Jack Jones, a prolific nightclub singer whom Frank Sinatra once called “the next big star in show business,” has died at the age of 86.
Jones died Wednesday evening at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage after a two-year battle with leukemia, his manager Milt Suchin confirmed to the Times on Thursday. Suchin said Jones “passed away peacefully holding the hands of his wife Eleonora and his beloved toy poodle, Ivy.”
The Grammy-winning baritone, who has released more than 50 albums during his career, is best known for performing the theme song for the ABC sitcom “The Love Boat,” which ran for nine seasons, from 1977 to 1986. Originally released as a single in 1979, with a cover of Barry Manilow’s “Ready to Take a Chance Again” on the B-side, Jones” The disco-esque tune has been taken up by artists including Charo and Olivia Newton-John.
Also an actor, Jones’ credits included 1959’s “Juke Box Rhythm,” the 1978 horror film “The Comeback” and the 2002 TV movie “Cruise of the Gods.” He even made an appearance as a nightclub singer in the 2013 film “American Hustle.”
Once considered the heir to Frank Sinatra, Jones was described by Ol’ Blue Eyes himself as “the best potential singer in the business”. He has a distinction, an overall quality that potentially puts him three steps ahead of the rest.
In addition to two Grammys, Jones has received stars on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
John Allan Jones was born on January 14, 1938, in Hollywood to singer Allan Jones and Emmy-nominated actress Irene Harvey. It was the same day his father recorded his hit “Donkey Serenade,” which was featured in the 1937 musical film “The Firefly,” with the elder Jones, according to Jones. website.
Jones attended University High School in West LA while studying drama and voice with private teachers hired by his father. One of her fondest high school memories was the day her friend Nancy Sinatra invited her father to sing in their school auditorium. The experience solidified Jones’ aspirations to become a professional singer.
A few weeks after graduating from high school in 1957, Jones made his professional debut as part of his father’s act, first in Elko, Nevada, and then at the Thunderbird Hotel in Las Vegas. He went solo shortly after.
His first breakthrough came when a demo he recorded for songwriter Don Raye found its way to Capitol Records, who signed the newcomer in 1959. There he released his debut album, ” This Love of Mine”, the Desert Sun reported.
Following creative differences with the traditional label, Jones joined Kapp Records, where he released his first hit single, “Lollipops and Roses,” in 1961, the outlet reported. The track earned him his first Grammy Award in 1962 for Best Solo Vocal Performance.
Jones was still working at his “day job” as a gas station attendant when he released his first album with Kapp, and was delighted when one day, while washing a customer’s windshield, he heard his song play on the radio. He went on to release 19 albums with Kapp Records and later picked up another Grammy, for his 1963 single “Wives and Lovers” – which peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Kapp “put the melody on the B-side of the single”, Jones said The times in 1993, “but the disc jockeys turned it around and played it anyway.”
After the song drew criticism for its “politically incorrect” themes, Jones told the Times that he replaced the lyrics “Hey little girl, do your hair, do your makeup” with the alternate lines “Hey, little boy , plug your teeth, fix your makeup.” hairpiece.”
By the end of the 1960s, Jones had joined RCA Victor and moved to a more contemporary sound. His album “A Time for Us” (1969) features covers of renowned songwriters, including Randy Newman, Carole King and Gilbert O’Sullivan.
Giving up his smoking habit in 1980, Jones kept control of his smooth voice well into his 80s and made regular appearances at casino nightclubs, the Washington Post reported.
A Coachella Valley resident for several decades, Jones received a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in 2003. Celebrating his 80th birthday at the McCallum Theater in Palm Desert in 2018, he joked that many of his singing “rivals” had died, his ambition was “to be by default the greatest singer in the world,” the Desert Sun reported.
Jones is survived by his wife Eleonora Donata Peters and stepdaughters Nicole Whitty and Colette Peters; his daughter Crystal Thomas, from his marriage to Katie Lee Nuckols; his daughter Nicole Ramasco, from his marriage to Kim Ely; and three grandchildren.
