LINDA JONES

Linda Jones wore her gospel roots on her sleeve with a series of blistering ballads.

She was born in Newark, New Jersey, on December 14, 1944. She started singing at the age of six with her family gospel group, the Jones Singers. Her debut single, “Lonely Teardrops,” came out on Cub Records in 1963 under the name Linda Lane. Subsequently, Jones met producer George Kerr, who, from 1964-65, produced singles on her for both Atco and Blue Cat Records. But they were commercially unsuccessful.

In 1967, Kerr took Jones to Loma Records, the Rhythm and Blues subsidiary of Warner Brothers. Her debut release for the label proved her biggest. The haunting ballad “Hypnotized” climbed to #4 R&B and #21 pop. It also became the title track of Jones’ debut LP.

After two additional singles did well with the Black audience, Jones found herself without a label when Loma closed its doors in late 1968. She then signed with the Philadelphia-based Neptune Records, owned by the songwriting-production team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Two singles, which Kerr produced, made some noise on the R&B chart before Jones moved on to the Turbo label out of New Jersey in 1971.

On her new label, Jones enjoyed her biggest hit in four years with a powerful, gospel-drenched remake of the 1958 Jerry Butler & The Impressions doo-wop hit, “For Your Precious Love.” Half preached and half sung, Jones based her version on the 1967 remake by soul singer Oscar Toney Jr. The song’s R&B chart success spawned an identically titled album, of which critic Robert Christgau wrote the following:

Jones isn’t too long on artistry—she likes to dispense with formality and just start at the climax, throwing her emotions and her high notes all over material like "Dancing in the Street" and "I Can’t Make It Alone." Pretty amazing, in its way, and definitely recommended to people who always get out of their cars to look at waterfalls and strange rock formations.

On March 14, 1972, Linda Jones, a diabetic, was resting at her mother’s house following a national tour. There, she went into insulin shock and passed away. Like so many other musical figures who died young, Jones was twenty-seven.

All Platinum—the parent company of Turbo—released three posthumous albums on Jones. In 2008, her daughter, Terry Jones, co-produced an album with her mother’s vocals on it. One of its tracks, “Baby I Know,” received a Grammy nomination.

Charted singles:

“Hypnotized” (1967) R&B #4, Pop #21
“What’ve I Done (To Make You Mad)” (1967) R&B #8, Pop #61
“Give My Love a Try” (1968) R&B #34, Pop #93
“I’ll Be Sweeter Tomorrow” (1970) R&B #45
“That’s When I’ll Stop Loving You” (1970) R&B #47
“Stay With Me Forever” (1971) R&B #47
“Not on the Outside” (1972) R&B #32
“Your Precious Love” (1972) R&B #15, Pop #74