Happy Birthday, Grace Jones. You have always been fierce, fun and fabulous. The Disco Diva turned 66 today, (born May 19, 1948) is a Jamaican singer, model and actress. Her fearless sense of style and age-defying beauty has inspired us all. And lets not forget those legs! At an age when most ladies are trying to cover up their legs, Grace still has some of the best stems in the business. Jones started out as a model, regularly appearing at the New York City nightclub Studio 54. Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look. Jones found mainstream success in Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, scoring Top 40 entries on the UK Singles Chart. Her albums include Warm Leatherette, Nightclubbing and Slave to the Rhythm, and her biggest hits are Pull Up to the Bumper, Ive Seen That Face Before (Libertango), Private Life, Slave to the Rhythm and Im Not Perfect (But Im Perfect for You). Her acting occasionally overshadowed her musical output in America, but not in Europe, where her profile as a recording artist was much higher. She appeared in some low-budget films in the 1970s and early 1980s. Her work as an actress in mainstream film began in the 1984 fantasy-action film Conan the Destroyer alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the 1985 James Bond movie A View to a Kill. In 1986 she played a vampire in Vamp, and both acted in and contributed a song to the 1992 film Boomerang with Eddie Murphy. In 2001, she appeared in Wolf Girl alongside Tim Curry. Grace Jones was born in 1948 in Spanish Town, Jamaica, the daughter of Marjorie and Robert W. Jones, who was a politician and Apostolic clergyman. Jones had a very strict religious upbringing; from a young age, she rebelled against her parents expectations of her. Jones explored her inner tomboy by hiding in trees, and her inner vanity by painting her fingernails, immediately removing the polish when she heard her parents arriving home. Her parents took Grace and her brothers, Chris and Noel Jones, and relocated to Syracuse, New York in 1965, where she studied theatre at Syracuse University. Signing with one of New Yorks top agencies, Jones launched her modelling career in the 1970s. Her features were too strong for American magazines at that time; one day, leaving her agency, she met the modelling agent Claude Mohammed Haddad in an elevator. When asked what was wrong, she responded, They dont like black people in this country. Haddad proposed that she move to Paris and model at his Euro Planning agency. Jones accepted his offer, and her exotic features attracted the Parisian fashion circuit to her. The European fashion scene was the place for Jones to be, and she became a sought-after model to the European designers, particularly Azzedine Alaia, Jones became their muse and was frequently photographed promoting their line, during this time Jones shared an apartment with Jerry Hall and Jessica Lange. Hall and Jones frequented the Club Sept, one of Pariss most popular gay clubs of the 1970s and 80s. Jones mingled with Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Karl Lagerfeld, and Pat Cleveland. In 1973, Jones made her acting debut in the film Gordons War, Jones played the role of Mary, a Harlem drug courier. Having enjoyed a successful modelling career, Jones secured a record deal with Beam Junction, acquired by Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits and a large gay following. Her début, disco-oriented album Portfolio was released in 1977 to a considerable success, and spawned hits I Need a Man and La Vie en rose. Two more albums followed, Fame in 1978 and Muse in 1979, which generated more pop melodies set to a disco beat, such as Do or Die or On Your Knees. Although popular in the club market, her first three albums failed to break the mainstream sales charts. Once in New York again, Jones hit all the hottest clubs. She partied with Andy Warhol at Studio 54. The colourful artwork and design for Joness three first albums and accompanying single releases were created by one of Warhols long-time collaborators, Richard Bernstein, arguably best known for his cover illustrations for Interview Magazine in the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1978, she appeared with the French model and singer Amanda Lear in the Italian TV series Stryx. The majority of Joness music videos have been directed by long-time collaborator, Jean-Paul Goude. This includes Ive Seen That Face Before (Libertango), My Jamaican Guy, Living My Life, and Slave to the Rhythm. The two revisited, and created a video for Love Is the Drug from the 1980 album Warm Leatherette. Keith Haring directed the video for Joness 1986 single, Im Not Perfect (But Im Perfect for You), which featured Andy Warhol. On the video Corporate Cannibal, the first single off Hurricane, Jones collaborated with artist Nick Hooker. Jones had seen his work for U2 and Hooker chose the song he made the video for. Chris Levine, a lighting and installation designer, collaborated with Jones on the music video for the third single off the album, Love You to Life. The two also collaborated on Stillness at the Speed of Light, an exhibition at the Vinyl Factory in Soho, London. The exhibition showcased two slow motion animated stills of Jones, Stillness at the Speed of Light, and Superstar; it ran from 30 April to 14 May 2010. Levine was also responsible for laser installation pieces that were seen at Joness Royal Albert Hall concert in 2008. Gay icon Grace Jones has accumulated a large gay fanbase over the years; in an interview with Videowest, she acknowledged it, saying: “ It was a completely different audience, no-one ever really toured any gay clubs. They were really willing to do something different, I like the fact being a cult, I think its a strong foundation, theyre a very loyal audience, not these people who are one day and gone the next.” In 2002, Jones joined Luciano Pavarotti on stage for his annual Pavarotti and Friends fundraiser concert to support the United Nations refugee agencys programs for Angolan refugees in Zambia. In March 2010 Jones performed for guests at the 18th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Viewing Party. The Elton John AIDS Foundation is one of the worlds leading nonprofit HIV/AIDS organizations supporting innovative HIV prevention programs, and works to eliminate stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS. That evening, US$3.7 million was raised. Sir Elton John expressed his gratitude towards Jones, saying: “Grace Jones is not only an amazing performer, but a dear friend and a fellow activist in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Shes simply an amazing woman. Love you, Grace.
Posted on: Mon, 19 May 2014 21:10:30 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015