Gail Zeiler (April 27, 1950 – September 1, 2016), known professionally as Kacey Jones, was an American singer-songwriter, producer and humorist. After co-writing the
Mickey Gilley
Mickey Leroy Gilley (March 9, 1936 – May 7, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he started out singing straight-up country and western material in the 1970s, he moved towards a more pop-friendly sound in the 1 ...
hit "
I'm the One Mama Warned You About
"I'm the One Mama Warned You About" is a song written by Mickey James and Gayle Zeiler, and recorded by American country music artist Mickey Gilley. It was released in January 1985 as the second and final single from his album '' Too Good to Stop ...
" (credited as Gayle Zeiler), she found success as a performer through the band Ethel & The Shameless Hussies, with whom she released her first album. Later, in 1997, she released her first solo album, ''Men Are Some of My Favorite People'', through
Curb Records
Curb Records (also known as Asylum-Curb and formerly known as MCG Curb) is an American record label started by Mike Curb, originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963. From 1969 to 1973, Curb merged with MGM Records where Curb served as President of ...
, before founding her own label, IGO Records, co-founding the Kinkajou Records label with
Kinky Friedman
Richard Samet "Kinky" Friedman (born November 1, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician, and former columnist for ''Texas Monthly'' who styles himself in the mold of popular American satirists Will Rogers and ...
and creating two publishing houses—Zamalama Music and Mamalama Music. Since her first solo album, Jones released eight CDs and produced music for both the theatrical comedy ''Nipples to the Wind'' and the movie (and TV series) ''
Sordid Lives
Sordid may refer to:
* Paul Sordid (20th century), English drummer
* Sordid (character), a fictional character in the ''Simon the Sorcerer'' series of video games
{{Disambig ...
''.
Career
Born Gail Zeiler in
Gilroy, California
Gilroy is a city in Northern California's Santa Clara County, south of Morgan Hill and north of San Benito County. Gilroy is the southernmost city in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a population of 56,766 as of the 2019 U.S. Census Projection ...
, she won the Northern California edition of the Wrangler Country Starsearch in 1981 and became an Equa recording artist. Jones found initial success recording with an independent label in San Francisco before moving to
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
, in 1986.
Her move to Nashville came after she co-wrote "
I'm the One Mama Warned You About
"I'm the One Mama Warned You About" is a song written by Mickey James and Gayle Zeiler, and recorded by American country music artist Mickey Gilley. It was released in January 1985 as the second and final single from his album '' Too Good to Stop ...
", recorded by
Mickey Gilley
Mickey Leroy Gilley (March 9, 1936 – May 7, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he started out singing straight-up country and western material in the 1970s, he moved towards a more pop-friendly sound in the 1 ...
on Epic Records.
The song reached number 5 on the
Billboard charts
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...
.
Her original song, "Cold Turkey," was recorded that same year by David Allan Coe on CBS Records.
Jones moved to Nashville with expectations of being signed to a major record label as a serious singer-songwriter rather than writing humorous works.
That changed when she recruited Becki Fogle and Valerie Hunt to form ''Ethel & The Shameless Hussies''.
Jones performed as Ethel Beaverton, and the group soon gained a contract with
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...
, recording the album ''Born To Burn'' in 1988. The group stayed together for four years and were nominated for Comedy Act of the Year in the Music City News Awards.
After moving on from the Shameless Hussies, Jones became involved in a number of different projects. As a record producer she developed ''Pearls in the Snow – The Songs of Kinky Friedman''. The album featured artists such as
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...
,
Asleep at the Wheel
Asleep at the Wheel is an American Western swing group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, and is based in Austin, Texas. The band has won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception, released over twenty albums, and has charted more t ...
, and
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Pearce Lovett (born November 1, 1957) Lyle Lovett Pageat Allmusic – Lovett's Genre and Styles. Retrieved February 2, 2007 is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. Active since 1980, he has recorded 13 albums and relea ...
performing songs by
Friedman
Friedman, Friedmann, and Freedman are surnames of German origin, and from the 17th century were also adopted by Ashkenazi Jews. It is the 9th most common surname in Israel (8th among Jews) and most common exclusively Ashkenazi name.
They may refer ...
, and it went on to reach the number 1 spot on the Americana radio chart in 1999.
While working with Kinky Friedman on the album, Jones and Friedman founded the Kinkajou Records label.
Later she established her own independent label, IGO (Irritating Gentile Optimist) Records, for whom she signed artists such as
Leland Martin
Leland Martin (born February 20, 1957, Success, Missouri) is an American country singer. Martin was one of nine children; his grandmother and father were both country singers. Leland Martinat Allmusic He held jobs as a truck driver, house paint ...
,
She is the President of two publishing houses: Zamalama Music (BMI) and Mamalama Music (ASCAP).
As a recording artist and performer, Jones signed with
Curb Records
Curb Records (also known as Asylum-Curb and formerly known as MCG Curb) is an American record label started by Mike Curb, originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963. From 1969 to 1973, Curb merged with MGM Records where Curb served as President of ...
in 1997. This led to her first solo album, ''Men Are Some of My Favorite People'' (1997). Other albums by Jones were to follow on her own label, IGO Records including ''Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead'' (2000),
(produced after completing the project with Kinky Friedman),
''Never Wear Panties to a Party'' (2001), "The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Box of Music" (2003), "Nipples to the Wind" (2007), and the more recent ''Donald Trump's Hair'' (2009). ''Donald Trump's Hair'',
[ reached No. 1 on ReverbNation's comedy charts. In addition, ''Kacey Jones Sings Mickey Newbury'', a tribute to ]Mickey Newbury
Milton Sims "Mickey" Newbury Jr. (May 19, 1940 – September 29, 2002) was an American songwriter, recording artist, and a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Early life and career
Newbury was born in Houston, Texas, on May 19, ...
(who influenced her early career), was released in 2006, and gave her an opportunity to explore the more serious side of her singing.
Death
Jones died on September 1, 2016, while in hospice care at her Nashville home. She was 66.
She had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel m ...
three years before her death, and she chose only alternative cancer treatments
Alternative cancer treatment describes any cancer treatment or practice that is not part of the conventional standard of cancer care. These include special diets and exercises, chemicals, herbs, devices, and manual procedures. Most alternative ...
.
Discography
*''She's Goin' Home Alone'' (2:49); producers: Bob Saponti/Jerry Shook; writer: Gail Zeiler (1981)
*''It Ain't My Concern'' (1981)
*''No Place to Hide'' (1981)
* ''Born To Burn'' (1988) with Ethel & The Shameless Hussies.
* ''Men Are Some of My Favorite People'' (1997)
* ''Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead'' (2000)
* ''Never Wear Panties to a Party'' (2001)
* ''The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Box of Music'' (2003)
* ''Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead – Live'' (2005)
* ''Kacey Jones Sings Mickey Newbury'' (2006)
* ''Nipples to the Wind'' (2007)
* ''Kaceyoke – Volume 1'' (2008)
* ''Donald Trump's Hair'' (2009)
* ''Amen for Old Friends'' (2014)
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Kacey
1950 births
2016 deaths
American humorists
American women country singers
American country singer-songwriters
People from Gilroy, California
Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee
Singer-songwriters from California
Deaths from cancer in Tennessee
Country musicians from California
Country musicians from Tennessee
Women humorists
America's Got Talent contestants
21st-century American women
Singer-songwriters from Tennessee