Jones, Grace (1952–)
Jones, Grace (1952–)
Jamaican performer. Born May 19, 1952, in Spanishtown, Jamaica; dau. of a Jamaican cleric; m. Atila Altaunbay, 1996.
Disco diva, moved with family to Syracuse, NY (1964); joined Wilhelmina Modeling Agency (1970s) and became a success in Paris, appearing on Vogue, Der Stern, and Elle; landed record deal with Island (1977); was a cult favorite of NY gay clubs; recorded disco hits "I Need a Man," "La Vie en Rose" and "Do or Die" (late 1970s); moved into rock genre with album Warm Leatherette (1980); scored hits with "Pull Up to the Bumper" (1981), "Slave to the Rhythm" (1985), and "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You)" (1986); acted in films A View to a Kill (1985) and Boomerang (1992); scored dance hit comeback with single "Sex Drive" from album of same name (1993).