Gloria Jones

Gloria Jones Richetta (* October 19, 1945 in Cincinnati ) is an American singer and composer who wrote under the pseudonym temporarily LaVerne goods. In 1965 she published the northern soul song Tainted Love. She has a son with the 1977 fatalities glam rock star Marc Bolan.

Life and work

Gloria Jones was born in 1945 as the daughter of a minister of the Pentecostal movement in Cincinnati, Ohio. They came early into contact with music, learned piano at age seven and accompanied it with ten years of the church choir of her father. Her brother Richard Davis Jones (1947-2001) was musical, he was also a musician and music producer.

Later the family moved to Los Angeles. There, Jones continued her education. At the same time she became a member of the Andraé Crouch founded in 1960 gospel group COGICS, also included his sister Sandra Crouch and Enda Wright, Sondra Williams ( Blinky ), Frankie Karl (future Motown songwriter ) and Billy Preston on the organ to the. The group has performed in churches in Los Angeles and released in 1965 the album It's a Blessing.

Motown producer Hal Davis (1933-1998) heard the COGICS and then made Jones with songwriter Ed Cobb (ca. 1938-1999 ) is known. Cobb had produced with Billy Preston the instrumental heartbeat, for which he was still looking for a singer. In addition, he recorded the song Tainted Love written by him with Jones. These first two singles from Jones - both assigned to the Northern Soul Genre - had at their appearance in 1965 but no success. Only at the beginning of the 1970s they were often placed in the British club scene. From Tainted Love emerged in the following decades, numerous cover versions, including the published 1981 eponymous Soft Cell hits. In 1966 Jones ' first album, Come Go With Me by the label Uptown with Heartbeat and other Soul - pieces.

After that, Jones worked as a background singer for artists such as Phil Spector and Bob Dylan. She appeared in the musical Hair in Los Angeles. After meeting with Pam Sawyer she began to write songs for Motown Records and collaborated with, among others, The Four Tops, The Commodores, The Jackson 5, and Gladys Knight & the Pips. At this time, they already had a young son.

In 1973, Jones her second solo album Share My Love for Motown out. In addition to Soul to find out the elements of the early disco sounds. The album was reissued in 2009 by Reel Music with a bonus track.

After Jones was able to achieve no more than regional success as a singer in the United States, she went to Britain, where the demand for Northern Soul was bigger. In 1974 she became a background singer and clavinet player in the band T. Rex. She and band founder Marc Bolan, who lived separately from his wife, began a relationship. On September 26, 1975, their son Rolan Bolan Seymour came field to the world. Jones influenced Marc Bolans music towards soul and dance, while Bolan helped them to new album Vixen ( 1976). Both were involved in it as a songwriter and producer.

On September 16, 1977 Jones Marc Bolan brought after visiting a restaurant in Mayfair back to his home in Richmond. They lost in Barnes in control of her car and drove into a tree. Bolan died instantly, while Jones broke his jaw and suffered a shock. After her recovery, Jones returned to the United States. ( Been eating wine was drunk ) a court summons to London because of driving a car in fahruntüchtigem state they did not come.

Jones then lived with her son Rolan in Los Angeles. Since she had not been married to Bolan, you stand very little money to spend. The family, however, was financially supported by Bolans friend and Rolans godfather David Bowie.

As a result of the accident, Jones ' voice had lost Intensitität and strength. In 1978, at Capital Records her disco album Windstorm, from which several singles were released. Producer of the album was her brother Richard Jones. In 1982 the album Reunited with AVI Records, which Jones had taken up in collaboration with Ed Cobb. Then appeared from her only compilation albums.

Jones married Chris Mitchell, who works in the sales of a record company. In 1995 she went to South Africa, where they founded an HIV charity. Then they moved to Sierra Leone and opened the Marc Bolan School Of Music And Film, an orphanage that works with music as a means of therapy for traumatized children in Makeni. Jones sings no longer itself, but supports the music career of her son Rolan.

2013 Gloria Jones starred in the Academy Award-winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom, which documents the lives of accompanying singers.

Discography

Solo albums

Singles ( selection)

Compositions (selection )

Gloria Jones has composed the following songs for other artists ( mainly as a co- songwriter with Pam Sawyer ):