Rockopedia Review


This short review appeard in the "Guiness Rockopedia", which was released a few months ago.


GRACE JONES

WHO: b. 19 May 1952, Kingston, Jamaica

WHAT: Scary Bond bombshell

Sinister supermodel Jones swapped catwalks for clubs, winning gay disciples with an erotic stage act and an androgynous image masterminded by her boyfriend and Svengali manager Jean Paul Goude. "I Need A Man" and "La Vie En Rose" (both 1977) were Disco hits, while The Pretenders cover "Private Life" took her into the mainstrean in 1980. An aggressive reputation - and roles in the James Bond blockbuster "A View To A Kill" (1985) and "Vamp" (1986) - overshadowed her innotive blend of Funk (1981's "Pull Up To The Bumper"), Reggae (1983's "My Jamaican Guy") and epic weirdness (1985's "Slave To The Rhythm").

Warm Leatherette (1980), Nightclubbing (1981), Living My Life (1982) and Slave To The Rhythm (1985) boasted the talents of Trevor Horn and Sly & Robbie, and were filleted for Island Life (1986). However, with Inside Story (1986), Bulletproof Heart (1989) and Sex Drive (1993), Jones' appeal became more selective.

Picture Credit: Nancy Ellison: Retna