The Jones Sisters Trio were an

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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 ...

recording act from

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that recorded five albums during the 1960s and 1970s. The group had consisted of sisters Cheryl (b. August 10, 1945), Gail (b. June 10, 1947), and Phyllis (b. July 4, 1949).

Early years

As children in Cleveland, the Jones sisters began singing

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in front of their church in the early 1950s, encouraged by their parents Howard and Wanda Jones. They quickly began singing on local television programs and at other churches; during this time they officially names themselves "The Jones Sisters Trio. After the family moved to

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

, in 1960 The Jones Sisters Trio began singing for the Billy Graham crusade in

Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the ...

, which they did over the next few years, "to an enthusiastic response." Before leaving Africa to return home to Cleveland, Graham officially dedicated the Jones's home to the work God had called them to in Liberia; the 300 guests at the ceremony, included Liberian President William V.S. Tubman and Vice President William Tolbert.

Career

In 1966, having already recorded two albums for World Records, the Trio (now 21, 19, and 17) played as part of the week-long Harlem Crusade Association rally at the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...

to over 12,000 people. They went on to record three more albums in the 1960s and 1970s. Cheryl's marriage in the early 1970s, according to mother Wanda, "curtailed the ministry of the Jones Sisters Trio." They still occasionally sang together, but their activity curtailed dramatically after this time, as well as any formal recording.

Subsequent years

In recent years the sisters have maintained a lower public profile but have continued to perform. Gail released one solo album. In 1979, she married Cleveland Indians star

Andre Thornton André Thornton (born August 13, 1949), nicknamed "Thunder", is an American former professional baseball player and business entrepreneur. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and designated hitter from to , most prominently as ...

. They have two children together (Jonathan and Dean) and raised Andre Jr. from Andre's first marriage. Gail introduced Phyllis to Thornton's friend and fellow ballplayer Pat Kelly, whom Phyllis married in 1979. They had one daughter, April Marie.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones Sisters Trio Sibling musical trios American gospel musical groups American girl groups Family musical groups Musical groups from Cleveland Musical groups established in 1955 1955 establishments in Ohio Musical groups disestablished in 1975