Rickie Lee Jones

This article is about the singer. For her self-titled debut album, see Rickie Lee Jones (album).

Rickie Lee Jones
Jones performing in 2007
Jones performing in 2007
Background information
Born (1954-11-08) November 8, 1954 (age 70)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
GenresRock, R&B, pop
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, piano
Years active1979–present
LabelsWarner Bros., Geffen, Reprise, Artemis, V2, New West, Fantasy, OSOD/Thirty Tigers, Buffalo Records
Websiterickieleejones.com

Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. Over the course of a career that spans five decades and 15 studio albums, she has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, pop, soul, and jazz.[1] A two-time Grammy Award winner (from eight nominations),[2] Jones was listed at No. 30 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Rock & Roll in 1999.[3] AllMusic stated: "Few singer/songwriters are as individual and eclectic as Rickie Lee Jones, a vocalist with an expressive and smoky instrument, and a composer who can weave jazz, folk, and R&B into songs with a distinct pop sensibility."[1]

She released her self-titled debut album in 1979, to critical and commercial success. It peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard 200, and spawned the hit single "Chuck E.'s in Love", which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] The album went platinum later that year,[5] and earned Jones four Grammy Award nominations in 1980, including Best New Artist, which she won.[2] Her second album, Pirates, followed in 1981 to further critical and commercial success; it peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, went gold,[5] and ranked No. 49 on NPR's list of the 150 Greatest Albums Made by Women in 2017.[6]

Her third album, The Magazine, appeared in 1984 before Jones took a brief hiatus from recording. Her fourth album, Flying Cowboys, was released in 1989 and later went gold.[5] Jones won her second Grammy Award in 1990 for "Makin' Whoopee", a duet with Dr. John, this time in the category of Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group.[2] Jones' seventh Grammy Award nomination followed in 2001 in the category of Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for her album It's Like This (2000).[2] In 2021, Jones released her memoir Last Chance Texaco: Chronicles of an American Troubadour.[7] Her 15th studio album, Pieces of Treasure, was released in 2023 and earned Jones her eighth Grammy Award nomination, for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.[8]

  1. ^ a b Deming, Mark. "Rickie Lee Jones - Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "Rickie Lee Jones". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  3. ^ "VH1: 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll". Rock on the Net. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  4. ^ "US Albums and Singles Charts > Rickie Lee Jones". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "American certifications – Rickie Lee Jones". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  6. ^ "150 Greatest Albums Made by Women". NPR. July 24, 2017. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  7. ^ Jones, Rickie Lee (2021). Last Chance Texaco. New York: Grove Press. ISBN 978-0-8021-2712-9.
  8. ^ Minsker, Evan (November 10, 2022). "Grammy Nominations 2024: See the Full List Here". Yahoo!. Retrieved November 10, 2022.