Jack Jones (American singer)

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Jack Jones
Jack Jones 1999.jpg
Jones in 1998
Background information
Birth nameJohn Allan Jones
Born (1938-01-14) January 14, 1938 (age 86)
Hollywood, California, U.S. [1]
Genres Traditional pop, jazz, big band
Occupation(s)Singer, actor
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1959–present
Labels Capitol, Kapp, RCA Victor, MGM

John Allan Jones (born January 14, 1938) is an American singer [2] and actor.

Contents

Jones is primarily a straight-pop singer (even when he recorded contemporary material) whose forays into jazz are mostly of the big-band/swing variety. He has won two Grammy Awards [2] and has received a total of five nominations. [3]

Jones continues to perform concerts around the world and remains popular in Las Vegas. His recordings include "Lollipops and Roses", "Wives and Lovers", "The Race Is On", "The Impossible Dream" and "Call Me Irresponsible". He also sang the opening themes for television series The Love Boat and the 1968 film Anzio ("This World Is Yours").

Musical career

Early years and Capitol Records

Jones was born in Hollywood on the night his father Allan Jones recorded his signature song "The Donkey Serenade", resulting in the younger Jones' assertion that he was "practically born in a trunk." [4] He attended University High School in West Los Angeles and studied drama and singing. [5]

His first professional break was with his father, who was performing at the Thunderbird Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. He recorded several demos for songwriter Don Raye, attracting attention from the music industry. In 1959, Jones was signed to Capitol Records and released the album This Love of Mine and a few singles. [5]

Kapp years

While performing at a San Francisco nightclub, Jones was heard by Pete King, a producer and artist for Kapp Records, who quickly signed him to the label. [5] In August 1961, he recorded the ballad "Lollipops and Roses", which became a hit the following year. [6] Jones' biggest pop hit was "Wives and Lovers", written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. [6]

During the Kapp years, Jones recorded nearly twenty albums, including Shall We Dance, This Was My Love, She Loves Me, Call Me Irresponsible, Bewitched, Wives and Lovers, Dear Heart, Where Love Has Gone, The Jack Jones Christmas Album, My Kind of Town, The Impossible Dream, The In Crowd, Jack Jones Sings , Lady, Our Song, and I've Got a Lot of Living to Do!

Jones was an anomaly in the 1960s pop scene, eschewing rock-and-roll trends and opting for the big band sound, lush romantic ballads, and the Great American Songbook, although sometimes he recorded something more pop-, country-, or bossa nova-oriented.[ citation needed ]

For example, one of his biggest hits was "The Race Is On" by country musician George Jones (no relation). Besides the choice of material, he worked with such arrangers as Billy May, Nelson Riddle, Marty Paich, Shorty Rogers, Jack Elliott, Ralph Carmichael, Bob Florence, and Don Costa.[ citation needed ]

RCA Victor and MGM years

Jones moved from Kapp (London Records in the UK) to RCA Victor in 1967. [6] His first album for the label was Without Her. [6] The following releases If You Ever Leave Me, L.A. Break Down, and Where Is Love were in roughly the same style of the Kapp records, but with a somewhat more contemporary vocal styling.

A Time for Us (1970) was one of the albums which marked his transition toward a more middle-of-the-road sound. He began recording more contemporary material, including covers of such well-known songwriters as Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson, Carole King, Paul Williams, Richard Carpenter, Gordon Lightfoot, and Gilbert O'Sullivan. [6]

Jones in the 1970s Jack Jones 1960s publicity photo.png
Jones in the 1970s

The album Bread Winners (1972) was a tribute to the band Bread, with eight songs written by David Gates and two by Jimmy Griffin and Robb Royer. Two more albums from this period were dedicated to two French songwriters: Jack Jones Sings Michel Legrand (to Michel Legrand, 1971) and Write Me a Love Song, Charlie, featuring songs by Charles Aznavour (1974).

The Full Life (1977) was produced by Jones and Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys; on this album, Jones recorded the Beach Boys classics "God Only Knows" and "Disney Girls". His last LP for RCA was With One More Look at You (1977), which includes a rendition of the Little Feat hit "Dixie Chicken"; [7] this performance later resurfaced on Golden Throats 2: More Celebrity Rock Oddities . [8] In 1979 he moved to MGM Records, recording the album Nobody Does It Better, which featured a disco version of "The Love Boat", the opening theme from the TV series of the same name, and his Grammy winner "Wives and Lovers". His second (and, due to its subsequent closure, his last) MGM album, Don't Stop Now, featured duets with Maureen McGovern.

1980–present

Since 1980 he has recorded few albums and now performs in various concert arenas and occasionally appears on the supper-club circuit. He released the album Live at the London Palladium in 1995, recorded in London on the Emporio label. Jones has received recognition in Japan, where many of his earlier records were released on CD. In 1982 he recorded an album for Applause Records, covering songs by The Beatles, Billy Joel, and Eagles.

Jones released I Am a Singer in 1987 for USA Records, and in 1992 he recorded The Gershwin Album for Sony Music, with songs written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. In 1997 came New Jack Swing (Honest Entertainment), with big-band treatments of old standards and assorted pop/rock songs. 1999 saw the release of Jack Jones Paints a Tribute to Tony Bennett (Honest Entertainment), which was nominated for Grammy Awards for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance and Record of the Year.

In March 2008, Jones celebrated his 70th birthday and a half-century in show business with a concert at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Springs. Guests included Patti Austin, Alan Bergman, and Marilyn Bergman. In 2010 he recorded an album focusing on the Bergmans' work called Love Makes the Changes. He also released an album featuring new recordings of some of his original hits, titled Love Ballad. In 2015 Jones released Seriously Frank (Celebrating the 100th Birthday of Frank Sinatra), with an orchestra arranged and conducted by Patrick Williams, with Dave Grusin on piano. The release was followed by a tour with dates in Los Angeles and the United Kingdom in 2016. [9] Jones commenced his 80th Birthday Celebration Tour in 2018. [10]

Film, television and theatre

Jones made his film debut in Juke Box Rhythm (1959) playing Riff Manton, a young singer who is involved romantically with a princess (Jo Morrow). [6] He sings three songs in the film. Jones acted in such minor films as The Comeback (1978), Condominium (1980), and Cruise of the Gods (2002). He had a humorous cameo in the film parody Airplane II: The Sequel (1982); as Robert Hays' character avoids searchlights while escaping captivity, the beams become a spotlight on Jones, performing a verse from The Love Boat theme. [6]

He became a staple on 1960s and 1970s variety shows, performing on The Dinah Shore Chevy Show , The Ed Sullivan Show , The Andy Williams Show , The Dick Cavett Show , The Hollywood Palace , The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour , The Carol Burnett Show , The Jerry Lewis Show , American Bandstand , This is Tom Jones , The Dean Martin Show , The Judy Garland Show , Playboy After Dark , The Jack Benny Program , The Steve Allen Show , and The Morecambe and Wise Show in Britain.[ citation needed ]

Jones twice hosted NBC's top-rated rock and roll series Hullabaloo , and was featured in two prime-time specials, Jack Jones on the Move (1966) and The Jack Jones Special (1974). He also appeared on the Password (American game show) TV game show with Carol Lynley in 1964 and multiple times with Joan Fontaine in 1967.

Jones provided the vocals to the theme song of Funny Face , "The Kind of Girl She Is". When the show returned as The Sandy Duncan Show, he was replaced by a chorus of unknown men and women. He also guest-starred in the 1960s series The Rat Patrol , Police Woman , McMillan & Wife , The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries , $weepstake$ , Match Game , and Night Court .[ citation needed ]

Jones played himself in the episode "The Vegas Show" of It's a Living . He sang the opening theme for the television series The Love Boat from 1977 through 1985, and also made several guest appearances on the show, including one with his father Allan.[ citation needed ]

He promoted the Chrysler New Yorker automobile in the mid-1970s with the "It's the Talk of the Town" ad campaign. On October 30, 1972, he appeared as a guest singer at the London Palladium in front of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.[ citation needed ]

Between 1973 and 1978, Jones hosted The Jack Jones Show series, directed by Stanley Dorfman and made and broadcast by the BBC.

In 1990, Jones recorded "Three Coins in the Fountain", which was used in the film Coins in the Fountain that year. He also appeared in the Chris Elliot television show Get a Life on Fox.

In the 2000s–2010s, Jones was active in musical theater, appearing in Guys and Dolls , South Pacific , and others. During this period he embarked upon a national tour performing Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha .

In 2013, Jones appeared as himself as the nightclub singer in the film American Hustle . In 2014, he sang several of the songs, including the theme song, for the Cartoon Network miniseries Over the Garden Wall . [11] [ better source needed ]

Honors

Jones is a two-time Grammy award winner.

In 2003, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to Jones. [12]

Personal life

Jones is the son of actor and singer Allan Jones and actress Irene Hervey. [6] He has been married six times. In the second half of the 1960s, Jones had a well-publicized relationship with actress Jill St. John, and the two were briefly married. In the early 1970s, Jones married Gretchen Roberts. Subsequently, he was linked romantically to Susan George. From 1976 to 1982, he was married to Kathy Simmons. From 1982 to 2005, he was married to British-born Kim Ely, and they had a daughter, Nicole (born in 1991). Jones has another daughter, Crystal Thomas, from a former marriage to Lee Fuller. He lives with wife Eleonora in Indian Wells, California. [13]

Discography

Singles

YearSingleChart positions
US CB US – AC
1962"Lollipops and Roses"66426
"Gift of Love"-108-
"Poetry"-110-
1963"Call Me Irresponsible"7562-
"Wives and Lovers"14129
"Toys in the Attic"92115-
1964"Love with the Proper Stranger"625917
"The First Night of the Full Moon"596212
"Where Love Has Gone"626912
"Dear Heart"30156
1965"The Race Is On"15121
"Seein' the Right Love Go Wrong"46419
"Travellin' On"132--
"Just Yesterday"73835
"The True Picture"13410927
"Love Bug"71565
1966"The Weekend"12310020
"The Impossible Dream (The Quest)"35321
"A Day in the Life of a Fool"62554
1967"Lady"39341
"I'm Indestructible"8184-
"Afterthoughts"--19
"Now I Know"73743
"Our Song"927613
"Open for Business as Usual"13010426
"Live for Life"99-9
"Oh How Much I Love You"-129-
1968"The Gypsies, the Jugglers and the Clowns"-134-
"If You Ever Leave Me"92-5
"Follow Me"117-20
"I Really Want to Know You"--15
"The Way That I Live"--33
"L.A. Break Down (and Take Me In)"106-21
1970"Sweet Changes"--24
"I Didn't Count on Love"--38
1971"Let Me Be the One"--18
1972"Games of Magic"---
1974"She Doesn't Live Here Anymore"--45
1975"What I Did for Love"--25
1977"With One More Look at You"--21
1980"Love Boat Theme"--37

Awards

YearAward Giving BodyCategoryNominated WorkResults
1961 Grammy Awards Best Male Pop Vocal Performance"Wives and Lovers"Won
1963 Grammy Awards Best Male Pop Vocal Performance"Lollipops and Roses"Won
1969 Awit Awards Male Recording Artist of the Year (Foreign Division)—Won

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References

  1. ↑ Sullivan, Steve (2017). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings. Vol. 3. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 399. ISBN   978-1-442-25449-7.
  2. 1 2 Bush, John. "Jack Jones's biography". AllMusic . Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Jack Jones | Artist | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Jack Jones". Metacritic. February 14, 1990. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 "The official Jack Jones website". Jackjones.lolipop.jp. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 684/5. ISBN   1-85227-745-9.
  7. ↑ "Luigi's 50's & 60's Vinyl Corner". Luigis50s60svinylcorner.blogspot.com. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  8. ↑ Callahan, Mike; Edwards, David; Eyries, Patrice (July 25, 2004). "Rhino Album Discography, Part 11". Both Sides Now Publications. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  9. ↑ Hutchinson, Martin (January 25, 2016). "Keeping up with the Joneses at The Apex, Bury St Edmunds". Ipswich Star .
  10. ↑ "Music: Jack Jones celebrates his 80th birthday and heads to Sage Gateshead". The Northern Echo . Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Into the Unknown (Theme Song) - Songs of the Series - Over The Garden Wall - Cartoon Network". YouTube . Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Palm Springs Walk of Stars by date dedicated" (PDF). Palmspringswalkofstars.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 8, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  13. ↑ Biller, Steven; Kleinschmidt, Janice (October 2007). "The Influencers". Palm Springs Life. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  14. ↑ Billboard. November 2, 1968. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
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