Jerry Jones – Jerry Jones at the Hotel Kingston

According to the legendary Studio One Records Bandcamp site,Geraldine “Jerry” Jones arrived in Kingston in May of 1970 to perform at the Miss Jamaica International Model Pageant held at the Hotel Kingston. She would also appear at the House of Chen, VIP Club, Hotel Flamingo, Runaway Bay Hotel and the Courtleigh Manor Hotel backed by top Jamaican show bands like Tomorrow’s Children, the Mighty Vikings, and the Boris Gardiner Happening. Her visit was arranged in part by Miami-based record producer Alty East, for whom she had recorded three singles released on the Pal Label.”

Imagine loving a place so much that you decide to stay and make a career, and quite a career she had.  Before her Kingston stay, she honed her skills in soul clubs which featured talents like Solomon Burke, Joe Tex and Johnny Nash, but after catching the eye of producer Coxsone Dodd, she would release tracks of high-quality soul, dancehall and lover’s rock.  This is a major archival gem.