Linda Jones

by Bill Pollak

Originally published in MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide, Gary Graff, Josh Freedom du Lac, and Jim McFarlin (eds.); Visible Ink Press (Detroit, MI): 1998.

Revised March 21, 2002

Born Jan. 14, 1944, Newark, NJ; died March 14, 1972, New York, NY

Linda Jones was a unique and extraordinary talent. Jones had a minor hit with "Hypnotized" in 1967 for Loma, a subsidiary of Warner Brothers, in which she used the vocal idiosyncracies that she displayed in her later recordings with greater subtlety. Later in her career, however, she let it all loose--a warbling display of vocal gymnastics unlike anything that anyone has ever done before or since. The best example was "Not On the Outside," recorded for Turbo Records in Newark, NJ, perhaps the most over-the-top vocal performance ever released. Jones makes Tina Turner sound like Judy Collins, achieving a level of intensity in the first 10 seconds that is well beyond what most singers ever attempt. [Your Precious Love], a collection of her Turbo recordings, carries a disclaimer attributing the poor sound quality to the fact that compact discs enhance defects in the original analog recordings. It's hard to imagine any recording equipment, though, analog or digital, that would not have been distorted by the extraordinary power of Linda Jones's voice.

She died shortly after a performance at the Apollo Theatre in New York from complications with diabetes at the age of 28.

Buy first:[For Your Precious Love] (Turbo/Sequel, 1988, prod. Various) (3 bones). The music is not as consistent as her earlier work for Loma and other labels, and the quality of the recording itself is abysmal, but this is the CD that displays Linda Jones at her most unique and inventive. There are many transcendent moments, the title song in particular.

Buy next: [Hypnotized - 20 Golden Classics] (Collectables, 1994, prod. Various) (4 bones) covers material from throughout Jones's too-brief career, including her outstanding version of the O'Jays' "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow," which was released as a 45 on Neptune.

Avoid: None.

The rest: [Hypnotized] (Loma, 1967, prod. George Kerr) (4 bones)

Worth searching for: [The Best of Loma Records: The Rise and Fall of a 1960's Soul Label] (Warner, 1994, prod. Various) (4 bones) has five fine selections by Jones as well as some excellent recordings by J.J. Jackson, Ike & Tina Turner, Lorraine Ellison, the Enchanters, the Marvellos, and others. If you buy this disc, you don't want to put your CD player on random play mode; Linda Jones and Lorraine Ellison back to back could be dangerous.

Influenced by:  Jackie Wilson, Inez Andrews

Influenced: Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Mariah Carey

Read more soul articles by Bill Pollak

Billy Price Band home
Billy Price Band schedule
Billy Price CDs and DVDs
Billy Price biography
Reviews and articles about Billy Price

Last update: 12/15/2004