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Tuesday 14 December 2021

Linda Jones - A Profile of...


Thanks to Gary Van den Bussche for highlighting that today would have been Linda Jones' birthday and, like Willie Hutch (posted on Sunday), would have been 77 had she not tragically died of  a diabetic coma aged only 27 on 14 Mar1972 whilst she was at her artistic peak.
She was was born in Newark, NJ on 14 Dec 1944 and began singing aged six in her family's gospel group, the Jones Singers. Her first recording was under the pseudonym Linda Lane which was a cover of the Jackie Wilson's 1958 hit "Lonely Teardrops" on Cub Records in 1963. Another two singes were released on Atco in 1965 and Blue Cat in 1966 produced by George Kerr which also failed to make any impact.  

Kerr took her to Russ Regan's Loma label (a Warner Bros. subsidiary) in 1967. Her first recording for the label became her biggest hit and the label's best selling record "Hypnotized" reaching #4 R&B #21 Hot 100. The flip side "I Can't Stop Lovin' My Baby" would later be picked up on by the UK Northern Soul scene, as would several other of her Loma recordings "My Heart Needs A Break" and "I Just Can't Live My Life (Without You Babe)" in particular but there were others.  

She released seven singles and an album titled "Hypnotized" on Loma before moving to Gamble & Huff's Neptune label for two singles in 1969-70 and then on to Sylvia Robinson's Turbo label in 1971 for four singles in 1971-72 before switching to another Robinson label Stang for a one with The Whatnauts before reverting back to Turbo for her last two. The last five singles were released posthumously. Turbo also released three albums by her in 1972,  "Your Precious Love" with the last two "Let It Be Me" and "A Portrait Of" being released posthumously.

Her catalogue has been fairly extensively covered in several compilations.

Albums

1967 - Hypnotized [Loma #LS 5907] 

Full Album HERE
Hypnotized (2:38)
I Can't Stop Lovin' My Baby (2:03)
Give My Love A Try (2:30)
You Can't Take It (2:20)
What've I Done (To Make You Mad) (2:20)
I Can't Stand It (2:20)
The Things I've Been Through (Loving You) (3:10)
If Only (We Had Met Sooner) (2:38)
Make Me Surrender (Baby, Baby Please) (2:34)
A Last Minute Miracle (2:31)
Seeing Is Believing (3:14)
1972 - Your Precious Love [Turbo #TU-7007]

Full Album HERE
Your Precious Love
Don't Go (I Can't Bear To Be Alone)
Behold
Stay With Me Forever
Not On The Outside
Dancing In The Street
Let It Be Me
I Can't Make It Alone
Doggin Me Around
1972 - Let It Be Me [Turbo #TU 7008]

Full Album HERE
Fugitive From Love (3:20)
Things I've Been Through (3:25)
Let It Be Me (3:50)
Hypnotized (3:15)
I'm So Glad I Found You (3:15)
If Only We Had Met Sooner (3:25)
When Hurt Comes Back (3:55)
I Do (3:26)

1972 - A Portrait Of Linda Jones [Turbo #TU-7004]

All but two of these tracks appear in albums above.
When The Hurt Comes Back (2:35)
Hypnotized (3:10)
Don't Go (I Can't Bear To Be Alone) (3:00)
If Only We Had Met Sooner 93:35)
Behold (2:40)
Stay With Me Forever (3:20)
I Can't Make It Alone (3:12)
Singles

NB All from Spotify except 5 prefixed '*' from YouTube


Loma
1967?? - You Can't Take It / I Can't Stop Lovin' My Baby [Warner Bros (FR) #WV 5080]

Neptune
1970/05 - Ooh Baby You Move Me / *Can You Blame Me? [Neptune #N-26]

Turbo

Stang
1972/06 - Linda Jones & Whatnauts - I'm So Glad I Found You / Whatnauts - World Solution [Stang #ST-5039]

Turbo

Here's a couple of playlists highlighting most of her best recordings, split into deep soul and Northern Soul in no particular order other than chronological. There are two different version of "If Only (We Had Met Sooner)" in the Northern Soul sides playlist.
The Deep Sides


The Northern Soul Sides



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