Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author. Over the course of a career that spans five decades, she has recorded in various musical styles including

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, R&B, pop,

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

, and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

. A two-time

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

winner (from seven nominations), Jones was listed at No. 30 on

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

's 100 Greatest Women in Rock & Roll in 1999. 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 "Chuck E.'s in Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones. Released in 1979 on her eponymous debut album ''Rickie Lee Jones'', the song became her biggest hit, reaching number 4 on the ''Billboard'' U.S. Hot 100 list. "Chuck ...

", which peaked at No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album went

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

later that year, and earned Jones four Grammy Award nominations in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

, including

Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...

, which she won. Her second album, ''Pirates'', followed in 1981 to further critical and commercial success; it peaked at No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' 200, went

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

, and ranked No. 49 on

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

's list of the 150 Greatest Albums Made by Women in 2017. Her third album, ''

The Magazine ''The Magazine'' was a monthly digest entertainment magazine targeted for youth and published in Canada. In addition to music, movies, television, and contests, it featured a variety of articles on social issues such as the environment, healthy e ...

'', appeared in 1984 before Jones took a brief hiatus from recording. Her fourth album, ''

Flying Cowboys ''Flying Cowboys'' is an album by Rickie Lee Jones that was released in September 1989 and produced by Walter Becker of Steely Dan. Background After the release of ''The Magazine'' in 1984, Jones retreated from the limelight. She married Pasca ...

'', was released in 1989 and later went Gold. Jones won her second Grammy Award in

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

for "

Makin' Whoopee "Makin' Whoopee" is a jazz/blues song, first popularized by Eddie Cantor in the 1928 musical ''Whoopee!''. Gus Kahn wrote the lyrics and Walter Donaldson composed the music for the song as well as for the entire musical. The title refers to celeb ...

", a duet with

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from t ...

, this time in the category of Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group. Jones' seventh Grammy Award nomination followed in

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

in the category of

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album The Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album is an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories are presented ...

for her album ''

It's Like This ''It's Like This'' is an album by the American singer/songwriter Rickie Lee Jones, released in 2000. Like her 1991 album ''Pop Pop'', it is a covers record. The album was nominated for a 2001 Best Pop Traditional Record Grammy Award. Critical r ...

'' (2000). In 2021, Jones released her memoir ''Last Chance Texaco: Chronicles of an American Troubadour''.

Early life

Jones was born the third of four children to Richard and Bettye Jones, on the north side of

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, on November 8, 1954. She was named after her father, who was a singer, songwriter, painter, and trumpet player. Her mother, Bettye, was raised in orphanages around

Mansfield, Ohio Mansfield is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Ohio, United States. Located midway between Columbus and Cleveland via Interstate 71, it is part of Northeast Ohio region in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau. The city ...

. She has a brother Daniel, and two sisters, Janet Adele and Pamela Jo. Her paternal grandfather, Frank "Peg Leg" Jones, and her grandmother, Myrtle Lee, were vaudevillians based in Chicago. A singer, dancer and comedian, Peg Leg Jones' routine consisted of singing and accompanying himself on ukulele, soft shoe dance, acrobatics, and comedy. Jones lived in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

from age 4 to 14.

Career

Early years: 1975–1982

At age 21, Jones began singing traditional jazz and original compositions in bars and coffee houses in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, California. There she met Alfred Johnson, a piano player and songwriter, with whom she wrote "Weasel and the White Boys Cool", and "Company", which would later appear on Jones's debut album. In 1977, Jones met

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

at The Troubadour. They dated for about two years, before splitting in 1979. ''

Rickie Lee Jones Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author. Over the course of a career that spans five decades, she has recorded in various musical styles including Rock music, rock, Rhythm and blues, R&B ...

'' was released in March 1979 and became a critical and commercial hit, buoyed by the success of the jazz-flavored single "

", which hit 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and featured an accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

. The song was occasioned by her friend, Chuck E. Weiss, telephoning her and Tom Waits, all three of them close friends at the time, in the Fall of 1977 to tell them that he had fallen in love. The album, which included guest appearances by

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early Americana (music), Americana-influenced songs (often ...

, and Michael McDonald, reached No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' 200, went Platinum, and produced another Top 40 hit with "Young Blood" (No. 40) in late 1979. Her appearance – as an unknown (one month after her debut record had been released) – on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' on April 7, 1979, sparked an overnight sensation. She performed "Chuck E.'s in Love" and "Coolsville". Jones was covered by ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' magazine on her very first professional show, in Boston, and they dubbed her "The Duchess of Coolsville". Touring after the album's release, she played

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

on July 22, 1979. Members of her group included native New York guitarist

Buzz Feiten Howard "Buzz" Feiten (born November 4, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, session musician, and luthier. He is best known as a lead and rhythm guitarist and for having patented a tuning system for guitars and similar instruments. ...

, who was featured on the album and would appear in her recorded works for over a decade. Following her first-ever performances in the spring/summer of 1979, Jones appeared on the cover of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' magazine. Photographed by

Annie Leibovitz Anna-Lou Leibovitz ( ; born October 2, 1949) is an American portrait photographer best known for her engaging portraits, particularly of celebrities, which often feature subjects in intimate settings and poses. Leibovitz's Polaroid photo of Jo ...

, the cover image showed Jones posing in a crouched stance, wearing a black bra and a white beret. Her record was the first music 'video' used to launch an artist. Warner Brothers financed not only the film of the charismatic beginner but paid to install monitors in record stores to promote her image and music. Eighteen months later MTV hit the airwaves. Jones secured four nominations at the

22nd Annual Grammy Awards The 22nd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 27, 1980, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, and were broadcast live on American television. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1979. This year was notable for being the ...

: Song of the Year and

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...

for "Chuck E.'s in Love";

Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female The Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for works (songs or albums) conta ...

for "The Last Chance Texaco"; and

, which she won. The album also earned a nomination for Best Engineered Recording - Non-Classical, credited to Tom Knox. In 1980,

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...

asked Jones to collaborate with Waits on his upcoming film ''

One from the Heart ''One from the Heart'' is a 1982 American musical romantic drama film co-written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Frederic Forrest, Teri Garr, Raul Julia, Nastassja Kinski, Lainie Kazan, and Harry Dean Stanton. The story is set e ...

'', but she balked, citing their recent breakup in late 1979. Coppola argued that the duet would be perfect for the film, since the two main characters in the film are separated, and he asked her to reconsider. Waits ultimately sang with country pop star

Crystal Gayle Crystal Gayle (born Brenda Gail Webb; January 9, 1951) is an American country music singer widely known for her 1977 hit "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". Initially, Gayle's management and record label were the same as that of her oldest sist ...

. In 1981, Jones released her second album, ''

Pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

'', which received high marks from critics and was a commercial success. The album reached No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and soon achieved Gold certification. ''Rolling Stone'' remained a fervent supporter of Jones, with a second cover feature in 1981; the magazine also included a glowing five-star review of ''Pirates''. The single "A Lucky Guy" became the only ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hit from the album, peaking at No. 64, but "Pirates (So Long Lonely Avenue)" and "Woody and Dutch on the Slow Train to Peking" became minor Top 40 hits on the ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock chart. In America, "Woody and Dutch..." soundalikes appeared in advertisements for

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

Dr. Pepper Dr Pepper is a carbonated soft drink. It was created in the 1880s by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas, and first served around 1885. Dr Pepper was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904. It is now also sold in Europe ...

, and others. Jones left New York for San Francisco where she befriended

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...

. In Los Angeles, she recorded the EP ''

Girl at Her Volcano ''Girl at Her Volcano'' is a 10" or 12" vinyl EP consisting mainly of cover versions, and the third release by musician Rickie Lee Jones. Overview After touring through much of 1982 following the release of '' Pirates'', Rickie Lee Jones rele ...

'', producing the record herself and drawing the cover art. It was released as a 10" record in 1983, featuring a mix of live and studio cover versions of

and

pop standards Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...

, as well as one Jones original, "Hey, Bub", which was originally written for ''Pirates''. Jones then relocated to Paris.

Period of transition: 1983–89

In 1983, Jones lived in Paris for four months, writing new material for her third full-length solo album, ''

'', released in September 1984. ''The Magazine'' was produced by Jones and

James Newton Howard James Newton Howard (born June 9, 1951) is an American film composer, music producer and keyboardist. He has scored over 100 films and is the recipient of a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, and nine nominations for Academy Awards. His film scores ...

and included a three-song suite, subtitled "Rorschachs", which featured multi-tracked vocals and minimalist synth patterns. The lead single, "The Real End", reached No. 82 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1984. Jones took a four-year break from her recording schedule, largely attributed to the deaths of her mentor Bob Regher as well as her father, Richard Loris Jones, that same year. After a successful tour of Norway and Sweden, and then opening for

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

in Israel with Michael Lang managing her, she returned to the US, signed to

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

Gary Gersh Gary Gersh is an American music industry executive who previously managed recording artists including Nirvana, Soundgarden and the Foo Fighters. As president of AEG's touring division he has worked with bands and musicians such as Luke Combs, T ...

who teamed her with

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live ...

Walter Becker Walter Carl Becker (February 20, 1950 – September 3, 2017) was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the co-founder, guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter of the jazz rock band Steely Dan.Russonello, Giovanni,Listen t ...

for her long-awaited fourth album. In September 1988 the two of them began work on ''

''. The album was released in September 1989, and produced two hits: "Satellites", which hit No. 1 on the new Adult radio format; and "

The Horses "The Horses" is a song written by Rickie Lee Jones and Walter Becker. It was originally performed by Jones on her 1989 album, ''Flying Cowboys''. While not released as a single, the original version did appear in the 1996 film ''Jerry Maguire'' a ...

", co-written with Becker. The latter song was covered by

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...

, and also featured in the movie ''

Jerry Maguire ''Jerry Maguire'' is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama sports film written, produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe; it stars Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, and Regina King. Produced in part by James L. Brooks, it was inspi ...

'' (1996). "The Horses" also became an Australian No. 1 hit single for

Daryl Braithwaite Daryl Braithwaite (born 11 January 1949) is an Australian singer. He was the lead vocalist of Sherbet (1970–1984 and many subsequent reunions). Braithwaite also has a solo career, placing 15 singles in the Australian top 40, including t ...

when he covered it in 1991. ''Flying Cowboys'' made the US Top 40, reaching No. 39 on the ''Billboard'' 200, with the college radio hit "Satellites" making it to No. 23 on the ''Billboard'' Modern Rock Tracks chart. The album was certified Gold in 1997. Her 1988 collaboration with

Rob Wasserman Rob Wasserman (April 1, 1952 – June 29, 2016) was an American composer and bass player. A Grammy Award and NEA grant winner, he played and recorded with a wide variety of musicians including Bob Weir, Bruce Cockburn, Elvis Costello, Ani di F ...

, "Autumn Leaves" on his album ''Duets'', earned Jones a

nomination for

Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality jazz vocal performan ...

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

. Her duet with

, a cover of "

", won her second Grammy Award in

, this time in the category of Best Jazz Vocal Collaboration.

Experimentation and change: 1990–2001

Following a tour with

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 ...

, Jones enlisted

David Was David Jay Weiss, known as David Was, is an American musician, music producer and journalist. With his stage-brother Don Was, he was the founder of the 1980s pop group Was (Not Was). Career Was was born in Detroit, Michigan to a Jewish family. ...

to produce her first album of jazz covers. Her producer chose an innovative approach and she agreed, thus the Argentinian flavored ''

Pop Pop ''Pop Pop'' is an album by American singer Rickie Lee Jones, released in September 1991. It was produced by David Was from Was (Not Was). The album contains cover versions, ranging from jazz and blues standards to Tin Pan Alley to Jimi Hendrix' ...

'', set the pace for what would become a habit with Jones - mixing styles of jazz and pop and not staying in one genre for a whole recording:

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It originally referred to a specific place: West 28th Street ...

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

. The album, released in September 1991, was a hit on the ''Billboard'' Contemporary Jazz Albums, peaking at No. 8, but became her least commercially successful record yet, reaching No. 121 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Soon after,

The Orb The Orb are an English electronic music group founded in 1988 by Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty. Known for their psychedelic sound, the Orb developed a cult following among clubbers "coming down" from drug-induced highs. Their influential 19 ...

issued "

Little Fluffy Clouds "Little Fluffy Clouds" is a single released by the British ambient house group the Orb. It was originally released in November 1990 on the record label Big Life and peaked at number 87 on the UK Singles Chart. The Orb also included it on their ...

", featuring a

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...

Jones interview. However, Jones' record company objected to the unauthorized use of her voice and pursued the issue in the court system. In 1992 she toured extensively with

, with whom she had collaborated in the mid-1980s. Her swan song for Geffen Records was '' Traffic from Paradise'', released in September 1993. The album was slightly more successful than its predecessor, reaching No. 111 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and was notable for its collaboration with

Leo Kottke Leo Kottke (born September 11, 1945) is an acoustic guitarist. He is known for a fingerpicking style that draws on blues, jazz, and folk music, and for syncopated, polyphonic melodies. He overcame a series of personal obstacles, including parti ...

, its musical diversity, and a cover of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

's "

Rebel Rebel "Rebel Rebel" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was released in the UK in February 1974 by RCA Records as the lead single from the album ''Diamond Dogs''. Written and produced by Bowie, the song is based around a distinctiv ...

", which was originally planned to be the title track for the Oscar-winning film '' Boys Don't Cry.'' Before his death, Bowie was quoted as saying that this version was his favorite cover of his work. Throughout this period, her songs were featured in a number of films and television series, including ''

House M.D. ''House'' (also called ''House, M.D.'') is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network for eight seasons, from November 16, 2004, to May 21, 2012. The series' main character is G ...

'', ''

Thirtysomething ''Thirtysomething'' is an American drama television series created by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz for United Artists Television (under MGM/UA Television) and aired on ABC from September 29, 1987, to May 28, 1991."The 'don't trust anyo ...

'', '' Frankie and Johnny'', '' When a Man Loves a Woman'', ''

'', ''

Friends with Money ''Friends with Money'' is a 2006 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Nicole Holofcener. It opened the 2006 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2006, and went into limited release in North America on April 7, 2006. Plot Olivia is ...

'' and the French film '' Subway''. Jones sang a duet with

on "North Dakota" for his 1992 album ''

Joshua Judges Ruth ''Joshua Judges Ruth'' is Lyle Lovett's fourth album, released in 1992. While the album does not have one theme that binds all the songs, several tracks deal with "high concepts" such as religion ("Church") and death ("Family Reserve" & "Since ...

'' and has also sung on albums by Leo Kottke and

Arlo Guthrie Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his father, Woody Guthrie. Gut ...

. Jones' first solo shows in 1994 paved the way for her acoustic album ''

Naked Songs ''Naked Songs'' is the sixth album by American singer-songwriter Al Kooper for Columbia Records, released in 1973. Two singles were released in the fall of 1972, preceding the album. Background A contract-fulfilling release, coming months after ...

'', released in September 1995 through a one-off deal with

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

. The album, which reached No. 121 on the ''Billboard'' 200, featured acoustic re-workings of Jones classics and album material, but no new songs. Emphasizing her experimentation and change, Jones embraced electronic music for '' Ghostyhead'', released on Reprise Records in June 1997. The album, a collaboration with

Rick Boston Richard Wallie Boston is a Canadian musician, composer and producer based in Los Angeles. He is known for his roles in Low Pop Suicide and for producing Rickie Lee Jones' album, '' Ghostyhead''. Early life and education Richard Wallie Boston wa ...

(both are credited with production and with twenty-one instruments in common), found Jones employing beats, loops, and electronic rhythms, and also showcased Jones' connection with the

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop ...

movement of the mid-to-late 1990s. Despite critical acclaim, it did not meet with commercial success, peaking at No. 159 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Jones' second album of cover versions, ''

'', was released on the independent record label

Artemis Records Artemis Records was a New York-based independent record label, founded in July 1999 by Danny Goldberg with Daniel Glass as President, and closed in April 2006. The label was acquired by E1 Entertainment. Artemis had a leading share of the U.S. i ...

in September 2000. The album included cover versions of material by artists including

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

, and the Gershwin brothers. It made it onto three ''Billboard'' charts – No.148 on the ''Billboard'' 200, No. 10 on Top Internet Albums, and No. 42 on Top Independent Albums. The album also secured Jones another Grammy Award nomination for

. Her cover art design (shared with a staff artist but never credited to Jones) won numerous awards and is in the book Best Album Covers. In November 2001, Artemis issued a release of archival material titled ''Live at Red Rocks'' with cover art by a young fan who had recently died in a swimming accident. Her parents brought her drawing of flying horses to one of Jones' shows in Oregon, and Jones used it for this live release.

Artistic renaissance: 2002–present

After ''Ghostyhead'', Jones largely retired from public view, tending her garden and bringing up her teenage daughter Charlotte.Alt URL
/ref> Released on the independent label V2 in October 2003, ''

The Evening of My Best Day ''The Evening of My Best Day'' is an album by American singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones, released in 2003. Track listing ''All tracks composed and arranged by Rickie Lee Jones; except "Sailor Song" co-written by David Kalish'' # "Ugly Man" – ...

'' featured influences from jazz,

Celtic folk Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celtic people of Northwestern Europe. It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and recorded music and the styles vary considerab ...

, blues, R&B, rock, and

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

, and spawned a successful and lengthy spurt of touring. The album peaked at No. 189 on the ''Billboard'' 200. She invited punk bass icon

Mike Watt Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957) is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter. Watt co-founded and played bass guitar for the rock bands Minutemen (1980–1985), Dos (1985–present), and Firehose (1986–1994). He began a solo ...

(the Minutemen, Iggy Pop) to perform on "It Takes You There", while "Ugly Man" was a direct aim at the

George Bush George Bush most commonly refers to: * George H. W. Bush (1924–2018), 41st president of the United States and father of the 43rd president * George W. Bush (born 1946), 43rd president of the United States and son of the 41st president Georg ...

'regime' evoking, with an anthem-like

Hugh Masekela Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for ...

arrangement, what she termed "the

Black Panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...

horns", and calling for "revolution, everywhere that you're not looking, revolution." Renewed interest in Jones led to the three-disc anthology ''Duchess of Coolsville: An Anthology'', released through reissue specialists

Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

in June 2005. A lavish package designed by Lee Cantelon, the alphabetically arranged release featured album songs, live material, covers, and demos, and featured essays by Jones as well as various collaborators, as well as tributes from artists including

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

, and

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

. Also in 2005, Jones was invited to take part in her boyfriend and collaborator Lee Cantelon's music version of his book ''The Words'', a book of the words of Christ, set into simple chapters and themes. Cantelon's idea was to have various artists recite the text over primal rock music, but Jones elected to try something that had never been done, to improvise her own impression of the texts, melody and lyric, in stream of consciousness sessions, rather than read Jesus' words. The sessions were recorded at an artist's loft on Exposition Boulevard in Culver City. When Cantelon could no longer finish the project, Jones picked it up as her own record and hired Rob Schnaf to finish the production at

Sunset Sound Sunset, also known as sundown, is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon due to Earth's rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth (except the North and South poles), the equinox Sun sets due west at the moment of both the spring ...

in 2007, and the result was '' The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard'', released on the independent

New West Records New West Records is a record label based in Nashville, Tennessee, and Athens, Georgia. It had offices in Burbank, California, and Beverly Hills, California. The label was established in 1998 by Cameron Strang "for artists who perform real music ...

in February 2007. It included "Circle in the Sand", recorded for the soundtrack to the film ''

'' (2006), for which Jones also cut "Hillbilly Song". ''The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard'' debuted at No. 158 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and No. 12 on the Top Independent Albums tally. Writer Ann Powers included this on her list of Grammy-worthy CDs for 2007. For her next project, ''

Balm in Gilead ''Balm in Gilead'' is a 1965 play written by American playwright Lanford Wilson. Dramatic structure Wilson's first full-length play, ''Balm in Gilead'' centers on a café frequented by heroin addicts, prostitutes, and thieves. It features many unc ...

'' (2009), Jones opted to finish half-written songs dating back as far as 1986 ("Wild Girl") as well as include new ones (the 2008-penned "The Gospel of Carlos, Norman and Smith", "Bonfires"). The album also included a new recording of "The Moon Is Made of Gold", a song written by her father Richard Loris Jones in 1954.

Ben Harper Benjamin Chase Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live perfo ...

Victoria Williams Victoria Williams (born December 23, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter and musician, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, although she has resided in Southern California throughout her musical career. Diagnosed with multi ...

Jon Brion Jon Brion is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and composer. He performed with the Excerpts, the Bats, 'Til Tuesday and the Grays before becoming an established producer and film score composer. Brion has ...

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer and musician. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of 8 and recording for the first time at 14. She signed with ...

and the late

Vic Chesnutt James Victor Chesnutt (November 12, 1964 – December 25, 2009) was an American singer-songwriter from Athens, Georgia. His first album, little (album), ''Little'', was released in 1990. His commercial breakthrough came in 1996 with the rele ...

all made contributions to the album. In May 2010, Jones performed at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

as part of the

Vivid Live Vivid may refer to: Music * Vivid (band), a Japanese rock band * "Vivid" (song), by Electronic, 1999 *"ViViD", a 2016 song by Loona from '' HeeJin'' Albums * ''Vivid'' (Vivian Green album), 2015 * ''Vivid'' (Crystal Kay album), 2012 * ''Vivi ...

festival. On September 18, 2012, Jones released '' The Devil You Know'' on Fantasy/Concord Records. ''The Devil You Know'' includes a collection of covers produced by Ben Harper, including a solo version of "

Sympathy for the Devil "Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones and the opening track from the band's 1968 album ''Beggars Banquet''. The song is a product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership. It is consid ...

". Shortly afterward she left Los Angeles and moved to New Orleans. In 2015, Jones released her album ''The Other Side of Desire'', and the single "Jimmy Choos" which references the shoe brand. A documentary film, ''Rickie Lee Jones: The Other Side of Desire'', on the making of the album, was also released. It was her first album of all new original material since ''

'' six years earlier. In 2019, Jones released a single of the Paul Rodgers/Simon Kirke song, "

Bad Company Bad Company are an English rock supergroup that was formed in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs, drummer Simon Kirke and bassist Boz Burrell.Bad Company ''AllMusic'' Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, also ...

", followed by her album ''Kicks'' which included "Bad Company" and cover versions of many other songs. In June of that year, she played at the

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

. In 2021, Jones's memoir ''Last Chance Texaco: Chronicles of an American Troubadour'' was released by Grove Press. Simon and Schuster bought the audio book rights.

Other work

In 2001, Jones was the organizer of the web community "Furniture for the People", which is involved in gardening, social activism, bootleg exchange and left-wing politics. She has produced records (including

's ''

Peculiaroso ''Peculiaroso'' is an album by American guitarist Leo Kottke, released in 1994. History Coming more than two years after the ''Great Big Boy'' album, where all tracks included vocal parts, ''Peculiaroso'' returned to Kottke's usual mix of vocal ...

''), and provided a voiceover for ''

Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night ''Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night'' is a 1987 American animated fantasy adventure film that was released on December 25, 1987, by New World Pictures. Created by Filmation, the film was conceived as a sequel to the 1883 Italian classic nov ...

'', in which she played the Blue Fairy (known as the Good Fairy or Fairy Godmother in the film). Jones also enjoys gardening. Jones served as the narrator of

Cam Archer Cam Archer (born 1981) is an American independent filmmaker, photographer and sound designer, currently residing in Santa Cruz, California. ''Cinemad'' Career Archer's first success was with his 2003 student produced short film, ''bobbycrush'', a ...

's 2010 film '' Shit Year''.

Awards

Grammy Awards

The

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

are awarded annually by

The Recording Academy The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...

of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry. Often considered the highest music honour, the awards were established in 1958. Jones has won two awards, from seven nominations. {, class="wikitable" , - ! colspan="6" align="center",

, - ! Year ! style="width:375px;" , Work ! style="width:525px;" , Award ! width="65" , Result ! width="20" , Ref , - , rowspan="4",

, Rickie Lee Jones ,

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" , Song of the Year , , - ,

, , - , "The Last Chance Texaco" ,

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, " Autumn Leaves" ,

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" (with

) , Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group , , - ,

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'' also received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Engineered Recording - Non-Classical in 1980. The nomination is credited to Tom Knox.

Other honors and recognitions

* 1999 – Ranked No. 30 on

's 100 Greatest Women in Rock & Roll. * 2017 – ''

'' ranked No. 49 on

's list of the 150 Greatest Albums Made by Women.

Discography

* 1979: ''

'' * 1981: ''

'' * 1984: ''

'' * 1989: ''

'' * 1991: ''

'' * 1993: '' Traffic from Paradise'' * 1997: '' Ghostyhead'' * 2000: ''

'' * 2003: ''

'' * 2007: '' The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard'' * 2009: ''

'' * 2012: '' The Devil You Know'' * 2015: ''The Other Side of Desire'' * 2019: ''Kicks''

Influence

Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...

noted the similarity of the stylings of Jones and

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...

. In 2007, the French painter

Jacques Benoit Jacques Benoit (born 22 June 1955) is a French painter. Biography Born in Algiers in the French Algeria, Jacques Benoit left for France at the age of seven, after the Algerian independence war. He attended high school at Orléans and Nice, eve ...

produced a series of nine canvases inspired by "Traces of the Western Slopes" (from ''Pirates''). Musician

Steve Adey Steve Adey (born in Great Barr, Birmingham) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. His music is characterised by slow tempos, minimalist arrangements, underpinned by piano and a rich baritone vocal. As of 2018 Adey has released three st ...

covered "The Unsigned Painting" on his 2017 LP ''Do Me a Kindness''.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Rickie Lee 1954 births Living people Singers from Chicago 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American women singers American expatriates in France American women rock singers American women singer-songwriters American folk singers American rhythm and blues singers American rock singers American rock songwriters Grammy Award winners Fantasy Records artists Geffen Records artists New West Records artists Reprise Records artists V2 Records artists Warner Records artists 21st-century American singers 20th-century American women guitarists Singer-songwriters from Illinois Lyle Lovett and His Large Band members