View source for Rickie Lee Jones

{{Short description|American singer (born 1954)}}
{{About|the singer|her self-titled debut album|Rickie Lee Jones (album)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
|name           = Rickie Lee Jones
|image          = Rickie Lee Jones at 3 Rivers.jpg
|caption        = Jones performing in 2007
|background     = solo_singer
|birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1954|11|08}}
|birth_place    = [[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]], United States
|genre          = [[Rock music|Rock]], [[rhythm and blues|R&B]], [[pop music|pop]]
|occupation     = Singer-songwriter, musician
|instruments=Vocals, guitar, piano
|years_active   = 1979–present 
|label          = [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]], [[Geffen Records|Geffen]], [[Reprise Records|Reprise]], [[Artemis Records|Artemis]], [[V2 Records|V2]], [[New West Records|New West]], [[Fantasy Records|Fantasy]], OSOD/Thirty Tigers, [[Buffalo Records]]
|website        = {{URL|rickieleejones.com}}
}}

'''Rickie Lee Jones''' (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. Over the course of a career that spans five decades and 15 studio albums, she has recorded in various musical styles including [[Rock music|rock]], [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]], [[Pop music|pop]], [[Soul music|soul]], and [[jazz]].<ref name=allmusic>{{cite web|last=Deming|first=Mark|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rickie-lee-jones-mn0000359966#biography|title=Rickie Lee Jones - Biography|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=November 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522063909/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rickie-lee-jones-mn0000359966#biography|archive-date=May 22, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> A two-time [[Grammy Awards|Grammy Award]] winner (from eight nominations),<ref name="Gram">{{cite web|title=Rickie Lee Jones|url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/rickie-lee-jones/3513|publisher=[[The Recording Academy]]|access-date=September 9, 2017|archive-date=December 27, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231227021719/https://www.grammy.com/artists/rickie-lee-jones/3513|url-status=live}}</ref> Jones was listed at No. 30 on [[VH1]]'s [[The Greatest (VH1 TV series)|100 Greatest Women in Rock & Roll]] in 1999.<ref name=rockonthenet>{{cite web|title=VH1: 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1999/vh1women.htm|publisher=Rock on the Net|access-date=June 16, 2014|archive-date=February 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227050821/http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1999/vh1women.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> [[AllMusic]] stated: "Few singer/songwriters are as individual and eclectic as Rickie Lee Jones, a vocalist with an expressive and smoky instrument, and a composer who can weave jazz, folk, and R&B into songs with a distinct pop sensibility."<ref name=allmusic/>

She released her [[Rickie Lee Jones (album)|self-titled debut album]] in 1979, to critical and commercial success. It peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], and spawned the hit single "[[Chuck E.'s in Love]]", which peaked at No. 4 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].<ref name=billboard>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|title=US Albums and Singles Charts > Rickie Lee Jones|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/365042/rickie-lee-jones/chart|access-date=January 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827114040/http://www.billboard.com/artist/365042/rickie-lee-jones/chart|archive-date=August 27, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The album went [[Music recording certification|platinum]] later that year,<ref name=RIAA>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=Rickie+Lee+Jones#search_section|publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America]]|title=American certifications – Rickie Lee Jones|access-date=July 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702003937/https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=Rickie+Lee+Jones|archive-date=July 2, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> and earned Jones four Grammy Award nominations in [[22nd Annual Grammy Awards|1980]], including [[Grammy Award for Best New Artist|Best New Artist]], which she won.<ref name="Gram"/> Her second album, [[Pirates (Rickie Lee Jones album)|''Pirates'']], followed in 1981 to further critical and commercial success; it peaked at No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' 200, went [[Music recording certification|gold]],<ref name=RIAA/> and ranked No. 49 on [[NPR]]'s list of the 150 Greatest Albums Made by Women in 2017.<ref name=npr>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/07/20/538350511/turning-the-tables-150-greatest-albums-made-by-women-page-11|title=150 Greatest Albums Made by Women|publisher=NPR|date=July 24, 2017|access-date=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121080725/https://www.npr.org/2017/07/24/538350511/turning-the-tables-150-greatest-albums-made-by-women-page-11|archive-date=January 21, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

Her third album, ''[[The Magazine (album)|The Magazine]]'', appeared in 1984 before Jones took a brief hiatus from recording. Her fourth album, ''[[Flying Cowboys]]'', was released in 1989 and later went gold.<ref name=RIAA/> Jones won her second Grammy Award in [[32nd Annual Grammy Awards|1990]] for "[[Makin' Whoopee]]", a duet with [[Dr. John]], this time in the category of [[Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group|Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group]].<ref name="Gram"/> Jones' seventh Grammy Award nomination followed in [[43rd Annual Grammy Awards|2001]] in the category of [[Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album|Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album]] for her album ''[[It's Like This]]'' (2000).<ref name="Gram"/> In 2021, Jones released her memoir ''Last Chance Texaco: Chronicles of an American Troubadour''.<ref name=book1>{{cite book | last=Jones | first=Rickie Lee | title=Last Chance Texaco | publisher=Grove Press | publication-place=New York | date=2021 | isbn=978-0-8021-2712-9 | page=}}</ref> Her 15th studio album, ''[[Pieces of Treasure]]'', was released in 2023 and earned Jones her eighth Grammy Award nomination, for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.<ref name="grammys2024">{{cite magazine |last=Minsker |first=Evan |title=Grammy Nominations 2024: See the Full List Here |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/grammy-nominations-2024-see-full-165101693.html |access-date=10 November 2022 |website=Yahoo! |date=10 November 2022}}</ref>

==Early life==
Jones was born the third of four children to Richard and Bettye Jones, on the north side of [[Chicago, Illinois]], on November 8, 1954.<ref name=billboardbio>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|title=Rickie Lee Jones > Biography|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/365042/rickie-lee-jones/biography|access-date=September 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202071716/http://www.billboard.com/artist/365042/rickie-lee-jones/biography|archive-date=February 2, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> She was named after her father, who was a singer, songwriter, painter, and trumpet player. Her mother, Bettye, was raised in orphanages around [[Mansfield, Ohio]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Jones|first=Rickie Lee|title=Last Chance Texaco: Chronicles of an American Troubadour|publisher=HarperCollins|year=2021|isbn=978-1-4434-6462-8|location=New York|pages=10}}</ref> She has a brother, Daniel, and two sisters, Janet Adele and Pamela Jo.<ref name="Timothy White 1979, p. 20">{{cite news|first=Timothy|last=White|title=Rickie Lee - runaway's success story|work=[[San Francisco Examiner]]|date=August 14, 1979|page=20}}</ref> Her paternal grandfather, [[List of vaudeville performers: A–K|Frank "Peg Leg" Jones]], and her grandmother, Myrtle Lee, were vaudevillians based in Chicago.<ref name="Peg Leg">{{cite news|title=Another Big Stage Attraction Comes to the Paramount Saturday and Sunday|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76040288/the-times/|access-date=19 April 2021|publisher=The Times, Munster, Indiana|date=January 24, 1935|page=8}}</ref> A singer, dancer, and comedian, Peg Leg Jones's routine consisted of singing and accompanying himself on ukulele, soft shoe dance, acrobatics, and comedy.<ref name="Peg Leg"/>

Jones lived in [[Phoenix, Arizona]], from age 4 to 14.<ref>{{Cite web|title=It really was the Wild West': Rickie Lee Jones shares memories of growing up in Phoenix|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/music/2021/09/22/rickie-lee-jones-memories-growing-up-phoenix/8389749002/|access-date=February 26, 2022|website=AZCentral.com}}</ref>

==Career==
===Early years: 1975–1982===
At the age of 21, Jones began singing traditional jazz and original compositions in bars and coffee houses in [[Venice, Los Angeles|Venice]], California. There she met Alfred Johnson, a piano player and songwriter, with whom she wrote "Weasel and the White Boys Cool", and "Company", which would later appear on Jones's debut album.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rickieleejones.com/rickieleejones.html|title=Rickie Lee Jones|access-date=July 7, 2015}}</ref> In 1977, Jones met [[Tom Waits]] at [[The Troubadour (Los Angeles)|The Troubadour]].<ref name="independent1">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-tom-and-rickie-show-why-the-relationship-of-rocks-superstar-couple-was-doomed-1637534.html|title=The Tom and Rickie show: Why the relationship of rock's superstar couple was doomed|newspaper=[[The Independent]]first=Barney |last=Hoskyns|author-link=Barney Hoskyns|date=March 8, 2009|access-date=September 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116072643/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-tom-and-rickie-show-why-the-relationship-of-rocks-superstar-couple-was-doomed-1637534.html|archive-date=November 16, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> They dated for about two years, before splitting in 1979.<ref name="independent1"/>

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''[[Rickie Lee Jones (album)|Rickie Lee Jones]]'' was released in March 1979 and became a critical and commercial hit, buoyed by the success of the jazz-flavored single "[[Chuck E.'s in Love]]", which hit {{Abbr|No.|Number}}&nbsp;4 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], and featured an accompanying [[music video]]. The song was occasioned by her friend, Chuck E. Weiss, telephoning her and Tom Waits, all three of them close friends at the time, in the fall of 1977 to tell them that he had fallen in love.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/30/arts/chuck-e-weiss-dead.html|first1=Penelope|last1=Green|title=Chuck E. Weiss, Musician Who, in Love, Inspired a Hit Song, Dies at 76|date=July 31, 2021|access-date=July 31, 2021|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211011141225/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/30/arts/chuck-e-weiss-dead.html|archive-date=October 11, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> The album, which included guest appearances by [[Dr. John]], [[Randy Newman]], and [[Michael McDonald (singer)|Michael McDonald]], reached No.&nbsp;3 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], went Platinum,<ref name=RIAA/> and produced another Top 40 hit with "Young Blood" (No.&nbsp;40) in late 1979.

Her appearance – as an unknown (one month after her debut record had been released) – on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' on April 7, 1979, sparked an overnight sensation. She performed "Chuck E.'s in Love" and "Coolsville".<ref>{{cite web|author=Saturday Night Live|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0694926/|title=''Richard Benjamin/Rickie Lee Jones''|work=[[Internet Movie Database|IMDb]]|date=April 7, 1979|access-date=July 7, 2015}}</ref> Jones was covered by ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine on her very first professional show, in Boston, and they dubbed her "The Duchess of Coolsville". Touring after the album's release, she played [[Carnegie Hall]] on July 22, 1979. Members of her group included native New York guitarist [[Buzz Feiten]], who was featured on the album and would appear in her recorded works for over a decade. Following her first-ever performances in the spring/summer of 1979, Jones appeared on the cover of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine. Photographed by [[Annie Leibovitz]], the cover image showed Jones posing in a crouched stance, wearing a black bra and a white beret.<ref>Rolling Stone Magazine, issue 297, August 9, 1979. Cover. Photograph by Annie Leibovitz. Timothy White. Pages 40–45.</ref>

Jones secured four nominations at the [[22nd Annual Grammy Awards]]: [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]] and [[Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance|Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female]] for "Chuck E.'s in Love"; [[Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance|Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female]] for "The Last Chance Texaco"; and [[Grammy Award for Best New Artist|Best New Artist]], which she won. The album also earned a nomination for [[Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical|Best Engineered Recording - Non-Classical]], credited to Tom Knox.<ref name=tomknox>{{cite web|title=Tom Knox|url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/tom-knox/14440|publisher=[[The Recording Academy]]|access-date=November 23, 2020|archive-date=July 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703190619/https://www.grammy.com/artists/tom-knox/14440|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1980, [[Francis Ford Coppola]] asked Jones to collaborate with Waits on his upcoming film ''[[One from the Heart]]'', but she balked, citing their recent breakup in late 1979.<ref name="independent1" /> Coppola argued that the duet would be perfect for the film, since the two main characters in the film are separated, and he asked her to reconsider. Waits ultimately sang with country pop star [[Crystal Gayle]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/rickie-lee-jones/news/jones-regrets-snubbing-coppola-offer_1222173|title=Jones Regrets Snubbing Coppola Offer|website=contactmusic.com|date= May 30, 2011|access-date=July 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727022037/https://www.contactmusic.com/rickie-lee-jones/news/jones-regrets-snubbing-coppola-offer_1222173|archive-date=July 27, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1981, Jones released her second album, ''[[Pirates (Rickie Lee Jones album)|Pirates]]'', which received high marks from critics and was a commercial success. The album reached No.&nbsp;5 on the ''Billboard''&nbsp;200, and soon achieved Gold certification.<ref name=RIAA/> ''Rolling Stone'' remained a fervent supporter of Jones, with a second cover feature in 1981;<ref>Rolling Stone Magazine, issue 349, August 6. 1981. Cover. Photograph by Annie Leibovitz. Timothy White. Pages 36–39, 41.</ref> the magazine also included a glowing five-star review of ''Pirates''.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Holden |first=Stephen |author-link=Stephen Holden |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/rickieleejones/albums/album/216734/review/5943218 |title=Rickie Lee Jones: Pirates |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |issue=351 |date=September 3, 1981 |access-date=May 25, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112164243/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/rickieleejones/albums/album/216734/review/5943218/pirates |archive-date=November 12, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The single "A Lucky Guy" became the only ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hit from the album, peaking at No.&nbsp;64, but "Pirates (So Long Lonely Avenue)" and "Woody and Dutch on the Slow Train to Peking" became minor Top 40 hits on the ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock chart.<ref name=billboard/>

Jones left New York for San Francisco where she befriended [[Robin Williams]]. In Los Angeles, she recorded the EP ''[[Girl at Her Volcano]]'', producing the record herself and drawing the cover art. It was released as a 10" record in 1983, featuring a mix of live and studio cover versions of [[jazz standards|jazz]] and [[pop standards]], as well as one Jones original, "Hey, Bub", which was originally written for ''Pirates''. Jones then relocated to Paris.<ref name=book1/>{{rp|332}}

===Period of transition: 1983–1989===
In 1983, Jones lived in Paris for four months, writing new material for her third full-length solo album, ''[[The Magazine (album)|The Magazine]]'', released in September 1984. ''The Magazine'' was produced by Jones and [[James Newton Howard]] and included a three-song suite, subtitled "Rorschachs", which featured multi-tracked vocals and minimalist synth patterns.<ref name="RLJ Magazine">{{cite web | author=The Parking Lot | title=Official Website | website=Rickie Lee Jones | url=https://rickieleejones.com/themagazine/ | access-date=8 May 2024}}</ref> The lead single, "The Real End", reached No. 82 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1984.<ref name=billboard/>

Jones took a four-year break from her recording schedule, largely attributed to the deaths of her mentor Bob Regher as well as her father, Richard Loris Jones, that same year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rickieleejones.com/|title=Biography|first=Hilton|last=Als|website=Rickieleejones.com|access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref> During this period, she replaced [[Shirley Jones]] for the role of the Fairy Godmother in [[Filmation|Filmation's]] 1987 film, ''[[Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night]]'', including a performance of the original song "Love is the Light Inside Your Heart".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093743/|title=Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night|website=IMDb.com|access-date=September 15, 2023}}</ref>

After a successful tour of Norway and Sweden, and then opening for [[Ray Charles]] in Israel with [[Michael Lang (producer)|Michael Lang]] managing her, she returned to the US, signed to [[Geffen Records]] by [[Gary Gersh]], who teamed her with [[Steely Dan]]'s [[Walter Becker]] for her long-awaited fourth album. In September 1988, the two of them began work on ''[[Flying Cowboys]]''. The album was released in September 1989, and produced two hits: "Satellites", which hit No.&nbsp;1 on the new Adult radio format; and "[[The Horses]]", co-written with Becker. The latter song was covered by [[Kenny Loggins]], and also featured in the movie ''[[Jerry Maguire]]'' (1996). "The Horses" also became an Australian No.&nbsp;1 hit single for [[Daryl Braithwaite]] when he covered it in 1991.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ryan|first=Gavin|title=Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010|year=2011|publisher=Moonlight Publishing|location=Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia}}</ref> ''Flying Cowboys'' made the US Top 40, reaching No.&nbsp;39 on the ''Billboard'' 200, with the college radio hit "Satellites" making it to No.&nbsp;23 on the ''Billboard'' Modern Rock Tracks chart.<ref name=billboard/> The album was certified Gold in 1997.<ref name=RIAA/>

Her 1988 collaboration with [[Rob Wasserman]], [[Autumn Leaves (1945 song)|"Autumn Leaves"]] on his album ''Duets'', earned Jones a [[Grammy Award]] nomination for [[Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female|Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female]] in [[31st Annual Grammy Awards|1989]].<ref name="Gram"/> Her duet with [[Dr. John]], a cover of "[[Makin' Whoopee]]", won her second Grammy Award in [[32nd Annual Grammy Awards|1990]], this time in the category of [[Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group|Best Jazz Vocal Collaboration]].<ref name="Gram"/>

===Experimentation and change: 1990–2001===
{{BLP sources section|date=November 2021}}
[[File:Rickie-Lee-Jones.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Jones in concert]]

Following a tour with [[Lyle Lovett]], Jones enlisted [[David Was]] to produce her first album of jazz covers. Her producer chose an innovative approach and she agreed, thus the Argentinian flavored ''[[Pop Pop]]'', set the pace for what would become a habit with Jones - mixing styles of jazz and pop and not staying in one genre for a whole recording: [[Tin Pan Alley]] to [[Jimi Hendrix]]. The album, released in September 1991, was a hit on the ''Billboard'' Contemporary Jazz Albums, peaking at No.&nbsp;8, but became her least commercially successful record yet, reaching No.&nbsp;121 on the ''Billboard'' 200.<ref name=billboard/>

Soon after, [[The Orb]] issued "[[Little Fluffy Clouds]]", featuring a [[sampling (music)|sampled]] Jones interview. However, Jones' record company objected to the unauthorized use of her voice and pursued the issue in the court system. In 1992 she toured extensively with [[Rob Wasserman]], with whom she had collaborated in the mid-1980s.

Her swan song for Geffen Records was ''[[Traffic from Paradise]]'', released in September 1993. The album was slightly more successful than its predecessor, reaching No.&nbsp;111 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and was notable for its collaboration with [[Leo Kottke]], its musical diversity, and a cover of [[David Bowie]]'s "[[Rebel Rebel]]", which was originally planned to be the title track for the Oscar-winning film ''[[Boys Don't Cry (1999 film)|Boys Don't Cry]].'' Before his death, Bowie was quoted as saying that this version was his favorite cover of his work.

Throughout this period, her songs were featured in a number of films and television series, including ''[[House (TV series)|House M.D.]]'', ''[[Thirtysomething (TV series)|Thirtysomething]]'', ''[[Frankie and Johnny (1991 film)|Frankie and Johnny]]'', ''[[When a Man Loves a Woman (film)|When a Man Loves a Woman]]'', ''[[Jerry Maguire]]'', ''[[Friends with Money]]'' and the French film ''[[Subway (film)|Subway]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0429122/|title=Rickie Lee Jones|website =[[Internet Movie Database|IMDb]]|access-date=July 7, 2015}}</ref> Jones sang a duet with [[Lyle Lovett]] on "North Dakota" for his 1992 album ''[[Joshua Judges Ruth]]'' and has also sung on albums by [[John Mellencamp]], [[Leo Kottke]] and [[Arlo Guthrie]].

Jones' first solo shows in 1994 paved the way for her acoustic album ''[[Naked Songs – Live and Acoustic|Naked Songs]]'', released in September 1995 through a one-off deal with [[Reprise Records]]. The album, which reached No.&nbsp;121 on the ''Billboard'' 200, featured acoustic re-workings of Jones classics and album material, but no new songs. The same year, Jones produced [[Leo Kottke]]'s ''[[Peculiaroso]]'' album.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/1994/4/1/19100411/kottke-s-peculiaroso-is-understated-delight/|title=KOTTKE'S `PECULIAROSO' IS UNDERSTATED DELIGHT|date=1 April 1994|work=[[Deseret News]]|accessdate=8 November 2024}}</ref> 

Emphasizing her experimentation and change, Jones embraced electronic music for ''[[Ghostyhead]]'', released on Reprise Records in June 1997. The album, a collaboration with [[Rick Boston]] (both are credited with production and with twenty-one instruments in common), found Jones employing beats, loops, and electronic rhythms, and also showcased Jones' connection with the [[trip hop]] movement of the mid-to-late 1990s. Despite critical acclaim, it did not meet with commercial success, peaking at No.&nbsp;159 on the ''Billboard'' 200.<ref name=billboard/>

Jones' second album of cover versions, ''[[It's Like This]]'', was released on the independent record label [[Artemis Records]] in September 2000. The album included cover versions of material by artists including [[The Beatles]], [[Steely Dan]], [[Marvin Gaye]], and the [[Gershwin]] brothers. It made it onto three ''Billboard'' charts – No.148 on the ''Billboard'' 200, No.&nbsp;10 on Top Internet Albums, and No.&nbsp;42 on Top Independent Albums. The album also secured Jones another Grammy Award nomination for [[Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album|Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album]]. Her cover art design (shared with a staff artist but never credited to Jones) won numerous awards and is in the book Best Album Covers.

In November 2001, Artemis issued a release of archival material titled ''Live at Red Rocks'' with cover art by a young fan who had recently died in a swimming accident. Her parents brought her drawing of flying horses to one of Jones' shows in Oregon, and Jones used it for this live release.

===Artistic renaissance: 2002–present===
[[Image:Rickie Lee Jones on Legacy Stage.jpg|thumb|210px|right|Jones performing on the Legacy Stage on June 15, 2007]]

After ''Ghostyhead'', Jones largely retired from public view, tending her garden and bringing up her teenage daughter Charlotte.<ref name=HiltonNYMag>{{cite magazine|last=Als|first=Hilton|date=April 10, 2000|title=The Musical Life Rickie Lee Jones and Four Guys in a Studio|page=33|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2000/04/10/the-musical-life-rickie-lee-jones-and-four-guys-in-a-studio|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118133027/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2000/04/10/the-musical-life-rickie-lee-jones-and-four-guys-in-a-studio|archive-date=November 18, 2018|access-date=April 15, 2016}} [http://www.rickieleejones.com/hilton.htm Alt URL]</ref>

Released on the independent label [[V2 Records|V2]] in October 2003, ''[[The Evening of My Best Day]]'' featured influences from jazz, [[Celtic folk]], blues, R&B, rock, and [[gospel music|gospel]], and spawned a successful and lengthy spurt of touring. The album peaked at No.&nbsp;189 on the ''Billboard'' 200.<ref name=billboard/> She invited punk bass icon [[Mike Watt]] (the Minutemen, Iggy Pop) to perform on "It Takes You There", while "Ugly Man" was a direct aim at the [[George W. Bush|George Bush]] 'regime' evoking, with an anthem-like [[Hugh Masekela]] arrangement, what she termed "the [[Black Panther Party|Black Panther]] horns", and calling for "revolution, everywhere that you're not looking, revolution."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2006/11/rickie-lee-jones-what-happens-after.html|first=Rickie Lee|last=Jones|website=Down With Tyranny|title=Rickie Lee Jones: What Happens After Ugly Man?|date=November 19, 2006|access-date=April 15, 2016}}</ref>
 
Renewed interest in Jones led to the three-disc anthology ''Duchess of Coolsville: An Anthology'', released through reissue specialists [[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino]] in June 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4810017|title=Working with the 'Duchess of Coolsville'|publisher=NPR|date=August 22, 2005|access-date=September 9, 2017}}</ref> A lavish package designed by Lee Cantelon, the alphabetically arranged release featured album songs, live material, covers, and demos, and featured essays by Jones as well as various collaborators, as well as tributes from artists including [[Randy Newman]], [[Walter Becker]], [[Quincy Jones]], and [[Tori Amos]].<ref name=rickieleejonesbio>{{cite web|url=https://rickieleejones.com/bio/|title=Rickie Lee Jones - Biography|website=Rickieleejones.com|access-date=July 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220223224550/https://rickieleejones.com/bio/|archive-date=February 23, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

Also in 2005, Jones was invited to take part in her boyfriend and collaborator Lee Cantelon's music version of his book ''The Words'', a book of the words of Christ, set into simple chapters and themes. Cantelon's idea was to have various artists recite the text over primal rock music, but Jones elected to try something that had never been done, to improvise her own impression of the texts, melody and lyric, in stream of consciousness sessions, rather than read Jesus' words. The sessions were recorded at an artist's loft on Exposition Boulevard in Culver City. When Cantelon could no longer finish the project, Jones picked it up as her own record and hired Rob Schnaf to finish the production at [[Sunset Sound]] in 2007, and the result was ''[[The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard]]'', released on the independent [[New West Records]] in February 2007. It included "Circle in the Sand", recorded for the soundtrack to the film ''[[Friends with Money]]'' (2006), for which Jones also cut "Hillbilly Song".<ref name=rickieleejonesbio/> ''The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard'' debuted at No.&nbsp;158 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and No.&nbsp;12 on the Top Independent Albums tally. Writer Ann Powers included this on her list of Grammy-worthy CDs for 2007.<ref>{{cite web|title=Grammy-worthy work|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-oct-28-ca-grammy28-story.html|magazine=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=October 28, 2007 |access-date=July 3, 2022|archive-date=July 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702210547/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-oct-28-ca-grammy28-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

For her next project, ''[[Balm in Gilead (album)|Balm in Gilead]]'' (2009), Jones opted to finish half-written songs dating back as far as 1986 ("Wild Girl") as well as include new ones (the 2008-penned "The Gospel of Carlos, Norman and Smith", "Bonfires"). The album also included a new recording of "The Moon Is Made of Gold", a song written by her father Richard Loris Jones in 1954. [[Ben Harper]], [[Victoria Williams]], [[Jon Brion]], [[Alison Krauss]] and the late [[Vic Chesnutt]] all made contributions to the album.<ref name=rickieleejonesbio/>

In May 2010, Jones performed at the [[Sydney Opera House]] as part of the [[Vivid Live]] festival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.au.timeout.com/sydney/music/events/17276/rickie-lee-jones|title=Rickie Lee Jones – Sydney Opera House – Music|work=Time Out Sydney|access-date=April 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612031902/http://www.au.timeout.com/sydney/music/events/17276/rickie-lee-jones|archive-date=June 12, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Jones also served as the narrator of [[Cam Archer]]'s 2010 film ''[[Shit Year]]''.<ref name=variety>{{cite magazine|last=Weissberg|first=Jay|title=Shit Year: A just-retired actress faces the void left by a life emptied of all roles save herself in Cam Archer's imagefest.|date=May 15, 2010|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|url=https://variety.com/2010/film/markets-festivals/shit-year-1117942763/|access-date=December 31, 2017}}</ref>

On September 18, 2012, Jones released ''[[The Devil You Know (Rickie Lee Jones album)|The Devil You Know]]'' on Fantasy/Concord Records.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/talking-with-rickie-lee-jones|title=Talking with Rickie Lee Jones|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|date=August 23, 2012|access-date=September 9, 2017}}</ref> ''The Devil You Know'' includes a collection of covers produced by Ben Harper, including a solo version of "[[Sympathy for the Devil]]". Shortly afterward she left Los Angeles and moved to New Orleans.<ref name="TIDAL RLJ Interview">{{cite web | title=Rickie Lee Jones Interview: 'It's my art you like or don't like, not me' | website=TIDAL Magazine | date=27 April 2023 | url=https://tidal.com/magazine/article/rickie-lee-jones-interview/1-90929 | access-date=8 May 2024}}</ref>

In 2015, Jones released her album ''[[The Other Side of Desire]]'', and the single "Jimmy Choos" which references the [[Jimmy Choo Ltd|shoe brand]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Zollo|first=Paul|url=http://americansongwriter.com/2015/07/first-music-video-rickie-lee-jones-new-album-jimmy-choos/|title=Watch: Rickie Lee Jones Debuts Video for "Jimmy Choos"|work=American Songwriter|date=July 7, 2015|access-date=September 9, 2017}}</ref> A documentary film, ''Rickie Lee Jones: The Other Side of Desire'', on the making of the album, was also released.<ref>{{IMDb title|5298608|Rickie Lee Jones: The Other Side of Desire}}</ref> It was her first album of all new original material since ''[[Balm in Gilead (album)|Balm in Gilead]]'' six years earlier.

In 2019, Jones released a single of the Paul Rodgers/Simon Kirke song, "[[Bad Company (song)|Bad Company]]", followed by her album ''[[Kicks (Rickie Lee Jones album)|Kicks]]'' which included "Bad Company" and cover versions of many other songs. In June of that year, she played at the [[Glastonbury Festival]].<ref name="Glastonbury 2019">{{cite web | title=Glastonbury 2019 Highlights | website=issuu | date=9 August 2019 | url=https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/tpiaug19_digitallr/s/131291 | access-date=8 May 2024}}</ref>

In 2021, Jones's memoir ''Last Chance Texaco: Chronicles of an American Troubadour'' was released by Grove Press.<ref name=book1/><ref>{{cite web|last=O’Hagan|first=Sean|authorlink= Sean O'Hagan (journalist)|title=Rickie Lee Jones: 'I had lived volumes long before I was famous'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/apr/18/rickie-lee-jones-memoir-last-chance-texaco-tom-waits-interview|date=18 April 2021|work=[[The Observer]]| accessdate=18 April 2021}}</ref> Simon and Schuster bought the audio book rights.

==Activism==
In 2001, Jones was the organizer of the web community "Furniture for the People", which was founded by Jones to promote "peace and activism", and to act as a public forum. Members of the group engage in activities such as [[gardening]], [[Activism|social activism]], [[Bootleg recording|bootleg exchange]] and [[left-wing politics]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/1994/4/1/19100411/kottke-s-peculiaroso-is-understated-delight/|title=The Jones girl|date=24 January 2024|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|accessdate=8 November 2024}}</ref>

== Awards ==
===Grammy Awards===
The [[Grammy Awards]] are awarded annually by [[The Recording Academy]] of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry. Often considered the highest music honor, the awards were established in 1958.<ref>{{cite book|last=O'Neill|first=Thomas|title=The Grammys: The Ultimate Unofficial Guide to Music's Highest Honor|publisher=Perigee Trade|year=1999}}</ref> Jones has won two awards, from eight nominations.

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
!scope="col"| Year
!scope="col"| Work
!scope="col"| Award
!scope="col"| Result
!scope="col"| Ref.
|-
| rowspan="4"| [[22nd Annual Grammy Awards|1980]] 
| Rickie Lee Jones
!scope="row"| [[Grammy Award for Best New Artist|Best New Artist]]
| {{won}} 
| align="center" rowspan="8"| <ref name="Gram"/>
|-
| rowspan="2"| "[[Chuck E.'s in Love]]"
!scope="row"| [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]]
| {{nom}}
|-
!scope="row"| [[Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance|Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female]] 
| {{nom}} 
|-
| "The Last Chance Texaco"
!scope="row"| [[Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance|Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[31st Annual Grammy Awards|1989]]
| "[[Autumn Leaves (1945 song)|Autumn Leaves]]"
!scope="row"| [[Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female|Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[32nd Annual Grammy Awards|1990]]
| "[[Makin' Whoopee]]" <small>(with [[Dr. John]])</small>  
!scope="row"| [[Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group|Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[43rd Annual Grammy Awards|2001]]
| ''[[It's Like This]]'' 
!scope="row" rowspan="2"| [[Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album|Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[66th Annual Grammy Awards|2024]]
| ''[[Pieces of Treasure]]'' 
| {{nom}}
|-
{{end}}

* ''[[Rickie Lee Jones (album)|Rickie Lee Jones]]'' also received a Grammy Award nomination for [[Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical|Best Engineered Recording - Non-Classical]] in 1980. The nomination is credited to Tom Knox.<ref name=tomknox/>

===Other honors and recognitions===
* 1999&nbsp;– Ranked No. 30 on [[VH1]]'s [[The Greatest (VH1 TV series)|100 Greatest Women in Rock & Roll]].<ref name=rockonthenet/>
* 2017&nbsp;– ''[[Pirates (Rickie Lee Jones album)|Pirates]]'' ranked No. 49 on [[NPR]]'s list of the 150 Greatest Albums Made by Women.<ref name=npr/>

==Discography==
{{Main|Rickie Lee Jones discography}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}

===Studio albums===
* 1979: ''[[Rickie Lee Jones (album)|Rickie Lee Jones]]''
* 1981: ''[[Pirates (Rickie Lee Jones album)|Pirates]]''
* 1984: ''[[The Magazine (album)|The Magazine]]''
* 1989: ''[[Flying Cowboys]]''
* 1991: ''[[Pop Pop]]''
* 1993: ''[[Traffic from Paradise]]''
* 1997: ''[[Ghostyhead]]''
* 2000: ''[[It's Like This]]''
* 2003: ''[[The Evening of My Best Day]]''
* 2007: ''[[The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard]]''
* 2009: ''[[Balm in Gilead (album)|Balm in Gilead]]''
* 2012: ''[[The Devil You Know (Rickie Lee Jones album)|The Devil You Know]]''
* 2015: ''[[The Other Side of Desire]]''<ref>{{cite web |title=The Other Side of Desire |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-other-side-of-desire-mw0002845006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205010542/https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-other-side-of-desire-mw0002845006 |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |access-date=July 3, 2022 |publisher=AllMusic}}</ref>
* 2019: ''[[Kicks (Rickie Lee Jones album)|Kicks]]''<ref>{{cite web |last=Deming |first=Mark |title=Kicks |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/kicks-mw0003275167 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205032502/https://www.allmusic.com/album/kicks-mw0003275167 |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |access-date=July 3, 2022 |publisher=AllMusic}}</ref>
* 2023: ''[[Pieces of Treasure]]''
{{col-break}}

===Extended plays===
* 1983: ''[[Girl at Her Volcano]]''

===Live albums===
* 1995: ''[[Naked Songs – Live and Acoustic|Naked Songs: Live and Acoustic]]''
* 2001: ''Live at Red Rocks''<ref>{{cite web|last=MacNeil|first=Jason|title=Live at Red Rocks|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-red-rocks-mw0000016221|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=July 3, 2022|archive-date=December 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209125251/https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-red-rocks-mw0000016221|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Compilation albums===
* 2005: ''Duchess of Coolsville: An Anthology''<ref>{{cite web|last=Jurek|first=Thom|title=Duchess of Coolsville: An Anthology|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-duchess-of-coolsville-an-anthology-mw0000345744|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=July 3, 2022|archive-date=December 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231015820/https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-duchess-of-coolsville-an-anthology-mw0000345744|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 2010: ''Original Album Series''<ref>{{cite web|last=Leggett|first=Steve|title=Original Album Series|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/original-album-series-mw0001968057|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=July 3, 2022|archive-date=June 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627152300/https://www.allmusic.com/album/original-album-series-mw0001968057|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{col-end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{official website}}
*{{allmusic}}
* {{discogs artist}}
* {{IMDb name}}
*{{MusicBrainz artist}}
{{Rickie Lee Jones|state=expanded}}
{{Grammy Award for Best New Artist}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Rickie Lee}}
[[Category:Rickie Lee Jones| ]]
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:20th-century American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:20th-century American women guitarists]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:21st-century American women guitarists]]
[[Category:21st-century American women singers]]
[[Category:American expatriates in France]]
[[Category:American folk singers]]
[[Category:American rhythm and blues singers]]
[[Category:American rock songwriters]]
[[Category:American women rock singers]]
[[Category:American women singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Buffalo Records artists]]
[[Category:Fantasy Records artists]]
[[Category:Geffen Records artists]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Lyle Lovett and His Large Band members]]
[[Category:New West Records artists]]
[[Category:Reprise Records artists]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Illinois]]
[[Category:Singers from Chicago]]
[[Category:V2 Records artists]]
[[Category:Warner Records artists]]