Grace Jones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Grace Jones OJ
Jones in performance, 2015
Born	Grace Beverly Jones (1948-05-19) 19 May 1948 (age 77) Spanish Town, Saint Catherine, Crown Colony of Jamaica
Other names	Grace Mendoza
Citizenship	Jamaica United States
Alma mater	Onondaga Community College
Occupation	Singer songwriter model actress
Years active	1973–present
Works	Discography
Spouse(s)	Atila Altaunbay ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 2004)​
Children	1
Relatives	Noel Jones (brother)
Musical career
Genres	R&B disco new wave art pop reggae dance club
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Island Manhattan Capitol Wall of Sound/PIAS

Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a famous Jamaican singer, songwriter, model, and actress. She started her career as a model in New York and Paris. She worked for top fashion brands like Yves St. Laurent and Kenzo. You might have seen her on the covers of Elle and Vogue magazines. She became known for her unique and bold look.

In 1977, Grace Jones began her music journey. She signed with Island Records and became a big star in New York City's disco scene. In the early 1980s, her music style changed to new wave. This new sound mixed reggae, funk, and pop music. She worked often with designer Jean-Paul Goude and music duo Sly & Robbie. Some of her popular songs that made it to the Top 40 in the UK include "Private Life", "Pull Up to the Bumper", and "Slave to the Rhythm". Her most famous albums are Warm Leatherette (1980), Nightclubbing (1981), and Slave to the Rhythm (1985).

Grace Jones also became a successful actress. She played Zula in the movie Conan the Destroyer (1984) with Arnold Schwarzenegger. She was also in the James Bond film A View to a Kill (1985) as May Day. She starred as a vampire in Vamp (1986). These roles earned her nominations for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. Later, she appeared in the Eddie Murphy film Boomerang (1992) and Wolf Girl (2001).

Grace Jones has received many honors. In 1999, VH1 ranked her among the 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll. She was given a Q Idol Award in 2008. Many artists, like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Lorde, say she has inspired them. In 2016, Billboard magazine called her one of the greatest dance club artists ever.

Grace Jones: Early Life and Modeling Career

Grace Jones was born in 1948 in Spanish Town, Jamaica. Her parents were Marjorie and Robert W. Jones. Her father was a local politician and a church leader. Grace had six siblings. Her parents moved to the United States, leaving the children with their grandmother and her husband, "Mas P." Grace found him very strict.

She grew up in the family's church faith, with nightly prayer meetings. Grace was a shy child and was teased for being skinny. But she was good at sports and loved nature in Jamaica.

When Grace was 13, her parents brought her to live with them in Lyncourt, near Syracuse. Her father had started his own church there. Grace began to rebel against her strict upbringing. She started wearing makeup and visiting gay clubs with her brother. In college, she took a theater class. Her drama teacher encouraged her to join a summer theater tour. She decided to stay in Philadelphia and lived in hippie communities.

At 18, she moved back to New York and signed with a modeling agency. In 1970, she moved to Paris. The fashion world in Paris loved her unique, bold, and dark-skinned look. Top designers like Yves St. Laurent and Kenzo Takada hired her for runway shows. She appeared on the covers of Elle and Vogue. She worked with famous photographers like Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdin.

Grace Jones: Music Journey and Breakthrough

Starting in Music: Disco Queen

Grace Jones performing in 2015.

In 1977, Grace Jones signed with Island Records. She began recording disco music with producer Tom Moulton. Her first album, Portfolio, came out that year. It included songs from Broadway musicals and some new tracks. "I Need a Man" became her first club hit.

In 1978, she released Fame. This album was also popular in clubs, especially in North America. Songs like "Do or Die" and "Pride" reached the top 10 on dance charts. Grace Jones's live shows were very exciting and colorful. People called her the "Queen of the Gay Discos." Her third disco album, Muse, came out in 1979.

Changing Her Sound: New Wave and Acting Success

As disco music became less popular, Grace Jones changed her style. In 1980, she released Warm Leatherette, moving into new wave music. This album featured covers of songs by other artists and one song she co-wrote.

Her 1981 album, Nightclubbing, became her most famous. It included her unique covers of songs like "Walking in the Rain" and "I've Seen That Face Before". She also co-wrote "Pull Up to the Bumper". The album's strong rhythms were created by the Compass Point All Stars band. Nightclubbing was a huge success, reaching the Top 5 in several countries. It is now seen as her best album. The album cover, designed by Jean-Paul Goude, showed Grace Jones looking like a man in a suit. This bold image became very famous.

After Nightclubbing, Grace Jones released Living My Life in 1982. This album continued her new wave sound. The cover art for this album, also by Jean-Paul Goude, was very striking. It showed her head cut out and pasted onto a white background, giving her face an angular shape.

Grace Jones then created A One Man Show, a performance art show with Jean-Paul Goude. It featured songs from her albums and elaborate costumes. A video of the show was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Grace Jones also became a successful actress during this time. She played Zula in Conan the Destroyer (1984) and May Day in the James Bond film A View to a Kill (1985). Both roles earned her nominations for Best Supporting Actress.

Later Music and Films

In 1985, Grace Jones released Slave to the Rhythm, her last album with Island Records. This was a concept album, with all eight tracks being different versions of the title song. It also included parts of an interview with Grace Jones about her life. The album was very popular in Europe.

After this, Island Records released Island Life, a collection of her best songs. The cover art for this album was another famous image by Jean-Paul Goude. It showed Grace Jones's body in a way that looked impossible, created by combining different photos.

Grace Jones then signed with Manhattan Records and released Inside Story in 1986. She worked with producer Nile Rodgers. This album had a more pop sound, with hints of jazz and Caribbean music. That same year, she starred as a vampire queen in the film Vamp, earning another acting award nomination. She also appeared in Straight to Hell and Siesta in 1987.

In the 1990s, Grace Jones appeared in the Eddie Murphy film Boomerang (1992) and sang a song for its soundtrack. She also contributed songs to other films. In 1996, she released "Love Bites" for the Sci-Fi Channel's Vampire Week. She also worked with musician Tricky on an album that was never fully released.

In 2001, she starred in the TV film Wolf Girl. In 2002, she sang with Luciano Pavarotti at a charity concert for refugees.

Grace Jones: Recent Years and Influence

Hurricane Album and Memoir

After many years, Grace Jones released a new album called Hurricane in 2008. She worked with producer Ivor Guest. The album included songs about her life, like "This Is" and "Williams' Blood". It also featured contributions from her son, Paulo. The album was well-received by critics.

Grace Jones promoted Hurricane with a tour and appearances on TV shows. She was honored with the Q Idol Award that same year. In 2012, she performed "Slave to the Rhythm" at the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II celebration, famously keeping a hula hoop spinning around her waist throughout the song.

In 2014, a special edition of her Nightclubbing album was released. In October 2014, she contributed a song called "Original Beast" to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 soundtrack. Her memoir, I'll Never Write My Memoirs, was published in 2015.

Recent Collaborations and Festivals

In 2017, Grace Jones worked with the band Gorillaz on their song "Charger". In October 2018, the Jamaican government honored her with the Order of Jamaica.

In June 2022, Grace Jones was the curator for the Meltdown Festival in London. During her closing show, she announced that she was working on a new album. In July 2022, she provided vocals for Beyoncé's song "Move" from her album Renaissance.

Grace Jones continues to perform at major music festivals. She was announced for the 2023 Camp Bestival lineup and headlined the Bluedot Festival in July 2023.

Grace Jones: Unique Style and Impact

Her Iconic Look

Grace Jones's appearance is as famous as her music. Her "striking visuals" made her a muse for designers like Issey Miyake. Her look has been called "neo-cubist" because of its sharp, angular shapes. Her unique androgynous (mixing male and female styles) appearance, square-cut clothes, and tall height influenced fashion in the 1980s. She is still known for her one-of-a-kind style.

Many artists, including Madonna, Björk, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga, have been inspired by her. The Guardian newspaper even listed her as one of the 50 best-dressed people over 50.

Much of her famous visual style was created by French artist Jean-Paul Goude. He designed her album covers, directed her music videos, and helped create her public image. Goude saw Grace Jones as his inspiration. He used a technique called "French correction" to change photos, making her limbs longer or her head bigger. This created surreal and impossible images.

Grace Jones was also close to famous artists in the New York art scene, like Andy Warhol and Keith Haring. These artists created paintings and other works inspired by her.

Her Music Style

Grace Jones's music is described as "weird, vibrant, and progressive." She has blended disco, new wave, post-punk, art pop, industrial, reggae, and gospel into her own unique sound. Her powerful vocals tie it all together.

Her early music was disco. In the early 1980s, she moved to a new wave sound. Her albums Warm Leatherette and Nightclubbing mixed reggae, funk, pop, and rock.

Grace Jones has a deep vocal range. She often sings in a monotone, spoken-word style, like in "Private Life". But she can also sing in a higher, almost soprano voice, as heard in "La Vie en Rose" and "Slave to the Rhythm".

Grace Jones: Personal Life

Grace Jones's father, Bishop Robert W. Jones, was very strict. Their relationship was difficult because of his strong religious beliefs. He believed singing should only be used to praise God. Her mother, Marjorie, supported Grace's career but couldn't be publicly linked to her music. Grace's grandfather, John Williams, was also a musician who played with Nat King Cole.

Grace has said her childhood felt "crushed underneath the Bible." Because of her difficult childhood experiences, she has refused to enter a Jamaican church since.

Grace Jones has one son, Paulo, born in 1979, with her long-time collaborator Jean-Paul Goude. She also has one granddaughter. Grace married Atila Altaunbay in 1996. She has said in her memoir that Atila was the only boyfriend she ever married. She was also in a relationship with Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren, who was her bodyguard. She helped him get a role in the James Bond film A View to a Kill.

Grace Jones's brother is Bishop Noel Jones, a well-known church leader who appeared on the reality show Preachers of LA.

Discography

Studio albums

• Portfolio (1977)
• Fame (1978)
• Muse (1979)
• Warm Leatherette (1980)
• Nightclubbing (1981)
• Living My Life (1982)
• Slave to the Rhythm (1985)
• Inside Story (1986)
• Bulletproof Heart (1989)
• Hurricane (2008)

Tours

• A One Man Show (1981)
• Grace in Your Face (1990)
• Hurricane Tour (2009)

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Grace Jones para niños