jones Swings, Etta Jones Sings (Crown, 1964) – with Earl "Fatha" Hines
  • Etta Jones Sings (Roulette, 1965) – with Junior Mance, Kenny Burrell
  • Etta Jones '75 (Westbound/20th Century, 1975) – with Houston Person
  • Ms. Jones to You (Muse, 1976)
  • My Mother's Eyes (Muse, 1977)
  • If You Could See Me Now (Muse, 1978)
  • Save Your Love for Me (Muse, 1980)
  • Love Me with All Your Heart (Muse, 1984)
  • Fine and Mellow (Muse, 1986)
  • I'll Be Seeing You (Muse, 1987)
  • Sugar (Muse, 1989)
  • Christmas with Etta Jones (Muse, 1990)
  • Reverse the Charges (Muse, 1992)
  • My Gentleman Friend (Muse, 1994 [rel. 1996]) – with Benny Green
  • At Last (Muse, 1995)
  • The Melody Lingers On (HighNote, 1996)
  • My Buddy: Etta Jones Sings the Songs of Buddy Johnson (HighNote, 1997)
  • All The Way (HighNote, 1999)
  • Easy Living (HighNote, 2000)
  • Together at Christmas (HighNote, 2000) – with Houston Person
  • The Way We Were: Live in Concert (HighNote, 2000 [rel. 2011]) – with Houston Person
  • Etta Jones Sings Lady Day (HighNote, 2001)
  • A Night In Roppongi (Live In Japan) (Absord [Japan], 2004) – with Houston Person
  • Don't Misunderstand: Live In New York (HighNote, 1980 [rel. 2007] – with Houston Person

Compilations

  • The Chronological Etta Jones 1944–1947 (Classics 1065, 1999) – note: includes Etta's early recordings for Black & White, Chicago, National, and RCA Victor.
  • Greatest Hits (Prestige, 1965)
  • Doin' What She Does Best [compilation of Muse material] (32 Jazz, 1998)
  • The Best of Etta Jones: The Prestige Singles (Prestige, 2002)
  • Always In Our Hearts: Etta Jones As We Loved Her (HighNote, 2004)

Guest appearances

With Gene Ammons

  • Soul Summit Vol. 2 (Prestige, 1962 [rel. 1963])

With Houston Person

  • The Real Thing (Eastbound, 1973)

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Biography by Scott Yanow". Allmusic.com. Retrieved September 3, 2011. 
  2. ^ a b Thedeadrockstarsclub.com - accessed September 2011
  3. ^ Jones, Etta, "1944-1947" Classics (France) CD
  4. ^ Dahl, Linda, Stormy Weather: The Music and Lives of a Century of Jazzwomen, Limelight Editions, 1989, p. 291.
  5. ^ 2008 Grammy Hall of Fame List Archived June 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.

External links

  • Etta Jones at Find a Grave
  • Etta Jones at AllMusic
This page was last modified 14.06.2018 21:04:26

This article uses material from the article Etta Jones from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.