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Jimmy Jones
Jones in the 1960s
Background information
Birth name	James Jones
Born	(1930-06-02)June 2, 1930 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Died	August 2, 2012(2012-08-02) (aged 82) Aberdeen, North Carolina, U.S.
Genres	Pop Rock and roll R&B
Occupation	Singer
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	1954–2012
Labels	Cub, Ro-Jac, Vee-Jay, Roulette, Parkway, Bell (US) MGM (UK)

James Jones (June 2, 1930 – August 2, 2012) was an American singer-songwriter who moved to New York City while a teenager. According to Allmusic journalist Steve Huey, "best known for his 1960 R&B smash 'Handy Man', Jones sang in a smooth yet soulful falsetto modeled on the likes of Clyde McPhatter and Sam Cooke."

Career

Jones was born in Birmingham, Alabama. His first job in the entertainment industry was as a tap dancer. He joined a doo-wop group named the Berliners in 1954. They later changed their name to Sparks of Rhythm. In 1955 Jones co-wrote "Handy Man", which was recorded by the Sparks of Rhythm in 1956 (after Jones left the group). After recording with other groups, Jones went solo and, in 1959, teamed up with Otis Blackwell who reworked "Handy Man" which Jones recorded on the MGM subsidiary Cub Records. When the flute player did not show up for the session, Blackwell famously whistled on the recording. "Handy Man", released in 1959, gave Jones his first US and UK hit single. It went to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960, and peaked at No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart. It introduced a rock falsetto singing style to the British audience and later scored hits for Del Shannon and James Taylor. A few months later in 1960, Jones' recording of "Good Timin'" climbed to No. 1 in the UK and No. 3 in the US. Both "Handy Man" and "Good Timin'" were million sellers, earning Jones two gold discs.

Although Jones had only the two million-selling Top 40 hits, he nevertheless kept active in the music industry as both a songwriter and recording artist and made personal appearances as he saw fit. Jones' subsequent career was low key, although it included three more UK chart entries in the following 12 months. Jones remained with Cub until 1962, and then recorded for the next decade for a variety of labels, including Bell, Parkway, Roulette, and Vee-Jay.

Del Shannon cited Jones and Bill Kenny as influences on his falsetto style. Later singers who used falsetto included Frankie Valli of the Four Seasons, Lou Christie, Robert John, Jimmy Somerville, and Barry Gibb. Gibb cited Shannon, in turn, as an influence for his disco vocalizations with the Bee Gees. Jones released Grandma's Rock & Roll Party in the 1990s on CD, perhaps, in part due to his popularity in the UK Northern soul circles. It included new versions of "Handy Man" and "Good Timin'". Castle/Sanctuary released a double album titled Good Timin': The Anthology in 2002.

Death

Jones died in Aberdeen, North Carolina on August 2, 2012. He was 82.

Discography

Singles

References

1. Sources vary as to his year of birth. In the liner notes of the two-CD set Good Timin, it is said to be 1942. Writer Christopher G. Feldman, gives 1937. Joel Whitburn's "Record Research" in the 12th Edition (2009) also gave 1937; however it was changed to 1930 in the 14th Edition (2012) after Jones' death. The obituary in the Aberdeen Times, quoted in Cashbox, and in The Telegraph (see note at death) gives 1930.
2. ^ "Biography by Steve Huey". Allmusic.com. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
3. Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 52. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
4. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 289. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
5. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 125. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
6. "Jimmy Jones". The Telegraph. August 6, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
7. Tom Embrey (August 8, 2012). "Jimmy Jones Remembered: We All Listened to What He Was Putting Down". The Pilot. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
8. "CHUM Hit Parade results". Archived from the original on July 21, 2006. Retrieved July 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

External links

• Jimmy Jones at IMDb
• Jimmy Jones discography at Discogs

• 1930 births
• 2012 deaths
• American male pop singers
• American soul musicians
• American tap dancers
• Songwriters from Alabama
• Singers from Birmingham, Alabama
• MGM Records artists
• Cub Records artists
• Vee-Jay Records artists
• Bell Records artists
• African-American male songwriters
• 20th-century African-American male singers
• 20th-century American male singers
• 20th-century American singers