"Handy Man" Singer/Song Writer Jimmy Jones Dies At Age 82

[j mo]

http://aberdeentimes.com/page92.html

Saturday August 4, 2012

James “Jimmy” Jones who made the song “Handy Man” famous in
1960, died at the age of 82 in Aberdeen Thursday August 2nd. The
Birmingham Alabama native had a stunning career writing and performing
R&B style music. There are several free down-loadable versions of his
original hit online.

The song “Handy Man” was number three on the R&B charts and
number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960, becoming a million
seller. It was remade and made famous as a hit all over again by
legendary singer James Taylor in the 1977.

Mr Jones is survived by his wife, Mattie Jones, two daughters
Jennifer Jones and Jilliann Jones-Hendricks, a son James Jones Jr,
four grandchildren, and a host of great grandchildren. Services are
incomplete at this time Arrangements are being made by Purcell Funeral
Home in Southern Pines.

[Bermuda999]

On Sunday, August 5, 2012 8:58:57 AM UTC-4, j mo wrote:
> http://aberdeentimes.com/page92.html


Jones co-wrote "Handy Man" with Otis Blackwell

[Bill Schenley]

> Jones co-wrote "Handy Man" with Otis Blackwell

Very, very influential singer. His falsetto inspired Frankie Valli,
Lou Christie and Del Shannon (who also recorded "Handy Man").

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JncgOe4t6Rs&feature=player_detailpage

Del Shannon's rather bland version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JncgOe4t6Rs&feature=player_detailpage

[R H Draney]

j mo filted:
>
> The song =93Handy Man=94 was number three on the R&B charts and

>number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960, becoming a million
>seller. It was remade and made famous as a hit all over again by
>legendary singer James Taylor in the 1977.

When Jones' version was at its peak position, it was kept out of the top slot by
Percy Faith's "Theme from A Summer Place", which would prove to be the last #1
for over a decade (except for one week) by a Canadian artist...it took until
1970 for the Guess Who to come out on top with "American Woman"....

Anyone care to recall who the artist was on that one-week exception?...r


--
Me? Sarcastic?
Yeah, right.

[j mo]

Anyone care to recall who the artist was on that one-week
exception?...r

Lorne Greene's 'Ringo' ?

[R H Draney]

News filted:
>
>"R H Draney" <dado...@spamcop.net> wrote in message
>news:jvmon...@drn.newsguy.com...

>>
>> When Jones' version was at its peak position, it was kept out of the top
>> slot by
>> Percy Faith's "Theme from A Summer Place", which would prove to be the
>> last #1
>> for over a decade (except for one week) by a Canadian artist...it took
>> until
>> 1970 for the Guess Who to come out on top with "American Woman"....
>>
>> Anyone care to recall who the artist was on that one-week exception?...r
>

> Gordon Lightfoot, Paul Anka, Guy Lombardo, Crabby Appleton [*], or
>maybe one of these guys:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canadian_musicians

j mo nailed it in one...wonder how a song called "Ringo" could get to be so
popular in 1964, eh?...

Most people I've asked this trivia question guess Anka (who had #1s in both the
fifties and the seventies, but none in the sixties) and I've had people guess
Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and even Bryan Adams (who was ten years old when the
sixties ended, same age as Tony DeFranco)....r

[Ray Arthur]

ABERDEEN - The work is done for the "Handy Man."

Jimmy Jones, one of the memorable rhythm-and-blues tenors of the
golden era of rock 'n' roll, has died.

The sweet-voiced Jones, best known for his 1960 rhythm-and-blues hit
"Handy Man," passed away Thursday. He was 82.

"Jimmy was a fabulous sensation over in Britain. They loved him in
Britain. He was hot," said Mattie Jones, his wife. "He still gets fan
mail letters from other there. He was very well received."

Mr. Jones hit it big right out of the gate as a solo artist with his
career-defining record in 1959. "Handy Man" became a smash, peaking at
No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the R&B charts. And it
rode the Billboard charts for 18 weeks.

Del Shannon, Conway Twitty and James Taylor later recorded cover
versions that chalked up sales. Mr. Taylor's version earned him his
second Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

"Handy Man" is also credited to Otis Blackwell, the esteemed singer,
songwriter and pianist who produced the recording for the MGM-owned
Cub Records. The record was released in June 1959 as the B-side to Mr.
Jones' single "The Search is Over."

In a 2002 interview with The Fayetteville Observer, Mr. Jones said the
record went nowhere until October of that year, when a disc jockey in
Pittsburgh started playing it. It shot to No. 1 in Pittsburgh and
spread from there.

It would become his signature number.

"He loved it, of course," his wife said Sunday.

Mr. Jones followed up with "Good Timin', " which gave him his second
Top 10 hit in a matter of months. But he was never able to duplicate
the success of his first two singles, and his ensuing charted records
proved more modest. "That's When I Cried" topped out at No. 83 in
1960.

His last Hot 100 record, "I Told You So," was released a year later.

In 1992, he and Mrs. Jones moved to Aberdeen from New York.

"We were just looking for someplace to live. We were wandering
around," she said. "He wanted to buy a house, with the intention of
living in Fayetteville. He had performed down there (during the late
1950s and early 1960s) and kind of liked the area. The realty guy was
driving around one day and passed this particular house. He (Mr.
Jones) said, 'I like that house. That's my house.' "

In more recent years, Mr. Jones performed at the Sunrise Theater's
"Raising the Roof" fundraiser concerts in Southern Pines.

"He liked the people, and they were nice. And he wanted to do it,"
Mrs. Jones said. "He did other things. He worked around. Did things in
New York. He did other performances."

Born in Birmingham, Ala., in 1937, Mr. Jones started performing in
church as a tap-dancer.

In 1954, he launched his singing career at age 14 when he joined the
doo-wop group the Berliners. They later became known as the Spirits of
Rhythm and, even later, the Sparks of Rhythm.

He continued to work in the doo-wop field with the Savoys (later, the
Pretenders) and the Jones Boys. But he eventually gave up on the group
idea and pursued a solo career.

Mr. Jones is survived by his wife, Mattie; daughters, Jennifer Jones
and Jilliann Jones-Hendricks; a son, James Jones Jr.; four
grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren.



Ray Arthur