Joe Jones(1926-2005)
- Soundtrack
New Orleans-born and -bred Joe Jones studied music at New York's
prestigious Juilliard School of Music, paid for by the GI Bill
after his stint in the US Navy during World War II. Returning to New
Orleans, he got his foot in the music scene as a personal assistant and
"gofer" for blues legend B.B. King, and
eventually became King's arranger and pianist. He later formed his own
R&B band and spent several years making the rounds of the music scene
in the French Quarter. He released a single, "Will Call", for Capitol
Records in 1954, but it never went anywhere, and signing a contract
with Herald Records didn't do a whole lot for his career, either.
However, in 1957 he signed with New York's Roulette Records and cut
"You Talk Too Much", a novelty song written by the brother-in-law of
Fats Domino for Domino himself, who turned
it down. Roulette for some reason didn't even release it, but Jones
liked the song and re-recorded it three years later for Ric Records, a
small New Orleans label. Oddly enough, the song first became a hit in
New York City, which was Roulette Records' home, and the company took
legal steps to stop its release by Ric and transfer it to Roulette,
which is just what happened. The record was a major hit, shooting to #3
on the charts. Jones, however, because of various legal
maneuvering--for which Roulette Records was notorious--earned virtually
nothing for his troubles.
Disgusted with the business, he moved to New York to get involved in the production end of the industry rather than the recording end of it. In that capacity he helped start the careers of several recording stars, among them The Dixie Cups ("Chapel of Love"). In the 1970s he moved to Los Angeles and started up his own music publishing company. In addition, he became involved in the effort to help black performers recoup the rights and royalties from their performances and/or songwriting efforts which they had either unwittingly signed away or were tricked into signing away by unscrupulous record companies and publishers in the beginning of the rock/R&B era in the early and mid-'50s.
Joe Jones died on November 27, 2005, in Los Angeles of complications following quadruple bypass surgery.
Disgusted with the business, he moved to New York to get involved in the production end of the industry rather than the recording end of it. In that capacity he helped start the careers of several recording stars, among them The Dixie Cups ("Chapel of Love"). In the 1970s he moved to Los Angeles and started up his own music publishing company. In addition, he became involved in the effort to help black performers recoup the rights and royalties from their performances and/or songwriting efforts which they had either unwittingly signed away or were tricked into signing away by unscrupulous record companies and publishers in the beginning of the rock/R&B era in the early and mid-'50s.
Joe Jones died on November 27, 2005, in Los Angeles of complications following quadruple bypass surgery.
