a big fan of the [Frank Miller–created comic book character] Elektra and had written a song called ‘Come Elektra Tuesday’ that he wanted me to sing. His manager Steve Fargnoli came to my rescue and told Prince I was already established as a singer, so I didn’t have to change my name.” Between recordings, hairstyling, and wardrobe changes, Prince and Jill spent a lot of time watching movies. Jones says, “We saw Swept Away , lots of Fellini films, [classic musicals from choreographer] Busby Berkeley, and David Lynch’s Eraserhead . I can remember us both being grossed out by the baby scene.” When it came time to make his own film debut, Purple Rain , he had originally planned to make Jones’s part larger and give her a musical number (“Wednesday”), but neither happened. “I didn’t really care, because I wasn’t trying to be famous, because all of that was a little scary to me. It mattered more that he thought I was a good actress. I laughed when he told me that and said, ‘Maybe in this room I am.’ He was so excited during that time while also trying to learn about filmmaking. I’d see him talking to the DP or talking to [ Purple Rain director] Albert Magnoli, because he seriously wanted to learn the process.” It was during this purple period that Jill also became friendly with Prince’s father, John L. Nelson, a former jazz pianist who collaborated with his boy on the Purple Rain tracks as well as the title track for the next year’s Around the World in a Day . “Prince’s music started to change when John L. came into the fold,” Jones says. “Prince’s dad could play the most intricate chord structures, and Prince started working on his chops more. It was nice to see them together. Prince was very generous with his father, offering him support and pushing his dad to do new music. At the same time, John L.’s presence pushed Prince as well: he practiced more and started including beautiful orchestrations and Clare Fischer strings.” Although much of Prince’s newfound musical moxie and artful arrangements were poured into Around the World in a Day and Parade , a lot of that vibe spilled over into Jill Jones . For her part in the process, Jones brought a wealth of craft, dedication, and personal experience to the project. In fact, and she’d been waiting to shine as a soloist for a long time. Jill Jones was being raised in Ohio by her grandparents, but when she turned twelve, she moved to Los Angeles to be with her mother, who had been working as a model. This journey to the West Coast definitely came with its perks, as her stepfather was Fuller Gordy, the eldest brother of Motown mogul Berry. The iconic soul label had boarded up its Detroit headquarters and studio and headed west in 1972. Fuller Gordy was in charge of administration, dealing with personnel and company policy, and Jill’s mother, Winnie Jones, began managing young acts, including Rick James and Teena Marie. Jill went to Beverly Hills High School where a younger classmate named Lenny Kravitz used to trail her around the halls. “Lenny was a few years younger than me,” Jones recalls, “and all the girls loved him. But he had a crush on me and would follow me everywhere.” Once, when Lenny had run away from home, it was Teena Marie who helped him, cooking for him and facilitating his musical pursuits while he continued to attend Beverly Hills High. Meanwhile, after school, Jones usually headed to the L.A. Motown offices located at 6255 Sunset Tower between Vine and Argyle. “My house was up a big hill, so instead of climbing that to go home, I’d go there,” she recalls. “I saw everybody up there. Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, and Smokey Robinson were always there. Berry used to have these large Motown family events at his house, and everybody was invited to compete in these tournaments. One year, it was chess; another year, it was backgammon that was the rage. Sometimes, I
of-print debut still commands respect. “Prince worked on so many side-projects where the music was great, but the singers were just lackluster,” Alex Hahn, co-author of The Rise of Prince: 1958–1988 , says. “Jill Jones’s record was different, because she had so much more personality and vitality than Vanity or Sheena Easton, and it all came through in her music.” When I spoke to Jones seven months after Prince’s sudden death on April 21, 2016, she was still coming to grips with losing her friend, former lover, and yesteryear employer for whom she also once served as a muse; but still I got a sense of that bubbly, slightly kooky character that came across on her debut. “Many years had gone by since Prince and I last saw each other, but I’m glad I got to see him before he passed,” she says. “It was after Vanity’s memorial service, and it was me, Apollonia, and Susan Moonsie. He looked frail, but he was still cracking jokes. I thought we would be cracking jokes for a long time, but it didn’t work out that way.” Jill Jones first met Prince in late 1980 at eighteen when she was singing backgrounds on tour with family friend, adopted big sister, and “white chocolate” soul singer Teena Marie. It wasn’t her voice that first caught Prince’s attention but her mouth. “We were in Buffalo, New York, opening on the Dirty Mind tour,” Jones says. “Our sound check was too close to the opening of the show, and the stage was too small. Teena and I passed him in the hall, and someone introduced them. I just looked at him and smirked, saying some smart-aleck remark about the stage. I was a bratty eighteen-year-old kid, but my attitude got his attention.” Like many horny-toad boys in the summer of 1984 who sat through repeated viewings of Purple Rain , I’d fallen in love with Jill Jones who played the constantly dissed waitress who was obviously in love with the Kid. Rarely smiling, she was sexy and mysterious as a mixed Holly Golightly. It was only later that I realized that she was also the blond sex kitten behind the keyboards with Lisa Coleman in the “1999” video as well one of the voices heard on the 1982 album. Credited as J.J. in the liner notes of 1999 , Jones provided backing vocals on the title track single as well as “Automatic,” “Free,” and “Lady Cab Driver.” But, why the initials instead of her full name? “Prince liked to have an air of mystery,” Jones responds, “so when I asked him why he put J.J. instead of my name, he said, ‘Let the fans wonder who you are.’ He just didn’t want to put the whole name out there yet.” After the release of 1999 in October 1982, Jill Jones became a fixture on Prince’s recordings, providing backing vocals for Apollonia 6 (“Ooo She She Wa Wa”), Sheila E. (“The Belle of St. Mark”), the Time ( Pandemonium ), and Mazarati (“Strawberry Lover”), just to name a few. “Sometimes, I didn’t even know what songs I was doing backgrounds for, because he would add different parts to different mixes. At that time, Prince liked background vocals that weren’t all soul-sister screams.” Jill hadn’t planned on being molded by Prince, but one night while watching a Marilyn Monroe movie, he decided to cut her hair and dye it blond. “Prince said I looked like every girl with long brown hair and I needed something to stand out. He said, ‘When Vanity walks in a room, people know she’s a star. You need your own thing.’ He took me in the bathroom and cut my hair with fingernail scissors. He did a really good job. Prince always said if he hadn’t been a musician, he might’ve become a hairdresser.” Before Jones appeared in front of the cameras for the “1999” video, Prince also sexed up her image, forcing her to part with the jeans and Ralph Lauren sweaters that were a staple of her wardrobe. Jill Jones was being Svengalied by the best, but she stopped the process cold when Prince wanted to change her name to Elektra: “Prince was
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