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Grace Jones
Biography
Grace Jones was one of the more unforgettable characters to emerge from New York City's hedonistic Studio 54 disco scene during the late '70s. Born May 19, 1952, in Kingston, Jamaica, Jones studied theater at Syracuse University before launching a career as a model. Jones' statuesque and flamboyant look proved to be a hit in the New York City nightclub scene, which led to a recording contract with Island Records in 1977. While such disco-based albums as 1977's Portfolio, 1978's Fame, and 1979's Muse failed to break the singer commercially, Jones soon amassed a substantial following amongst gay men with her sexually charged live show, leading to her title at the time of "Queen of the Gay Discos."

But with the dawn of the '80s came a massive anti-disco movement across the U.S., leading to Jones focusing on more new wave and experimental-based work resulting in two of her best-known and strongest releases -- 1980's Warm Leatherette and 1981's Nightclubbing -- both produced by the noted reggae team of Sly & Robbie (the latter release spawned one of Jones' biggest hits, "Pull Up to the Bumper," as well as covers of Iggy Pop's "Nightclubbing" and the Police's "Demolition Man").