Grace Jones

Grace Jones (born Grace Mendoza on May 19, 1952, in Spanish Town, Jamaica) is a fashion model, singer and actress.

Raised in Syracuse, New York, she found success in the 70s as a model, working in New York and Paris, before rising to public prominence as a singer and personality.

Daughter of a preacher father, her parents took Grace and her twin brother Bishop Noel Jones to relocate to Syracuse New York. Before becoming a successful model in Paris, Grace studied theatre at Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY. In February 1996, the Jamaica-born beauty was married to a bodyguard named Atila Altaunbay, who is 12 years her junior. Grace has a son named Apollo from her previous relationship with Jean-Paul Goude.

Musical career

Jones secured a record deal with Island Records, which resulted in a string of club hits and attracted a large gay following. The three disco albums she recorded - Portfolio (1977), Fame (1978), and Muse (1979) - generated dance singles such as "Sorry"/"That's The Trouble," "I Need A Man," and a classic cover of Édith Piaf's "La Vie En Rose." During this period, she also became a muse to Andy Warhol, appearing in his portraits and accompanying him to Studio 54 on many occasions.

As the 70s drew to a close, Jones adapted the emerging New Wave music to suit a different style, a significant departure from her previous output that resulted in some of her most successful work. 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, and Tom Petty, as well as originals like the Billboard Top 20 single "Pull Up To The Bumper" and "I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)."

Parallel to her musical shift was an equally dramatic visual makeover, created in partnership with stylist Jean-Paul Goude, whom she eventually married and by 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 exemplified this new identity. To this day, Jones is known for her unique look atleast as much as she is for her music. Her collaboration with Sadkin and Blackwell continued with the dub reggae-influenced album Living My Life, which featured "Nipple To The Bottle," "The Apple Stretching," and the Jones-penned and much-sampled "My Jamaican Guy."

Later in the 80s, she worked with Trevor Horn for the conceptual musical collage Slave to the Rhythm (1985), and with Nile Rodgers for Inside Story (1986) - her first album away from the Island label. The well-received Slave to the Rhythm was an album that consisted of several remixes of the title track. Inside Story produced her last US Hot 100 hit to date, "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect For You),". Bulletproof Heart in 1989 produced the #1 US club hit "Love on Top of Love - Killer Kiss," produced by C+C Music Factory's David Cole and Robert Clivilles. Although she never became a truly mainstream recording artist, much of her musical output was popular on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Chart and many of her songs are regarded as classics to this day.

Although Grace Jones was one-of-a-kind, her dominant, mascular attire and manner was a clear influence on the "power dressing" movement of the 1980s, and on musical artists such as Annie Lennox of Eurythmics. She would also exemplify the "box" haircut style in the 70's, which would be worn by many Black men all over America throughout much of the next decade, notably Larry Blackmon of the funk group Cameo. For a brief time she was one of a few entertainers who could balance a recording and acting career simultaneously, and indeed her film roles and modelling work often overshadowed her musical output. Her strong visual presence extended to her stage work. Her performances were unique spectacles; she adopted various personas and wore outlandish costumes, particularly during her years with Goude. One memorable performance was at the Paradise Garage in 1985, wherein she collaborated with legendary visual artist Keith Haring for her costume. Haring also painted her body for the video to "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You)."

Grace Jones was no stranger to controversy. In 1981 Grace Jones slapped chat show host Russell Harty across the face live on air after he turned to interview other guests. This later topped a 2006 BBC poll of most shocking TV chat show moments. She was featured in the September 1987 issue of Playboy magazine with Dolph Lundgren. In April 2005, she was escorted off a train by British police after a row with a female ticket inspector.

Grace Jones still performs. In November of 2004, she performed her hit "Slave to the Rhythm" at a tribute concert for Trevor Horn at Wembley arena. She received rave reviews, despite being absent in the music scene for some time. In February 2006, Grace was the celebrity runway model for Diesel's show in New York. She strutted the runway, with her own fierce attitude and style. Since that appearance, rumours have circulated of a comeback.

Film career

Jones' work as an actress in mainstream film first began with the role of Zula, the amazon in the 1984 film Conan the Destroyer alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain. Previous to this she appeared in low-budget films, often with sexually explicit content. She next landed the role of May Day, in the 1985 James Bond movie A View to a Kill. Jones was regarded by some critics as the best thing about the otherwise-panned film (particularly when May Day surprised Bond by flipping him over in bed during a "love" sequence, insisting on taking the top role.) She appeared in a number of motion pictures including the 1986 vampire film, Vamp as well as the Eddie Murphy film Boomerang in 1992. She also appeared in an episode of the Beastmaster television series as the Impatra Warrior.

The voice

While some critics have suggested that Jones "speak-sings" often in her songs, she actually possesses a 2.5 octave range. Her natural baritone is used on songs like "Slave To The Rhythm," while she is able to hit high notes on "La Vie En Rose". The stylized "speak-sing" (also known as sprechstimme) in general has been compared to an ancient singing technique which for centuries has been a part of some African cultures. It is also the singing style of famed Dire Straits frontman, Mark Knopfler. Many of her recordings feature a monotone vocal style, as this fits her visual appearance, though Jones is a capable singer as she proved in the jazz number "Victor Should Have Been A Jazz Musician" from the album "Inside Story".

She had a significant voice part in Arcadia's 1985 song and video, "Election Day", from the album, So Red the Rose.

Discography

Albums

Portfolio (Island) 1977
Fame (Island) 1978
Muse (Island) 1979
Warm Leatherette (Island) 1980, US Dance chart #20
Nightclubbing (Island) 1981
Living My Life (Island) 1982
Island Life (Island) 1985 - compilation
Slave to the Rhythm (Manhattan/Island) 1985
Inside Story (Manhattan) 1986
Bulletproof Heart (Capitol) 1989
Island Life 2 (Universal International) 1996 - compilation
Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions (Island) 1998 - compilation
20th Century Masters-The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Grace Jones (Island) 2003 - compilation
Universal Masters Collection (Universal) 2003 - compilation
The Collection (Spectrum) 2004 - compilation
Fame / Muse (No Label) 2005 - 2 Rare Albums On Single CD!
The Grace Jones Story (Island Cat # 9833286) 2006 - Compilation

Singles

Sorry 1976, Hot 100 #71, US Dance chart #7
That's The Trouble 1976, Hot 100 #71, US Dance chart #7
I Need A Man 1977, Hot 100 #83, US Dance chart #1
La Vie En Rose 1977, US Dance chart #10
Do Or Die 1978, US Dance chart #3
Comme Un Oiseau Qui S'envole 1978
Fame 1978, US Dance chart #3
On Your Knees 1979, US Dance chart #28
Private Life 1980
She's Lost Control 1980
Warm Leatherette 1980
A Rolling Stone 1980
Breakdown 1980
Love Is The Drug 1980
Pars 1980
The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game 1980
Pull Up To The Bumper 1981, US Dance chart #2
Feel Up 1981
Demolition Man 1981
I've Seen That Face Before 1981
Use Me 1981
Walking In The Rain 1981
My Jamaican Guy 1982
Nipple To The Bottle 1982, US Dance chart #2
The Apple Stretching 1982
Cry Now, Laugh Later 1983, US Dance chart #33
Living My Life 1983
Slave To The Rhythm 1985, US Dance chart #1
Jones The Rhythm 1985
I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect For You) 1986, Hot 100 #69, US Dance chart #4
Party Girl 1986, US Dance chart #19
Victor Should Have Been A Jazz Musician 1986
Crush 1986, US Dance chart #32
Election Day 1986, Arcadia, Billboard top 100, Grace does Bridge at (3:00)
Love On Top Of Love / Killer Kiss 1989, US Dance chart #1
Amado Mio 1990, US Dance chart #11
7 Day Weekend 1992
Sex Drive 1993, US Dance chart #1
Evilmainya 1993
Slave To The Rhythm 1994, 2 original + 8 new remixes
Love Bites 1996
Storm 1998
Pull Up To The Bumper 2000 remix by Funkstar De Luxe, US Dance chart #4

Filmography

Gordon's War (1973)
Let's Make a Dirty Movie (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)
Boomerang (1992)
Cyber Bandits (1995)
McCinsey's Island (1998)
Palmer's Pick Up (1999)
The Last Great Warrior (2001)
Blood Moon/ Wolf Girl (2001)

External links