Everyone from my generation probably knows the name Jack Jones, but how many have heard many pieces from his wide catalog of music. Until recently I fell into this demographic. Most of the radio stations I listen to that play the music I enjoy rarely play anything but artist standards. In Jack Jones' case usually the number played is The Impossible Dream. To be sure this is a great song and I enjoy listening to it; however, I am always a bit disappointed that such a great singer rarely has other of his works given air time.Since my obsession is the music itself I have rarely taken the time to find out about the artists I enjoy, but this blog now gives me the opportunity to dig a little deeper and find out more about the artists themselves. And maybe this will pique your curiosity too. Jack Jones was born January 14, 1938 in Los Angeles, California. His birth name is John Allan Jones, the only son of actors Allan Jones and Irene Hervey. Jack Jones was born on the very night that his father recorded his signature song Donkey Serenade. I have to tell you here that I have never listened to this song by Jack Jones' father, but I may now take the time to look it up and hear it for myself. The young Jones attended University High School in West Los Angeles and studied drama and singing. His first professional break was with his father, when Allan Jones was performing at the Thunderbird Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. He recorded a couple of demos for songwriter Don Raye, attracting attention from the music industry. In 1959, Jones was signed to Capitol Records and released the album This Love of Mine and a few singles. None of these records sold well, and his contract was cut short. These early singles were compiled in the budget album The Romantic Voice of Jack Jones
, released in the early 1970s in the UK by the label Music For Pleasure.After being dropped by Capitol, Jones was drafted and spent some time in the US Air Force. Returning to civilian life Jones joined Kapp Records. In August 1961 he recorded the ballad Lollipops and Roses (a song by Tony Velona), which became a hit in the following year. Jones' biggest pop hit was "Wives and Lovers" by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Today, the lyrics may seem chauvinistic, but this song was a kind of anthem for the urban male of the Kennedy era, hauntingly, since it was climbing the national charts when Kennedy was assassinated. The imagery seems to come from the pages of an early 1960s Playboy Magazine, and a good-looking, smooth-sounding Jack was the perfect vocalist to deliver this classic hit. To hell with chauvinism, this is one of my favorites and I never tire of hearing Jones' version of this song. The tempo is hip and I always find myself tapping a toe to the rhythm.
In the Kapp years, Jones recorded almost twenty albums, including Shall We Dance
, This Was My Love, She Loves Me
, Call Me Irresponsible
, I´ve Got a Lot of Living To Do!, Bewitched, Wives and Lovers
, Dear Heart, Where Love Has Gone
, The Jack Jones Christmas Album
, My Kind of Town, The Impossible Dream
, The In Crowd, Jack Jones Sings
, Lady
, Our Song, etc.Young, handsome, and well-groomed, Jack Jones was an anomaly in the sixties, eschewing rock and roll trends and opting for the big band sound, lush romantic ballads and the Great American Songbook, although sometimes he recorded something more pop, country or bossa nova oriented. One of his biggest hits, for example, was The Race Is On, by country music legend George Jones (who is not related to Jack). Besides the good choice of material, Jones worked with top arrangers like Billy May, Nelson Riddle, Marty Paich, Shorty Rogers, Jack Elliott, Ralph Carmichael, Bob Florence, Don Costa and Pete King. This type of music is probably even more of an anomaly today. I was too young then to have an opinion, but finding out now that Jones was following his own style in the 60s going against the rock 'n' roll onslaught, I now have much respect for him. Thanks Jack Jones for producing these great songs during a time when such music was not the norm.
Jones moved from Kapp (in the UK, London Records) to RCA Records in 1967. His first album in the new company was called Without Her. The following releases, If You Ever Leave Me, L.A. Break Down, and Where is Love were in roughly the same style of the classic Kapp records, but with slightly more contemporary vocal stylings. After A Jack Jones Christmas
, he decided to more significantly revamp his musical direction and image, changing his appearance from the smooth club entertainer of the 1960s Las Vegas scene to the long-haired singer of the early seventies. A Time For Us (1970) was one of the albums which marked his transition towards a middle of the road sound. Jones started to record more contemporary material, including covers of people like Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson, Carole King, Paul Williams, Richard Carpenter, Gordon Lightfoot, Gilbert O'Sullivan, etc.In 1979, Jones moved to MGM Records, recording the album Nobody Does it Better, which featured disco tracks of The Love Boat Theme
and his Grammy winner, Wives and Lovers. His second (and last) MGM album, Don't Stop Now, featured duets with Maureen McGovern. Who can forget The Love Boat Theme. Although it was a corny TV show, I always liked the song.Since 1980, he has recorded only a handful of albums, and now performs in various concert arenas and occasionally appears on the supper-club circuit. He has performed all over the world and has a large following in England, a place he visits almost every year.
I've only briefly covered Jack Jones' career and nothing of his personal life. He also has a long career as an actor in movies, television and the theater. Since my interest is his music, I'll leave it up to you to find out more about Jack Jones, another of my favorite music artists.
Once Upon A Time is one of my favorite Jack Jone's songs, although it always makes me sad.
