Gloria Jones

Born Gloria Richetta Jones (October 19, 1945 in Cincinnati, Ohio), the US singer and songwriter lovingly nicknamed in the UK as "The Queen of Northern Soul" is best known for her 1965 hit "Tainted Love," the rollicking 1960s original to Soft Cell's 1981 synth-pop gem. After moving from Cincinnati to Los Angeles as a child, Jones joined gospel group COGIC Singers aged 14 and recorded 1966 album It's a Blessing. She began releasing solo singles in 1964, scoring a hit with 1965 single "Heartbeat (Part 1)" / Heartbeat (Part 2)." The single was written by US songwriter Ed Cobb (who had also written "Tainted Love") with whom Jones would strike up a long-term partnership. Jones, who earned "The Queen of Northern Soul" title due to her strong following in the UK, released her debut album Come Go with Me in 1966. She went on to amass four more solo albums, including 1976's Vixen, which featured several songs written by Marc Bolan (who was also the album's producer). Jones joined T. Rex in 1974 as a backing vocalist keyboardist and appeared on five of the group's albums, including 1977's Dandy in the Underworld. Jones and Bolan became romantically involved and they had a son, Rolan Bolan (born September 26, 1975). Jones was the driver of the car that crashed near Barnes Common, London, striking a tree and killing Marc Bolan on September 16, 1977. After moving back to Los Angeles following Bolan's death, Jones remained in the music industry and reunited with Cobb for 1981's Reunited. She also reconvened with The COGIC's for 1984's The COGIC'S, while going on to work as a music supervisor for films.