Will J. "Dub" Jones (May 14, 1928 – January 16, 2000) was an American R&B

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

. He was born in Shreveport,

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, and died in

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

.Thedeadrockstarsclub.com
- accessed June 2010 He was inducted as a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of

The Coasters The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with " Searchin'" and " Young Blood" in 1957, their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producin ...

in 1987. Other groups with which he recorded include The Cadets, The Crescendos, and

The Charades The Charades is a doo-wop, r&b group which was mostly active in California in the early to mid-1960s and has released a number of singles on various labels. One of the songs it recorded, which was associated with the surf genre, was "Surf 'n S ...

Biography

Jones is a singer who is most notable as the bass vocalist for

and The Cadets. His best known vocals were on The Cadets' biggest hit single " Stranded in the Jungle" and his bass vocals on The Coasters' hits "

Yakety Yak "Yakety Yak" is a song written, produced, and arranged by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for the Coasters and released on Atco Records in 1958, spending seven weeks as #1 on the R&B charts and a week as number one on the Top 100 pop list. ...

" and "

Charlie Brown Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip '' Peanuts'', syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser," Charlie Brown is one of the great American a ...

Cornell Gunter Cornell Gunter (November 14, 1936 – February 26, 1990) was an American rhythm and blues singer, most active in the 1950s and 1960s. He was born in Coffeyville, Kansas, and died in Las Vegas, Nevada, after being shot in his automobile. He was ind ...

and Jones joined The Coasters in early 1958, as replacements for Leon Hughes and Bobby Nunn. Jones also appeared on various other recordings. In 1956, he sang on The Crescendos' recording "Sweet Dreams". In 1957, he sang with

Jesse Belvin Jesse Lorenzo Belvin (December 15, 1932 – February 6, 1960) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter popular in the 1950s. Belvin co-wrote the 1954 Penguins' doo-wop classic " Earth Angel", which sold more than 10 million copies, while h ...

& The Space Riders on the Modern #1027 single "My Satellite" / "Just To Say Hello". He had also recorded with Cora Washington, billed as Cora And Dub. He is said to have sung lead on

The Trammps The Trammps are an American disco and soul band, who were based in Philadelphia and were one of the first disco bands. The band's first major success was their 1972 cover version of " Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart", while the first disco t ...

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of "

Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" is a 1935 popular song with words and music by James F. Hanley. It was introduced by Hal Le Roy and Eunice Healey in the Broadway revue '' Thumbs Up!'' The most notable recordings were made by Judy Garland, ...

" (on which he had previously sung lead while with The Coasters). He went on to record with later versions of The Coasters – in 1976 on the album ''The World Famous Coasters'' (with Leon Hughes); and with

Billy Guy Billy Guy (June 20, 1936 – November 5, 2002) was an American singer, best known as a lead singer for the Coasters. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Biography Born Frank Phillips in Texas, Guy is best known as a memb ...

's group of Coasters in 1977, recording such songs as "Ain't No Greens In Harlem" and "Jumbo Bwana". Jones also teamed up with former fellow Cadets member Lloyd McCraw for gospel recordings including " Joshua Fit The Battle" as The Melodians. Jones and The Cadets sang

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

on a few of Richard Berry's recordings in 1955. These included "Jelly Roll", which appeared on the 2001

Ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...

compilation album of the group The Dreamers entitled ''They Sing Like Angels''. In 1987, Jones also sang backing vocals on the song "We Got It All" by

. Jones died in January 2000, from the effects of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

. He was 71 years old, and is buried at

Riverside National Cemetery Riverside National Cemetery (RNC) is a cemetery located in Riverside, California, dedicated to the interment of United States military personnel. The cemetery covers , making it the largest cemetery managed by the National Cemetery Administratio ...

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

Discography

Solo singles

* "Hands Across The Table" / "Love Can Do Most Anything" (Modern #1024) (1957) (as Will Jones & The Cadets) * "Cold Blooded Women" / "What Can I Do" (MJC #101) (circa 1960) (as Dub & Cora) * "Heaven's Not So Far" (MJC #108) (about 1960) (as Dub Jones) * "Cold Blooded Women" / "Heaven's Not So Far" (MJ #102) (about 1969) (

A-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 company ...

by Dub & Cora) * "Cold Blooded Women" / "What Can I Do" (Cotillion #44079) (1970) (as Dub & Cora)

References

External links

The Coasters website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Will 1928 births 2000 deaths American rhythm and blues singers Burials at Riverside National Cemetery Deaths from diabetes Musicians from Shreveport, Louisiana The Coasters members 20th-century American singers American basses Singers from Louisiana The Cadets (group) members 20th-century American male singers