Louis Jones (April 28, 1931 – June 27, 1984) – Come On Home (1964)

The talented but unsung singer/songwriter wrote this powerful R&B jam, released on Houston's Sabra Records and backed by the Bobby Scott Orchestra.

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Louis “Blues Boy” Jones was an R&B and blues singer/songwriter and musician who released a few highly-sought after singles in the 1950s and 60s. He passed exactly forty years ago on June 27, 1984.

Born in Galveston, Texas, Louis Prince Jones, Jr. became interested in music at a young age. When he was four years old he began singing with his mother in their church’s choir. He next learned to play the piano and drums.

In the early fifties, Jones moved to Houston to live with his older brother. He started hanging out at the Peacock Records studio, the label owned by the infamous Don Robey. Jones became a backup singer for most of the acts on Peacock and Robey’s other subsidiary labels, which included Bobby “Blue” Bland, “Big Mama” Thornton, and the Mighty Clouds of Joy.

He released his own first single on Peacock in 1956, billed to Louis Jones and His Band, the R&B jam “Rock and Roll Bells” b/w the beautiful blues ballad “All Over, Goodbye.” The single was one of just over two dozen records later sold at auction as part of Elvis Presley’s very first record collection. Its B-side was credited to Robey, which means its true author remains unknown. The shady label owner’s standard practice was to rob artists of songwriting credit by buying the rights to their songs for a pittance or simply adding his name to the songwriting credits.

In the early sixties, Jones signed with Houston-based Sabra Records and recorded two singles backed by the Bobby Scott Orchestra. For the first, Jones wrote the heartfelt love song “I’ll Be Your Fool” (1962) with the rockin’ R&B jam “Someway, Somewhere” on its B-side, co-written by Scott.

Jones cut an unusual single for Decca Records in 1963. The wild, emotional A-side “The Birds Is Coming” was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s hit horror film The Birds, b/w the heartfelt love song “That’s Cuz I Love You.” Both sides were conducted by Scott.

He met record store owner and producer Bobby Robinson in New York City during the early sixties, and in 1964 put out a single on Robinson’s Enjoy Records. The superb Ray Charles cover “I Believe To My Soul” was its A-side, with the upbeat jam “Hurry Baby” on the flip, co-written by Robinson.

Jones wrote both sides of his second and final single on Sabra, the powerful jam “Come On Home” b/w the heartbreak anthem “I Cried.” It was the last record he ever released.

After Jones became the lead singer of the Bobby Scott Orchestra, they toured with Otis Redding and Jerry Butler during the early sixties.

Sadly, in April, 1983 Jones had a stroke and died a little over a year later, gone far too soon at age 53.

Rest in Power, Louis Jones.

Further info:

“Jones, Louis Prince, Jr. [Blues Boy],” by LaVern Jones Lemons, Texas State Historical Association.

#soul #funk #R&B #LouisJones