Few singer/songwriters are as individual and eclectic as Rickie Lee Jones, a vocalist and composer who’s able to weave jazz, folk, and R&B into songs for decades.
Rickie Lee’s greatest commercial success came at the outset of her career with ‘Chuck E’s in Love’, but a restless creative spirit and a stubborn refusal to be pigeon holed into any one musical niche, ensured her on-going status as a cult hero. Her second LP, 1981's Pirates added rock and soul flavours. Others followed.
As the '90s gave way to the 2000s, Rickie Lee continued to explore new directions, experimenting with trip-hop on 1997's Ghostyhead, a personal take on faith with 2007's The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard, and taking an introspective look into her own life on 2009's Balm in Gilead.
Assuming full control of her music when she founded her own label to release 2015's The Other Side of Desire and 2019’s Kicks, her latest offering is Pieces of Treasure. It’s an incredible album that sees her paying tribute to the Golden Age of American Song writing with jazzy accents.
In this episode, Rickie Lee Jones tells us how she endured a stormy childhood that saw her moved around from state to state. Eventually as a teenager she fled to seek refuge in Los Angeles in the mid-'70s. There she slept on people's couches, worked a series of waitressing jobs and occasionally performing in area clubs.
She found a measure of success when Lowell George, the ex Little Feat frontman decided to record her song ‘Easy Money’. After that, fortune seemed to smile on her as she enlisted Russ Titleman to co-produce her self-titled 1979 debut LP which featured the hit 'Chuck E's in Love'. Have you ever wondered who Chuck E is? I have and she explains all.
With that album, Rickie Lee Jones became an overnight smash sensation. Her life was changed forever and a confident, self-assured young trend-setting artist emerged, leaving behind the shy girl who'd always resided in her cocoon.
Rickie Lee Jones joins me this week to tell her story and share some of her thoughts around her musical journey.
If you'd like to know more about her, head for her website rickieleejones.com/ and make sure you take a listen to her latest album. It's Rickie Lee Jones at her very best.
Any comments, feedback or suggestions for future guests? Simply send me a message through my website abreathoffreshair.com.au/
I hope you enjoy Rickie Lee Jones' story.