All you need to know about GLENN JONES
IN 1990, Don’t Know Much, a duet by Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
Three years earlier, the original version (All I Need to Know) by American singer Glenn Jones appeared on his self-titled album, but there was little fanfare.
“Mine was never released as a single but it’s (the Ronstadt/Neville cut) not as nice as my own. Might have been bigger because they won a Grammy,” Jones told the Sunday Observer.
Jones is among the performers for the May 11 To Mom With Love show at Lime Golf Academy in New Kingston.
For the singer, who performs in mainly intimate venues throughout the United States, it will be his second show in Jamaica. Presently shopping his new album, he says the music business has transformed significantly since the late 1980s when he first visited.
“The record industry has changed so much, I’m waiting to hook up with the right distributors and marketing to go with it,” he said. “I put a lot of work into the album and I don’t want to release it for the sake of releasing it. I want it to make an impact.”
Jones started his career as a gospel singer before making a successful transition to the secular field. In 1980, he was featured on singer/producer Norman Connors’ song Melancholy Fire.
He recorded other non-gospel songs such as I Am Somebody, Here I Go Again, Bring Back Your Love and We’ve Only Just Begun (The Romance Is All Over).
Interestingly, All I Need To Know (Don’t Know Much) received steady airplay in Jamaica and introduced Jones to music fans here.
With the widescale changes in the music industry, Jones counts himself lucky to be still working consistently. “I perform everywhere. Right now, I have upcoming dates in Texas, Atlantic City, and I have been blessed to be back and forth in Europe and Japan,” he said.
Having recorded over 12 albums and 130 songs, one song (In You) stands out for Jones.
“I am proud of the lyrics, I wrote it sitting in a parking lot. I already had the music for the song but no lyrics,” he said.
Soul singer Dorothy Moore and country-pop band Dr Hook are also billed for To Mom With Love.
— Cecelia
Campbell-Livingston
