The Jones Girls

The Jones Girls were an American R&B vocal trio of sisters from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Consisting of Brenda, Shirley and Valorie Jones, The Jones Girls first signed and recorded for GM Records in 1970. The trio were best known for their singles during the late–1970s through the 1980s; most notably 1979's "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else".[1] After a six–year tenure with GM, they then recorded for Philadelphia International Records with Gamble & Huff.

The Jones Girls
OriginDetroit, Michigan, United States
Genres
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1970–1993
Labels
Associated acts
Past membersBrenda Jones (deceased)
Shirley Jones
Valorie Jones (deceased)

History

The group consisted of sisters Brenda (December 7, 1954 – April 3, 2017),[2][3] Valorie (April 17, 1956 – December 2, 2001) and Shirley Jones (born September 22, 1953). They performed as backup singers for Lou Rawls, Teddy Pendergrass, Aretha Franklin, and Le Pamplemousse. They worked with Diana Ross from 1975 to 1978 and were the backup singers on Linda Clifford's 1978 album If My Friends Could See Me Now.[4] They also performed on Tower of Power's disco-themed 1979 album Back on the Streets. Their biggest hit was "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else". The song hit the Billboard Magazine Top 40 at number 38 in May 1979.[1] The song was also a Top 5 R&B hit.[1] It became a gold record. An additional hit followed in 1980, with the single "I Just Love The Man", charting at number 9 in January 1981.[1] The less successful "Nights Over Egypt" (1981), written by Dexter Wansel, charted at R&B #23 in 1982.[1]

After the release and failure of their fourth U.S. album, On Target, lead singer Shirley Jones pursued a solo career and had a number 1 R&B hit on Billboard with "Do You Get Enough Love", from her top-ten debut album Always in the Mood (1986). "Do You Get Enough Love" was written by Bunny Sigler who also produced it with Kenny Gamble.[5] Valorie Jones died on December 2, 2001, in Detroit, Michigan, at the age of 45.[6] In 2007, Shirley Jones released an album Ladies Night Out together with Jean Carn and Cherrelle, on CD and DVD.

Brenda eventually moved to Atlanta, where she sang frequently with her four-piece band, performing both jazz and R&B numbers, including many Jones Girls' tunes. She later moved to New York after her children were grown, to have a more active performing and recording schedule. On April 3, 2017, she was visiting her daughter in Wilmington, Delaware, and was hit by several cars and killed while attempting to cross the street. She was 62.[7] Shirley continues to perform successfully as The Jones Girls with two of her nieces and a nephew on background vocals.

Covers

"Who Can I Run To", from the band's self-titled 1979 debut album, was covered by Xscape in 1995. Their cover version became a number 1 R&B and number 8 pop hit. The original version was the B-side of "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else".

Nights Over Egypt was covered by Incognito in their album No Time Like The Future and by Dexter Wansel in 2019.

Discography

Studio albums
Year Album Peak chart positions Record Label
US
[8]		 US
R&B
[8]
1979 The Jones Girls 50 8 Philadelphia International
1980 At Peace with Woman 96 7
1981 Get as Much Love as You Can 155 25
1983 On Target — 59 RCA
1984 Keep It Comin' 201 — Philadelphia International
1992 Coming Back — — ARP
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

Singles
Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[8]		 US
R&B
[8]		 US
Dan
[8]		 US
A/C
[8]
1970 "My Own Special Way" — — — — N/A
1972 "Come Back" — — — —
"Your Love Controls Me" — — — —
1973 "Taster of the Honey (Not the Keeper of the Bee)" — — — —
1974 "If You Don't Love Me No More" — — — —
"Will You Be There" — — — —
1975 "I Turn to You" — — — —
"Hey Lucinda" — — — —
1979 "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else" 38 5 12 — The Jones Girls
"We're a Melody" — 78 — 50
1980 "I'm at Your Mercy" — 77 — —
"Dance Turned into a Romance" — 22 — — At Peace with Woman
"I Just Love the Man" — 9 — —
1981 "Back in the Day" — — — —
"(I Found) That Man of Mine" — 20 — — Get as Much Love as You Can
1981 "Nights Over Egypt" — 23 — —
"Get as Much Love as You Can" — — — —
1983 "On Target" — 43 — — On Target
"2 Win U Back" — 47 — —
1984 "Better Things to Do" — — — — Keep It Comin'
1992 "Sweet Ecstasy" — — — — Coming Back
"You Threw Our Love Away" — — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

References
  1. "The Jones Girls Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". Music VF. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  2. Brenda Jones Williams December 7, 1954 – April 3, 2017 (age 62)
  3. NewsOne - Brenda Jones 62, The Jones Girls - RIP - April 3, 2017
  4. Eder, Bruce. "Artist Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  5. White, Adam; Bronson, Fred (1993). The Billboard Book of Number One Rhythm & Blues Hits. Billboard Books:Watson-Guptill Publications, New York. p. 368.
  6. "Valorie Jones (1956 - 2001) - Find A Grave Memorial". Findagrave.com. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  7. "Singer Brenda Jones, of the R&B Group The Jones Girls, Has Passed Away - EBONY". Ebony.com. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  8. "US Charts > The Jones Girls". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
  9. "US Certifications > The Jones Girls". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
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