Tamiko Jones (born Barbara Tamiko Ferguson, 1945) is an American singer. Her most successful record was "Touch Me Baby (Reaching Out For Your Love)" in 1975.

Career

Barbara Tamiko Ferguson was born in

Kyle, West Virginia Kyle is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in McDowell County, West Virginia, McDowell County, West Virginia, United States. Located in the southern part of the state, Kyle is along U.S. Route 52 in West Virginia, U.S. Route 52, sou ...

, and has part Japanese, British, and

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

ancestry. ''Jet'', Tamiko Jones profile, 16 March 1967, pp.60–62
Retrieved 23 November 2012 Her middle name,

Tamiko Tamiko is a feminine Japanese given name. In Kanji, it is written 民子, meaning "child of the people". It can also be written 多美子, meaning "many, beauty, child", hence "child of many beauties". Notable people with the name include: * Tamiko ...

, is of Japanese origin. She was raised in Detroit where she first started singing she made her professional debut in a club in 1961. She began her career performing pop songs in a

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 ...

style. Her first record release, credited simply as Timiko, was "Is It A Sin?", issued by Checker Records in 1963. Tamiko Jones at SoulWalking.co.uk
. Retrieved 23 November 2012 She moved to the

Atco Atco or ATCO may refer to: Businesses * ATCO, a Canadian diversified company involved in manufacturing, utilities, energy and technologies ** ATCO Electric, a subsidiary of the above company * Atco (British mower company), a mower manufacturing ...

label, where she recorded "Rhapsody" as Tamiko in 1964. By 1966 she had moved to the

Golden World Golden World Records was a record label owned by Eddie Wingate and Joanne Bratton (née Jackson, former wife of boxing champion Johnny Bratton). The recording studio was located in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The studio's national hits includ ...

label, recording "I'm Spellbound". Next she moved to

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

, where she released several singles during 1967, including "Boy You're Growing On Me". That year, she also recorded the album ''A Mann and a Woman'' with jazz

flutist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet (incl ...

. During the 1960s, she also appeared as an

extra Extra or Xtra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * ''Extra'' (newspaper), a Brazilian newspaper * ''Extra!'', an American me ...

in several movies. In 1968, after being hospitalized with

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

, she met singer Solomon Burke, and they recorded several duets on his album ''I'll Be Anything for You''. Jones became Burke's fiancée and manager for a time, and co-produced his single "

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 ...

". She also recorded the album ''I'll Be Anything For You'', and a single "Goodnight My Love", for Creed Taylor's CTI label, followed by the album ''Tamiko'' for the December label. In 1969 her album ''In Muscle Shoals'' was issued on the

Metromedia Metromedia (also often MetroMedia) was an American media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and controlled Orion Pictures from 1988 to 1997. Metromedia was established in 1956 after the DuMon ...

label. Her first chart hit, and most successful record, was "Touch Me Baby (Reaching Out For Your Love)", written by

Johnny Bristol John William Bristol (February 3, 1939 – March 21, 2004) was an American musician, most famous as a songwriter and record producer for the Motown label in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was a native of Morganton, North Carolina, about which ...

and issued by

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...

, which reached no. 12 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 ...

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

and no. 60 on the US pop chart in 1975. Its follow-up, "Just You and Me", reached no. 78 on the R&B chart. She also released an album, ''Love Trip''. In 1976, the single "Let It Flow" (no. 76 R&B) was released on the Contempo label, owned by John Abbey, who was also the British founder and editor of ''

Blues & Soul ''Blues & Soul'' is a British music magazine, established in 1967 by John Abbey. ''The Independent'' has noted ''Blues & Soul'' as being the equal of magazines such as '' NME'' and '' Q''. ''Billboard'' magazine has called ''Blues & Soul'' "a ...

'' magazine. She and Abbey married in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Georgia in 1977. ''Jet'', "Black singer is wed to British record mogul", 1 December 1977, p.53
Retrieved 23 November 2012 In 1977, "Cloudy", on the Atlantis label, made no. 92 on the R&B chart, and in 1979 her version of "Can't Live Without Your Love", written and arranged by Randy Muller of

Brass Construction Brass Construction was an American funk group formed in Brooklyn, New York, United States, in 1968. They were originally known as Dynamic Soul, and went on to record a string of hit singles and albums through to 1985. Career Signed in 1975 by S ...

and issued on the

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

label, reached no. 70 on the same chart. Her last R&B chart hit was a version of

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 ...

's " I Want You", recorded on the Sutra label and which made no. 81 in 1986. In the early 1990s, Tamiko she worked as Smokey Robinson's

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

Discography

Chart singles

Albums

*''

A Mann & A Woman ''A Mann & A Woman'' is an album by American jazz flautist Herbie Mann and vocalist Tamiko Jones released on the Atlantic label in 1967.Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet (incl ...

*'' The Beat Goes On'' (Atlantic, 1967)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Tamiko 1945 births 20th-century African-American women singers American people of British descent American people of Cherokee descent American people of Japanese descent American women pop singers American soul singers Living people People from McDowell County, West Virginia Singers from West Virginia Singers from Detroit American rhythm and blues singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women