Slave to the Rhythm

Grace Jones was born as Grace Mendoza on May 19th, 1948 in a Spanish town of Jamaica. Jones is a famous Jamaican–American actress, singer, lyricist, dancer and supermodel.

Jones was born to mother Marjorie and father Robert W. Jones, who was a politician and Apostolic clergyman. Jones has a brother named Christian who is now known as Bishop Noel Jones. She relocated to Syracuse, New York along with her family in 1965 where she studied theater at Syracuse University before becoming a successful model in New York and Paris.

Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance club hits and a large gay following. The three disco albums she recorded — Portfolio (1977), Fame (1978), and Muse (1979) — generated considerable success in that market.

During this period, she also became a muse to Andy Warhol, who photographed her extensively. Jones also accompanied him to famed New York City nightclub Studio 54 on many occasions.

In the late seventies, Jones began working with producer Alex Sadkin and Chris Blackwell releasing the acclaimed albums Warm Leatherette (1980) and Nightclubbing (1981). Both albums embraced the emerging New Wave sound to create a new style for herself.

Along with her new music, Jones collaborated with stylist, Jean-Paul Goude to create a dramatic visual makeover. Jones adopted a severe androgynous look, with square-cut hair and angular, padded clothes. During this time Jones gave birth to a son, Paulo, fathered by Goude.

In the mid eighties, she worked with producers Trevor Horn on the album Slave to the Rhythm (1985) and Nile Rodgers on Inside Story (1986). Her acting career also began to take off at this point with roles in such notable films as Conan the Destroyer (1984) and James Bond's A View To A Kill (1985).

Although Jones has never maintained a mainstream career as an actress or singer, she has been a style icon for nearly 30 years. She has glided effortlessly between the worlds of music, film and fashion without losing a bit of herself or her Grace-ness.