Rickie Lee Jones is a singer-songwriter, vocalist, musician and producer from Chicago, United States. Born in 1954, she settles in Los Angeles at 19 and works as a waitress before signing a recording contract with Warner Bros.

Her self-titled debut album appears in 1979 and becomes a major success. The single “Chuck E.’s in Love”, written about her musician friend Chuck E. Weiss, also becomes a notable hit. At the 1980 Grammy Awards, she wins Best New Artist and receives further nominations for Record of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female and Song of the Year for “Chuck E.’s in Love”. She later wins a second Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group for her 1990 duet with Dr. John on “Makin’ Whoopee”.

Jones records over more than four decades in a range of styles, including folk, R&B, blues, pop, soul, jazz standards and trip hop-influenced material. Her work is often described as combining jazz and pop/R&B phrasing with strong character-based songwriting. She continues to release critically acclaimed albums even when they do not match the commercial impact of her debut.

Career

After moving to Los Angeles, Jones secures a Warner Bros. deal and releases Rickie Lee Jones in 1979. She follows it with Pirates in 1981, then Girl at Her Volcano in 1983 and The Magazine in 1984, all on Warner Bros. Later releases include Flying Cowboys and Pop Pop on Geffen, Traffic From Paradise on Geffen, Naked Songs on Reprise, Ghostyhead on Warner Bros., It’s Like This and Live at Red Rocks on Artemis, and The Evening of My Best Day on V2.

Her later albums include Duchess of Coolsville, a greatest-hits collection released on Rhino in 2005, The Sermon On Exposition Blvd on New West in 2007, Balm in Gilead in 2009, The Devil You Know in 2012, The Other Side of Desire in 2015, Kicks in 2019 and Pieces of Treasure in 2023. The 2007 album is inspired by Lee Cantelon’s 1991 book The Words, which seeks to translate Christ’s teachings into more accessible contemporary language.

Style and collaborations

Jones’ recording career includes material shaped by jazz standards, and she records “The Moon Is Made of Gold” and “Autumn Leaves” for Rob Wasserman’s Duets in 1985. “Autumn Leaves” earns her another Grammy nomination. Her 1990 duet with Dr. John on “Makin’ Whoopee” brings her second Grammy win. At the time of her debut album, she is in a relationship with Tom Waits, and she appears as the woman draped over the car on the cover of his 1978 album Blue Valentine.

Other work and politics

Jones is involved in left-wing politics and community activism, partly through her web community Furniture for the People. She also runs a political website and makes music critical of the Bush administration. The account also notes her efforts to deal with drinking and substance abuse earlier in her career, and describes her as maintaining the respect of her musical peers.