Ronnie Jones (June 2, 1949 – June 16, 1996) was an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer known professionally as Anthony Armstrong Jones, a stage name that he took from the name of the British photographer who married

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

. A former

professional golf For information about professional golf see: * Professional golfer, which describes the various branches of the profession. *Professional golf tours Professional golf tours are the means by which otherwise unconnected professional golf tournaments ...

er, Jones recorded four albums for

Chart Records Chart Records was a country music record label of the 1960s, best known for turning Lynn Anderson into a major country star. It was owned by Slim Williamson. The label was founded in 1964. Among the artists who recorded at one time for the la ...

in that timespan, in addition to charting six times in the Top 40 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' country singles charts. His debut single was a No. 22-peaking

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

of "

Proud Mary "Proud Mary" is a song written by John Fogerty and first recorded by his band Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was released by Fantasy Records as a single from the band's second studio album, ''Bayou Country'', which was issued by the same rec ...

," originally by

Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, ...

, which served as the title track of his first album. Its second single was "

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

," originally recorded by Gary U. S. Bonds. Jones' second album, ''Take a Letter Maria'', produced his biggest hit in its No. 8 title track, a cover of the pop hit for

R. B. Greaves Ronald Bertram Aloysius Greaves III (28 November 1943 – 27 September 2012) was an American singer who had chart success in 1969 with the pop single " Take a Letter Maria". A number two hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, this single sold ...

. Later that year, he released ''Sugar in the Flowers'', which produced singles in "Lead Me Not into Temptation" and its title track. Finishing off his single releases that year was a rendition of

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

's "

Sweet Caroline "Sweet Caroline" is a song written and performed by American singer Neil Diamond and released in May 1969 as a single with the title "Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good)". It was arranged by Charles Calello, and recorded at Americ ...

," which Jones recorded on ''Take a Letter Maria''. Jones later moved to

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

, where he charted three singles in 1973, including a No. 33 cover of

Jim Croce James Joseph Croce (; January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973) was an American folk and rock singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, he released five studio albums and numerous singles. During this period, Croce took a series of odd jobs to pa ...

's " Bad, Bad Leroy Brown". He recorded for Homa Records in the 1970s but did not have any chart success, and charted for the last time in 1986 with the No. 74 "Those Eyes" on the Air label. After retiring from the music business, Jones founded a club called Proud Mary in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...

. He died on June 16, 1996.

Discography

Albums

Singles

*^A

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to "Lead Me Not into Temptation."

References

Anthony Armstrong Jones
biography at Chart Records.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Anthony Armstrong 1949 births 1996 deaths People from Ada, Oklahoma American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters Country musicians from Oklahoma 20th-century American singers Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma 20th-century American male singers