GRACE JONES

Grace Jones: Statuesque, Iconic, and Timeless
by Raul da Gama

The legendary British-born, Jamaican-based producer Chris Blackwell (with Graeme Goodall as his initial partner) not only knew how to spend a 2000 pound stipend from his mother, but had an eye for the supremely-gifted and highly visible Jamaican artists for his newly-minted Island Records. Among his first signings for Island were Bob Marley and Grace Jones. Bob was riding the crest of the reggae wave - making it move to the beat of his own "riddim."

Grace always seems to be taller than almost any proverbial wave that would rise in Jamaica and crash in Britain. Even sitting on an interviewer’s couch, which she literally takes over as she drapes herself upon it. She is a celebrated supermodel, an actress, singer, a revolutionary presence, and is larger than life in each of the roles she plays.

Life? That began in Spanish Town, Jamaica, where Grace was born to Marjorie (née Williams) and Robert Jones, a local politician and Apostolic clergyman. “I grew up living in a bubble,” she says, gesticulating with both hands to the British ITV host Jonathan Ross, suggesting how small a space her life once occupied. Growing up in Jamaica, “…there was nothing except church and school which was in church and school which was church,” she continues, explaining the need to break on through to another side. That was not long in coming. Grace was always a singer, and being a striking presence, she naturally gravitated to the stage. 

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