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Grace Jones

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Grace Jones was born in 1948 in Spanish Town, Jamaica. Her parents worked in America, and Grace grew up with her grandmother and a strict step-grandfather, in a strict Pentecostal faith. At thirteen she came to Syracuse, in New York State. She studied theatre, rebelled against her parents' faith and became a model. In 1970 she moved to Paris, where she worked for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent and Kenzo and appeared on the covers of magazines such as Elle.

Music and breakthrough

In 1977 she signed with Island Records. Her first albums, Portfolio, Fame and Muse, were disco, and she belonged to the scene around Studio 54 in New York. From Warm Leatherette (1980) she took a different path. With the rhythm duo Sly & Robbie she made music at the Compass Point studio in the Bahamas in which new wave, reggae, funk and pop come together. Nightclubbing (1981) became her greatest success, with Pull Up to the Bumper and I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango). In 1985 the producer Trevor Horn made Slave to the Rhythm with her. She also acted in films, such as the Bond film A View to a Kill.

Influence

Grace Jones stood out for her androgynous, cool appearance, with the angular haircut that she developed together with the designer Jean-Paul Goude. In her case music, fashion and image formed a single whole. In this way she became a model for many artists in music and fashion, and an early face in the discussion about gender. Later she worked with Gorillaz and Beyoncé.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Slave to the Rhythm and notice how Trevor Horn builds the song from layers of rhythm, voices and electronic sounds. Hear how Grace Jones's voice becomes one of those layers.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

See also

Categories: Artists