Rickie Lee Jones | |
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![]() Jones performing in 2007 | |
Background information | |
Born | Chicago, Illinois, United States | November 8, 1954
Genres | Rock, R&B, pop |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano |
Years active | 1979–present |
Labels | Warner Bros., Geffen, Reprise, Artemis, V2, New West, Fantasy, OSOD/Thirty Tigers, Buffalo Records |
Website | rickieleejones |
Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. Over the course of a career that spans five decades and 15 studio albums, she has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, pop, soul, and jazz.[1] A two-time Grammy Award winner (from eight nominations),[2] Jones was listed at No. 30 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Rock & Roll in 1999.[3] AllMusic stated: "Few singer/songwriters are as individual and eclectic as Rickie Lee Jones, a vocalist with an expressive and smoky instrument, and a composer who can weave jazz, folk, and R&B into songs with a distinct pop sensibility."[1]
She released her self-titled debut album in 1979, to critical and commercial success. It peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard 200, and spawned the hit single "Chuck E.'s in Love", which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] The album went platinum later that year,[5] and earned Jones four Grammy Award nominations in 1980, including Best New Artist, which she won.[2] Her second album, Pirates, followed in 1981 to further critical and commercial success; it peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, went gold,[5] and ranked No. 49 on NPR's list of the 150 Greatest Albums Made by Women in 2017.[6]
Her third album, The Magazine, appeared in 1984 before Jones took a brief hiatus from recording. Her fourth album, Flying Cowboys, was released in 1989 and later went gold.[5] Jones won her second Grammy Award in 1990 for "Makin' Whoopee", a duet with Dr. John, this time in the category of Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group.[2] Jones' seventh Grammy Award nomination followed in 2001 in the category of Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for her album It's Like This (2000).[2] In 2021, Jones released her memoir Last Chance Texaco: Chronicles of an American Troubadour.[7] Her 15th studio album, Pieces of Treasure, was released in 2023 and earned Jones her eighth Grammy Award nomination, for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.[8]