Tamiko Jones
Tamiko Jones is an American soul and R&B singer born Barbara Tamiko Ferguson in 1945 in Kyle, West Virginia. She is of part Japanese, British, and Cherokee descent and rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s with a versatile style blending jazz, soul, and pop.
Jones grew up in Detroit, Michigan, where she began singing professionally after auditioning at a talent agency. Her debut came in 1961 at the Flame Show Bar, initially performing pop songs in a jazz style despite a limited repertoire. She worked as a secretary before committing to music full-time.
Her first single, "Is It A Sin?", released in 1963 on Checker Records under the name Timiko, marked her entry into recording. She later recorded "Rhapsody" on Atco in 1964 and moved to labels like Golden World and Atlantic, releasing tracks such as "I'm Spellbound" and "Boy You're Growing On Me". In 1967-1968, she collaborated with Herbie Mann on A Mann And A Woman and issued her album Tamiko on December Records.
In 1968, after hospitalization for polio, Jones met Solomon Burke, becoming his fiancée, manager, and duet partner; she co-produced his "Proud Mary" cover. She released In Muscle Shoals in 1969 on Metromedia and performed in Las Vegas before returning to New York for a Rainbow Room engagement in 1971.
Her biggest hit, "Touch Me Baby (Reaching Out For Your Love)", reached No. 12 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 60 on the pop chart in 1975 on Arista, followed by the album Love Trip. Other singles like "Just You and Me" and "Can't Live Without Your Love" (1979) gained traction in soul and disco scenes. She recorded into the 1980s on labels including Polydor and Sutra, with her music enduring in Northern Soul culture.
Cloudy
A2 Creepin' (Stevie Wonder 3:53)
A3 Feel Like Making Love (Eugene McDaniels 6:39)
A4 Make Love To Your Mind (Bill Withers 5:16)
A5 Afraid Of Losing You (M. Sutton, P. Sawyer 2:33)
B1 Let It Flow (B.R. Wright, Martin McNichols, T. W. Stewart 6:53)
B2 Boy You're Growing On Me (B.R. Wright, R. C. Marks, T.W. Stewart 2:31)
B3 Reachin' Out For Your Love ("Touch Me Baby") (Johnny Bristol 2:58)
B4 Woman Driver (S. Eaton, T. Eaton 3:48)
B5 Let It Flow Tamiko (B.R. Wright, Martin McNichols, T. W. Stewart 4:45)
Label: Atlantis Records II – ATL-715
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1977
Genre: R&B Soul
Style: Seventies Soul
Tamiko Jones' Cloudy album, released in 1977 on the Atlanta-based independent label Atlantis II, is a disco and soul. The album is noted for its slinky, sultry style that effectively merges traditional soul vocals with a more contemporary, orchestra-heavy disco sound.
Tamiko Jones personally put the album together, which features arranging help from Paul Riser and Tommy Stewart. It is characterized by Jones' sultry, sensual and soulful vocals with a "been-there-and-back" quality.
The album includes tight rhythm parts, notable keyboard work, and sweeping strings that give it an orchestral, Salsoul-like feel.
Jones was not only the producer but also the owner of the Atlantis II label, whose output was largely limited to her own releases.
The album marks a transition point in Jones' career towards a more dance-oriented, disco sound, leading up to her later hit "Can't Live Without Your Love". The track "Let It Flow" became a notable dance floor classic.
Tamiko
Composed By – Jobim, Lee, De Moraes
2:49
A2 You Only Live Twice
Composed By – J.Barry, L. Bricusse
2:47
A3 The Folks Who Live On The Hill
Composed By – Oscar Hammerstein II
2:59
A4 Only Yesterday
Composed By – Jimmy Wisner
2:41
A5 Meditation
Composed By – Jobim, Mendonca, Gimbel
3:44
B1 Don't Go Breaking My Heart
Composed By – Bacharach And David
2:59
B2 Where Do I Go From Here
Composed By – Jimmy Wisner
2:42
B3 Don't Let Me Lose This Dream
Composed By – A. Franklin, T. White
2:34
B4 How Can I Leave You
Composed By – George Devens
2:08
B5 Live For Life (Vivre Pour Vivre)
Composed By – Lai, Gimbel
2:47
B6 That's Life
Composed By – D. Thompson, K. Gordon
3:02
Label: December Records – DR 8500
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1968
Genre: R&B Jazz, Soul
Style: Pop-Soul
The self-titled 1968 album Tamiko, released on December Records, is a transition piece that finds Tamiko Jones leaning into a bossa nova-flavored, "jazz-pop" sound following her successful collaboration with Herbie Mann. Produced by December Records owner Jimmy Wisner, the album is distinct from her soul-focused release of the same year, I'll Be Anything For You.
Retrospective reviews highlight the album for its "pure class" and its attempt to replicate the success of the French-influenced "A Mann and a Woman" aesthetic.
The album is noted for its "smartly arranged" bossa nova flavor and lush settings. It features a mix of original compositions by Jimmy Wisner and covers of popular standards.
Reviewers describe her voice as warm and sensuous, though the album is sometimes seen as a safer, more "pop" outing compared to her later soul and funk work.
Key Tracks:-
"Meditation" (Meditação): Frequently cited as the album's standout track and its best representation of "pure class".
"Only Yesterday": An original Wisner composition previously recorded on her Mann collaboration; the 1968 version is considered more lively and superior.
"The Folks Who Live On the Hill": A Jerome Kern cover that some find to be the album's weakest point due to its overly jazzy approach.
"Someone To Light Up My Life": Released as a single from the album, backed with "Where Do I Go From Here".
Overall Vibe: Listeners describe the record as "pure class" and a "nice, mellow" listening experience, often praising it as an underrated 1960s gem. Discogs Rating: The album holds a strong average rating of approximately 4.14 to 4.17 out of 5 stars from community members.