Grace Jones

Though Grace Jones originally found success as a model, and received renown for her unconventional image even after transitioning to singing, she was an innovative force in late-'70s/early-'80s music. She was born on May 19, 1948 in Spanish Town, Jamaica, and moved to upstate New York with her family at the age of 13. By the time she was 18, Jones was a model in New York City, and her height, dark skin, and androgynous look lent her a unique vibe. That attention-getting look couldn't have hurt in snaring a record deal with Island, and the label released Jones's debut album, Portfolio, in 1977. Disco ruled at the time, and while Jones's first few Island outings are rooted in that sound, she already displayed an idiosyncratic approach, bringing a cabaret influence to bear with covers of "Send in the Clowns" and "La vie en rose," and singing in a deep, husky voice. Jones scored a number of Dance hits from that period, but by 1980 she, like the rest of America, was ready to shift from disco to new wave. While Warm Leatherette contained no major hits, it earned Jones a new audience and a great deal more attention with its covers of tunes by Roxy Music, The Pretenders, and The Normal. 1981's Nightclubbing introduced a funkier feel, and contained a No. 2 Dance hit, "Pull Up to the Bumper." On her next couple of records she touched on her background and incorporated reggae flavors into her sound, scoring hits like "Nipple to the Bottle" and "Slave to the Rhythm" along the way. Jones had appeared in low-budget films since the '70s, but in 1984 her role in "Conan the Destroyer" gave her a legit sideline as a movie actress. She went on to appear in such high-profile films as the James Bond entry "A View to a Kill" (1985), Alex Cox's spaghetti-western pastiche "Straight to Hell" (1987), and romantic comedy "Boomerang" (1990). Though she released no records between 1989 and 2008, Jones remained a presence in both music and film. In 2018 she was the subject of the documentary "Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami."