Grace Jones

This article is about the singer and actress. For other meanings, see Grace Jones (disambiguation).

The Honourable
Grace Jones
OJ
Jones in performance, 2015
Born
Grace Beverly Jones

(1948-05-19) 19 May 1948 (age 76)
Spanish Town, Saint Catherine, Crown Colony of Jamaica
Other namesGrace Mendoza
Citizenship
  • Jamaica
  • United States[1]
Alma materOnondaga Community College
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • model
  • actress
Years active1973–present
WorksDiscography
Spouse
Atila Altaunbay
​
​
(m. 1996; div. 2004)​
Children1
RelativesNoel Jones (brother)
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Labels
Websitewww.gracejones.com

Grace Beverly Jones OJ (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress.[13] Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves St. Laurent and Kenzo, and appearing on the covers of Elle and Vogue. She notably worked with photographers such as Jean-Paul Goude, Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin, and Hans Feurer, and became known for her distinctive androgynous appearance and bold features.

Beginning in 1977, Jones embarked on a music career, securing a record deal with Island Records and initially becoming a high-profile figure of New York City's Studio 54-centered disco scene. In the early 1980s, she moved toward a new wave style that drew on reggae, funk, post-punk, and pop music, frequently collaborating with both the graphic designer Jean-Paul Goude and the musical duo Sly & Robbie. She scored Top 40 entries on the UK Singles Chart with "Private Life", "Pull Up to the Bumper", "I've Seen That Face Before", and "Slave to the Rhythm". In 1982, she released the music video collection A One Man Show, directed by Goude, which earned her a nomination for Best Video Album at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards. Her most popular albums include Warm Leatherette (1980), Nightclubbing (1981), and Slave to the Rhythm (1985).

As an actress, Jones appeared in several indie films prior to landing her first mainstream appearance as Zula in the fantasy-action film Conan the Destroyer (1984) alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sarah Douglas, and subsequently appeared in the James Bond movie A View to a Kill (1985) as May Day, and starred as a vampire in Vamp (1986); all of which earned her nominations for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1992, Jones acted in the Eddie Murphy film Boomerang, and contributed to the soundtrack. She also appeared alongside Tim Curry in the 2001 film Wolf Girl.

Jones was ranked 82nd on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll (1999). In 2008, she was honored with a Q Idol Award. Jones influenced the cross-dressing movement of the 1980s and has been cited as an inspiration for multiple artists, including Annie Lennox, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Solange, Lorde, Róisín Murphy, Brazilian Girls, Nile Rodgers, Santigold, and Basement Jaxx. In 2016, Billboard ranked her as the 40th greatest dance club artist of all time.[12]

  1. ^ Ganatra, Shilpa (28 October 2016). "Grace Jones: 'Carry yourself with class'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 November 2023. I don't spend much time in the States even though I have a place in New York and am a US citizen...
  2. ^ Jones, Daisy (2 August 2018). "The Guide to Getting Into Grace Jones". Retrieved 27 February 2020. Jamaican born R&B singer Grace Jones
  3. ^ Gardner, Abigail (2016). 'Rock On': Women, Ageing and Popular Music. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-138-26141-9. R&B singer Grace Jones who later branched out into disco, reggae and rock.
  4. ^ a b "Grace Jones". Biography.com. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  5. ^ a b Katz, Evan Ross, logo, 24 August 2015, "Grace Jones Perfects The Art Of Topless Hula-Hooping At Brooklyn's Afropunk Festival (NSFW)". Accessed 4 May 2016.
  6. ^ Prato, Greg. "Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  7. ^ Beta, Andy (1 May 2014). "Grace Jones – Nightclubbing". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  8. ^ Fisher, Mark (7 November 2007). "Glam's Exiled Princess: Roisin Murphy". Fact. London. Archived from the original on 10 November 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  9. ^ Reynolds, Simon (18 January 2017). "Mark Fisher's k-punk blogs were required reading for a generation". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  10. ^ Staff. "Art-Pop Before 'Art Pop'". The Style Con. Archived from the original on 1 January 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  11. ^ Thornton, Andy. "Review: Grace Jones - Hurricane". NME. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  12. ^ a b c "Greatest of All Time Top Dance Club Artists : Page 1". Billboard.com. December 2016.
  13. ^ "Grace Jones: 'Carry yourself with class'". Irishtimes.com. Retrieved 13 October 2018.