Comic Singer-Songwriter Kacey Jones Passes
Nashville singer-songwriter Kacey Jones passed away on Thursday, Sept. 1
She was 66 years old.
Kacey is best-known for her comedic songs as a member of Ethel & The Shameless Hussies, as well as on a series of humorous solo CDs. Born Gayle Zeiler, Kacey Jones was raised in Gilroy, California. Early in her career, she recorded for an independent label in San Francisco.
She co-wrote the 1985 Mickey Gilley top-10 hit “I’m the One Mama Warned You About.” During that same year, David Allan Coe recorded her song “Cold Turkey.”
She moved to Nashville in 1986. Jones initially hoped to be recorded as a serious singer-songwriter. But then she formed Ethel & The Shameless Hussies with Becki Fogle (“Bunny O’Hare”) and Valerie Hunt (“Blanche Hickey”). Her character in the group was called “Ethel Beaverton.”
The act took its name from the Ray Stevens lyric in “The Streak.” Ethel & The Shameless Hussies signed with MCA Records and issued its debut album, Born to Burn, in 1988. They made the charts with the singles “One Nite Stan” (1988) and “It’s Just the Whiskey Talkin’” (1989). “Ethel’s” turns in the spotlight with the group included “Last Night I Really Laid Down the Law,” “Smokin’ in Bed” and “Up Against Your Love.”
The group was nominated as Comedy Act of the Year at the Music City News Awards. The trio remained together for four years.
Later in the 1990s, Jones embarked on a solo career. Her initial solo CD was 1997’s "Men Are Some of My Favorite People" on Curb Records. It yielded two music videos, “1-900-Bubba” and “(I Hate Your Lousy, Rotten, Stinkin’ Guts) But I’m Not Bitter.”
She eventually appeared several times on NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion and in the pages of People and USA Today. Her songs have also been heard on film soundtracks, such as the Beau Bridges cult favorite "Sordid Lives." Among the artists who have recorded her songs are Cledus T. Judd, Richard Fagan, Ray Stevens, and Marshall Chapman.
Jones was also a record producer. She saluted Texas singer-songwriter, Kinky Friedman, by producing the multi-artist CD "Pearls in the Snow". Featuring Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel, Lyle Lovett, Dwight Yoakam, and others, this album hit No. 1 on the Americana charts in 1999.
As an entrepreneur, she formed her own IGO Records label and the publishing companies Zamalama Music (BMI) and Mamalama Music (ASCAP). She signed country traditionalist Leland Martin to IGO, and he charted with “If I Had Long Legs (Like Alan Jackson)” (2002) and “Hey Love, No Fair” (2003).
Her own record-making career continued with "Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead" (2000), "Never Wear Panties to a Party" (2001), and "The Sweet Potato Queens’ Big-Ass Box of Music" (2003). Her 2000 duet with Delbert McClinton, “You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly,” was a big hit in Europe. In 2001, Jones became a regular on the nationally-syndicated ABC morning radio show, “Charlie & Darcy.”
She was dubbed “The Royal Minstrel to the Sweet Potato Queens’ Court.” This was a network of fans of Mississippi author Jill Connor Browne’s series of "Southern-Belle" “Sweet Potato Queen” books. Their anthem was Jones’s “Be Particular.”
Kacey Jones is remembered for such clever lyrics as “Christmas In Rehab,” “Whatever Happened to Kenny Rogers’ Face,” “Show Up Naked—Bring Beer,” “I Wanna Be Up Front Like Dolly,” “Dressin’ Up for the Pizza Man,” “I Can Always Get Skinny But You’ll Never Be Tall,” “Put the Seat Back Down” and “I Miss My Man (But My Aim’s Gettin’ Better).”
She flipped back to her serious side with 2006’s Kacey Jones Sings Mickey Newbury. The album garnered widespread critical praise.
"Nipples to the Wind" (2007), "Kaceyoke" (2008), and "Donald Trump’s Hair" (2009) returned her to light-hearted fare. Her most recent album was 2014’s "Amen for Old Friends", which combined both comedic and serious tunes.
In recent years, she had done a series of “in the round” shows with fellow tunesmiths Becky Hobbs and Benita Hill. They were billed as “A Cowgirl, a Diva, and a Shameless Hussy.” The three also wrote together. Her other songwriting/performing trio was Phillybilly, alongside Richard Fagan and Joe Collins.
In 2014, Kacey Jones was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer. Instead of chemo, radiation, and surgery, she opted for alternative, holistic therapies. She launched a GoFundMe account to pay for these. Despite chronic pain, she was well enough in 2015 to compete on TV’s America’s Got Talent.
In February, the songwriting community staged a benefit show for her at Douglas Corner Café. Among those booked were Rafe Van Hoy, Alan Rhody, Kent Blazy, Roger Cook, Wood Newton, and Jonmark Stone. In light of the current presidential campaign, she reissued “Donald Trump’s Hair” last spring.
Kacey Jones entered hospice care in August.
Robert K Oermann • October 4, 2016
=====
Kacey Jones
Gail Zeiler (April 27, 1950 – September 1, 2016), known professionally as Kacey Jones, was an American singer-songwriter, producer, and humorist. After co-writing the Mickey Gilley hit "I'm the One Mama Warned You About" (credited as Gayle Zeiler), she found success as a performer through the band Ethel & The Shameless Hussies, with whom she released her first album. Later, in 1997, she released her first solo album, Men Are Some of My Favorite People, through Curb Records, before founding her own label, IGO Records, co-founding the Kinkajou Records label with Kinky Friedman and creating two publishing houses—Zamalama Music and Mamalama Music. Since her first solo album, Jones released eight CDs and produced music for both the theatrical comedy Nipples to the Wind and the movie (and TV series) Sordid Lives.[1]
Born Gail Zeiler in Gilroy, California, she won the Northern California edition of the Wrangler Country Star Search in 1981 and became an Equa recording artist. Jones found initial success recording with an independent label in San Francisco before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1986. Her move to Nashville came after she co-wrote "I'm the One Mama Warned You About", recorded by Mickey Gilley on Epic Records. The song reached number 5 on the Billboard charts. Her original song, "Cold Turkey," was recorded that same year by David Allan Coe on CBS Records.
Jones moved to Nashville with expectations of being signed to a major record label as a serious singer-songwriter rather than writing humorous works. That changed when she recruited Becki Fogle and Valerie Hunt to form Ethel & The Shameless Hussies. Jones performed as Ethel Beaverton, and the group soon gained a contract with MCA Records, recording the album Born To Burn in 1988. The group stayed together for four years and was nominated for Comedy Act of the Year in the Music City News Awards.
After moving on from the Shameless Hussies, Jones became involved in a number of different projects. As a record producer, she developed "Pearls in the Snow – The Songs of Kinky Friedman". The album featured artists such as Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel, and Lyle Lovett performing songs by Friedman, and it went on to reach the number 1 spot on the Americana radio chart in 1999. While working with Kinky Friedman on the album, Jones and Friedman founded the Kinkajou Records label. Later she established her own independent label, IGO (Irritating Gentile Optimist) Records, for whom she signed artists such as Leland Martin. She is the President of two publishing houses: Zamalama Music (BMI) and Mamalama Music (ASCAP).
As a recording artist and performer, Jones signed with Curb Records in 1997. This led to her first solo album, "Men Are Some of My Favorite People" (1997). Other albums by Jones were to follow on her own label, IGO Records including Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead (2000),(produced after completing the project with Kinky Friedman), Never Wear Panties to a Party (2001), "The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Box of Music" (2003), "Nipples to the Wind" (2007), and the more recent Donald Trump's Hair (2009). Donald Trump's Hair reached No. 1 on ReverbNation's comedy charts. In addition, Kacey Jones Sings Mickey Newbury, a tribute to Mickey Newbury (who influenced her early career), was released in 2006 and gave her an opportunity to explore the more serious side of her singing.
Death
Jones died on September 1, 2016, while in hospice care at her Nashville home. She was 66.
She had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer three years before her death, and she chose only alternative cancer treatments.
Discography
Donald Trump's Hair
She's Goin' Home Alone
It Ain't My Concern (1981)
No Place to Hide (1981)
Born To Burn (1988) with Ethel & The Shameless Hussies.
Men Are Some of My Favorite People (1997)
Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead (2000)
Never Wear Panties to a Party (2001)
The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Box of Music (2003)
Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead – Live (2005)
Kacey Jones Sings Mickey Newbury (2006)
Nipples to the Wind (2007)
Kaceyoke – Volume 1 (2008)
Donald Trump's Hair (2009)
Amen for Old Friends (2014)
Wikipedia
=====
Kacey Jones was a comedy singer/guitarist act from Season 10 of America's Got Talent. She was eliminated in the Judge Cuts.
Audiences have been laughing with Kacey Jones for decades and laughing right along with them are People Magazine, USA Today, GAC & CMT Television, and Garrison Keillor and "A Prairie Home Companion." “Donald Trump’s Hair,” is the hilarious follow-up to her previous album, “Nipples to the Wind" and contains fifteen tracks including "Christmas in Rehab," "I Can Always Get Skinny But You'll Never Be Tall," and "Whatever Happened to Kenny Rogers Face."
"I'm a singer-songwriter-musician first," says Jones, “I enjoy making people laugh in the tradition of musical humorists such as Tom Lehrer, Mae West, Roger Miller, Kinky Friedman, Dan Hicks, Jerry Reed, and Sophie Tucker.” I also enjoy a good ballad…that's why I recorded a tribute to Mickey Newbury.”
If it all seems off the wall, it's totally sane in the world of Kacey Jones. Hers was, after all, the mind that conceived one of Nashville's most unique and revered cult acts, the all-girl group, "Ethel and The Shameless Hussies," who broke above the waves in the late '80s to mainstream nominations as "Comedy Act of the Year" on MCA Records. As lead singer and lead comedy writer, Kacey put the Shameless Hussies on America's national radar.
In 1997 Kacey signed with Curb Records and recorded one of the few original music-with-comedy-albums ever released by a female artist in Nashville. "Men Are Some of My Favorite People," considered a classic by collectors, yielded two music videos, "1-900-Bubba" and "I Hate Your Lousy, Rotten, Stinkin' Guts But, I'm Not Bitter.
Further proving that her talents could produce more than just a few good laughs, Kacey entered the studio with the legendary cult artist, Kinky Friedman, only to emerge as the producer of his critically acclaimed project, "Pearls in the Snow." Featuring Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, Tom Waits, Lyle Lovett, Delbert McClinton, and others, the album reached the # 1 spot on the Americana radio chart in 1999. In 2000 Kacey and Delbert McClinton recorded the duet, "You're The Reason Our Kids are Ugly." The single and video stayed atop the European country chart (#1) for nine weeks.
Movies were next to fall under her spell. Kacey contributed three original songs to the soundtrack of the multi-award-winning cult film and TV series, "Sordid Lives" starring Beau Bridges, Olivia Newton-John, Delta Burke, Beth Grant, Bonnie Bedelia, and Leslie Jordan. She also wrote the music for the hilarious stage play, "Nipples to the Wind" and toured with the company nationally in 2007.
Kacey is the “Official Songstress of The Sweet Potato Queens” an organization with 75,000 members worldwide, born out of a half dozen best-selling Sweet Potato Queen books by Mississippi author, Jill Conner Browne.
Audition
Kacey Jones' audition was never televised. It is unknown whether or not she was buzzed, but at least three judges voted "Yes," sending Kacey to the Judge Cuts round.
Judge Cuts
Kacey Jones' Judge Cuts performance in Episode 1011 consisted of singing an original comedic song titled "Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay, Or Dead" while playing the guitar. Kacey's performance was not strong enough for the judges to send her to the Quarterfinals, eliminating her from the competition along with Aaron Smyth and Leroy Patterson.
Nashville singer-songwriter Kacey Jones passed away on Thursday, Sept. 1
She was 66 years old.
Kacey is best-known for her comedic songs as a member of Ethel & The Shameless Hussies, as well as on a series of humorous solo CDs. Born Gayle Zeiler, Kacey Jones was raised in Gilroy, California. Early in her career, she recorded for an independent label in San Francisco.
She co-wrote the 1985 Mickey Gilley top-10 hit “I’m the One Mama Warned You About.” During that same year, David Allan Coe recorded her song “Cold Turkey.”
She moved to Nashville in 1986. Jones initially hoped to be recorded as a serious singer-songwriter. But then she formed Ethel & The Shameless Hussies with Becki Fogle (“Bunny O’Hare”) and Valerie Hunt (“Blanche Hickey”). Her character in the group was called “Ethel Beaverton.”
The act took its name from the Ray Stevens lyric in “The Streak.” Ethel & The Shameless Hussies signed with MCA Records and issued its debut album, Born to Burn, in 1988. They made the charts with the singles “One Nite Stan” (1988) and “It’s Just the Whiskey Talkin’” (1989). “Ethel’s” turns in the spotlight with the group included “Last Night I Really Laid Down the Law,” “Smokin’ in Bed” and “Up Against Your Love.”
The group was nominated as Comedy Act of the Year at the Music City News Awards. The trio remained together for four years.
Later in the 1990s, Jones embarked on a solo career. Her initial solo CD was 1997’s "Men Are Some of My Favorite People" on Curb Records. It yielded two music videos, “1-900-Bubba” and “(I Hate Your Lousy, Rotten, Stinkin’ Guts) But I’m Not Bitter.”
She eventually appeared several times on NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion and in the pages of People and USA Today. Her songs have also been heard on film soundtracks, such as the Beau Bridges cult favorite "Sordid Lives." Among the artists who have recorded her songs are Cledus T. Judd, Richard Fagan, Ray Stevens, and Marshall Chapman.
Jones was also a record producer. She saluted Texas singer-songwriter, Kinky Friedman, by producing the multi-artist CD "Pearls in the Snow". Featuring Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel, Lyle Lovett, Dwight Yoakam, and others, this album hit No. 1 on the Americana charts in 1999.
As an entrepreneur, she formed her own IGO Records label and the publishing companies Zamalama Music (BMI) and Mamalama Music (ASCAP). She signed country traditionalist Leland Martin to IGO, and he charted with “If I Had Long Legs (Like Alan Jackson)” (2002) and “Hey Love, No Fair” (2003).
Her own record-making career continued with "Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead" (2000), "Never Wear Panties to a Party" (2001), and "The Sweet Potato Queens’ Big-Ass Box of Music" (2003). Her 2000 duet with Delbert McClinton, “You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly,” was a big hit in Europe. In 2001, Jones became a regular on the nationally-syndicated ABC morning radio show, “Charlie & Darcy.”
She was dubbed “The Royal Minstrel to the Sweet Potato Queens’ Court.” This was a network of fans of Mississippi author Jill Connor Browne’s series of "Southern-Belle" “Sweet Potato Queen” books. Their anthem was Jones’s “Be Particular.”
Kacey Jones is remembered for such clever lyrics as “Christmas In Rehab,” “Whatever Happened to Kenny Rogers’ Face,” “Show Up Naked—Bring Beer,” “I Wanna Be Up Front Like Dolly,” “Dressin’ Up for the Pizza Man,” “I Can Always Get Skinny But You’ll Never Be Tall,” “Put the Seat Back Down” and “I Miss My Man (But My Aim’s Gettin’ Better).”
She flipped back to her serious side with 2006’s Kacey Jones Sings Mickey Newbury. The album garnered widespread critical praise.
"Nipples to the Wind" (2007), "Kaceyoke" (2008), and "Donald Trump’s Hair" (2009) returned her to light-hearted fare. Her most recent album was 2014’s "Amen for Old Friends", which combined both comedic and serious tunes.
In recent years, she had done a series of “in the round” shows with fellow tunesmiths Becky Hobbs and Benita Hill. They were billed as “A Cowgirl, a Diva, and a Shameless Hussy.” The three also wrote together. Her other songwriting/performing trio was Phillybilly, alongside Richard Fagan and Joe Collins.
In 2014, Kacey Jones was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer. Instead of chemo, radiation, and surgery, she opted for alternative, holistic therapies. She launched a GoFundMe account to pay for these. Despite chronic pain, she was well enough in 2015 to compete on TV’s America’s Got Talent.
In February, the songwriting community staged a benefit show for her at Douglas Corner Café. Among those booked were Rafe Van Hoy, Alan Rhody, Kent Blazy, Roger Cook, Wood Newton, and Jonmark Stone. In light of the current presidential campaign, she reissued “Donald Trump’s Hair” last spring.
Kacey Jones entered hospice care in August.
Robert K Oermann • October 4, 2016
=====
Kacey Jones
Gail Zeiler (April 27, 1950 – September 1, 2016), known professionally as Kacey Jones, was an American singer-songwriter, producer, and humorist. After co-writing the Mickey Gilley hit "I'm the One Mama Warned You About" (credited as Gayle Zeiler), she found success as a performer through the band Ethel & The Shameless Hussies, with whom she released her first album. Later, in 1997, she released her first solo album, Men Are Some of My Favorite People, through Curb Records, before founding her own label, IGO Records, co-founding the Kinkajou Records label with Kinky Friedman and creating two publishing houses—Zamalama Music and Mamalama Music. Since her first solo album, Jones released eight CDs and produced music for both the theatrical comedy Nipples to the Wind and the movie (and TV series) Sordid Lives.[1]
Born Gail Zeiler in Gilroy, California, she won the Northern California edition of the Wrangler Country Star Search in 1981 and became an Equa recording artist. Jones found initial success recording with an independent label in San Francisco before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1986. Her move to Nashville came after she co-wrote "I'm the One Mama Warned You About", recorded by Mickey Gilley on Epic Records. The song reached number 5 on the Billboard charts. Her original song, "Cold Turkey," was recorded that same year by David Allan Coe on CBS Records.
Jones moved to Nashville with expectations of being signed to a major record label as a serious singer-songwriter rather than writing humorous works. That changed when she recruited Becki Fogle and Valerie Hunt to form Ethel & The Shameless Hussies. Jones performed as Ethel Beaverton, and the group soon gained a contract with MCA Records, recording the album Born To Burn in 1988. The group stayed together for four years and was nominated for Comedy Act of the Year in the Music City News Awards.
After moving on from the Shameless Hussies, Jones became involved in a number of different projects. As a record producer, she developed "Pearls in the Snow – The Songs of Kinky Friedman". The album featured artists such as Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel, and Lyle Lovett performing songs by Friedman, and it went on to reach the number 1 spot on the Americana radio chart in 1999. While working with Kinky Friedman on the album, Jones and Friedman founded the Kinkajou Records label. Later she established her own independent label, IGO (Irritating Gentile Optimist) Records, for whom she signed artists such as Leland Martin. She is the President of two publishing houses: Zamalama Music (BMI) and Mamalama Music (ASCAP).
As a recording artist and performer, Jones signed with Curb Records in 1997. This led to her first solo album, "Men Are Some of My Favorite People" (1997). Other albums by Jones were to follow on her own label, IGO Records including Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead (2000),(produced after completing the project with Kinky Friedman), Never Wear Panties to a Party (2001), "The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Box of Music" (2003), "Nipples to the Wind" (2007), and the more recent Donald Trump's Hair (2009). Donald Trump's Hair reached No. 1 on ReverbNation's comedy charts. In addition, Kacey Jones Sings Mickey Newbury, a tribute to Mickey Newbury (who influenced her early career), was released in 2006 and gave her an opportunity to explore the more serious side of her singing.
Death
Jones died on September 1, 2016, while in hospice care at her Nashville home. She was 66.
She had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer three years before her death, and she chose only alternative cancer treatments.
Discography
Donald Trump's Hair
She's Goin' Home Alone
It Ain't My Concern (1981)
No Place to Hide (1981)
Born To Burn (1988) with Ethel & The Shameless Hussies.
Men Are Some of My Favorite People (1997)
Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead (2000)
Never Wear Panties to a Party (2001)
The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Box of Music (2003)
Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead – Live (2005)
Kacey Jones Sings Mickey Newbury (2006)
Nipples to the Wind (2007)
Kaceyoke – Volume 1 (2008)
Donald Trump's Hair (2009)
Amen for Old Friends (2014)
Wikipedia
=====
Kacey Jones was a comedy singer/guitarist act from Season 10 of America's Got Talent. She was eliminated in the Judge Cuts.
Audiences have been laughing with Kacey Jones for decades and laughing right along with them are People Magazine, USA Today, GAC & CMT Television, and Garrison Keillor and "A Prairie Home Companion." “Donald Trump’s Hair,” is the hilarious follow-up to her previous album, “Nipples to the Wind" and contains fifteen tracks including "Christmas in Rehab," "I Can Always Get Skinny But You'll Never Be Tall," and "Whatever Happened to Kenny Rogers Face."
"I'm a singer-songwriter-musician first," says Jones, “I enjoy making people laugh in the tradition of musical humorists such as Tom Lehrer, Mae West, Roger Miller, Kinky Friedman, Dan Hicks, Jerry Reed, and Sophie Tucker.” I also enjoy a good ballad…that's why I recorded a tribute to Mickey Newbury.”
If it all seems off the wall, it's totally sane in the world of Kacey Jones. Hers was, after all, the mind that conceived one of Nashville's most unique and revered cult acts, the all-girl group, "Ethel and The Shameless Hussies," who broke above the waves in the late '80s to mainstream nominations as "Comedy Act of the Year" on MCA Records. As lead singer and lead comedy writer, Kacey put the Shameless Hussies on America's national radar.
In 1997 Kacey signed with Curb Records and recorded one of the few original music-with-comedy-albums ever released by a female artist in Nashville. "Men Are Some of My Favorite People," considered a classic by collectors, yielded two music videos, "1-900-Bubba" and "I Hate Your Lousy, Rotten, Stinkin' Guts But, I'm Not Bitter.
Further proving that her talents could produce more than just a few good laughs, Kacey entered the studio with the legendary cult artist, Kinky Friedman, only to emerge as the producer of his critically acclaimed project, "Pearls in the Snow." Featuring Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, Tom Waits, Lyle Lovett, Delbert McClinton, and others, the album reached the # 1 spot on the Americana radio chart in 1999. In 2000 Kacey and Delbert McClinton recorded the duet, "You're The Reason Our Kids are Ugly." The single and video stayed atop the European country chart (#1) for nine weeks.
Movies were next to fall under her spell. Kacey contributed three original songs to the soundtrack of the multi-award-winning cult film and TV series, "Sordid Lives" starring Beau Bridges, Olivia Newton-John, Delta Burke, Beth Grant, Bonnie Bedelia, and Leslie Jordan. She also wrote the music for the hilarious stage play, "Nipples to the Wind" and toured with the company nationally in 2007.
Kacey is the “Official Songstress of The Sweet Potato Queens” an organization with 75,000 members worldwide, born out of a half dozen best-selling Sweet Potato Queen books by Mississippi author, Jill Conner Browne.
Audition
Kacey Jones' audition was never televised. It is unknown whether or not she was buzzed, but at least three judges voted "Yes," sending Kacey to the Judge Cuts round.
Judge Cuts
Kacey Jones' Judge Cuts performance in Episode 1011 consisted of singing an original comedic song titled "Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay, Or Dead" while playing the guitar. Kacey's performance was not strong enough for the judges to send her to the Quarterfinals, eliminating her from the competition along with Aaron Smyth and Leroy Patterson.
Comic Singer-Songwriter Kacey Jones Passes
Nashville singer-songwriter Kacey Jones passed away on Thursday, Sept. 1
She was 66 years old.
Kacey is best-known for her comedic songs as a member of Ethel & The Shameless Hussies, as well as on a series of humorous solo CDs. Born Gayle Zeiler, Kacey Jones was raised in Gilroy, California. Early in her career, she recorded for an independent label in San Francisco.
She co-wrote the 1985 Mickey Gilley top-10 hit “I’m the One Mama Warned You About.” During that same year, David Allan Coe recorded her song “Cold Turkey.”
She moved to Nashville in 1986. Jones initially hoped to be recorded as a serious singer-songwriter. But then she formed Ethel & The Shameless Hussies with Becki Fogle (“Bunny O’Hare”) and Valerie Hunt (“Blanche Hickey”). Her character in the group was called “Ethel Beaverton.”
The act took its name from the Ray Stevens lyric in “The Streak.” Ethel & The Shameless Hussies signed with MCA Records and issued its debut album, Born to Burn, in 1988. They made the charts with the singles “One Nite Stan” (1988) and “It’s Just the Whiskey Talkin’” (1989). “Ethel’s” turns in the spotlight with the group included “Last Night I Really Laid Down the Law,” “Smokin’ in Bed” and “Up Against Your Love.”
The group was nominated as Comedy Act of the Year at the Music City News Awards. The trio remained together for four years.
Later in the 1990s, Jones embarked on a solo career. Her initial solo CD was 1997’s "Men Are Some of My Favorite People" on Curb Records. It yielded two music videos, “1-900-Bubba” and “(I Hate Your Lousy, Rotten, Stinkin’ Guts) But I’m Not Bitter.”
She eventually appeared several times on NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion and in the pages of People and USA Today. Her songs have also been heard on film soundtracks, such as the Beau Bridges cult favorite "Sordid Lives." Among the artists who have recorded her songs are Cledus T. Judd, Richard Fagan, Ray Stevens, and Marshall Chapman.
Jones was also a record producer. She saluted Texas singer-songwriter, Kinky Friedman, by producing the multi-artist CD "Pearls in the Snow". Featuring Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel, Lyle Lovett, Dwight Yoakam, and others, this album hit No. 1 on the Americana charts in 1999.
As an entrepreneur, she formed her own IGO Records label and the publishing companies Zamalama Music (BMI) and Mamalama Music (ASCAP). She signed country traditionalist Leland Martin to IGO, and he charted with “If I Had Long Legs (Like Alan Jackson)” (2002) and “Hey Love, No Fair” (2003).
Her own record-making career continued with "Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead" (2000), "Never Wear Panties to a Party" (2001), and "The Sweet Potato Queens’ Big-Ass Box of Music" (2003). Her 2000 duet with Delbert McClinton, “You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly,” was a big hit in Europe. In 2001, Jones became a regular on the nationally-syndicated ABC morning radio show, “Charlie & Darcy.”
She was dubbed “The Royal Minstrel to the Sweet Potato Queens’ Court.” This was a network of fans of Mississippi author Jill Connor Browne’s series of "Southern-Belle" “Sweet Potato Queen” books. Their anthem was Jones’s “Be Particular.”
Kacey Jones is remembered for such clever lyrics as “Christmas In Rehab,” “Whatever Happened to Kenny Rogers’ Face,” “Show Up Naked—Bring Beer,” “I Wanna Be Up Front Like Dolly,” “Dressin’ Up for the Pizza Man,” “I Can Always Get Skinny But You’ll Never Be Tall,” “Put the Seat Back Down” and “I Miss My Man (But My Aim’s Gettin’ Better).”
She flipped back to her serious side with 2006’s Kacey Jones Sings Mickey Newbury. The album garnered widespread critical praise.
"Nipples to the Wind" (2007), "Kaceyoke" (2008), and "Donald Trump’s Hair" (2009) returned her to light-hearted fare. Her most recent album was 2014’s "Amen for Old Friends", which combined both comedic and serious tunes.
In recent years, she had done a series of “in the round” shows with fellow tunesmiths Becky Hobbs and Benita Hill. They were billed as “A Cowgirl, a Diva, and a Shameless Hussy.” The three also wrote together. Her other songwriting/performing trio was Phillybilly, alongside Richard Fagan and Joe Collins.
In 2014, Kacey Jones was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer. Instead of chemo, radiation, and surgery, she opted for alternative, holistic therapies. She launched a GoFundMe account to pay for these. Despite chronic pain, she was well enough in 2015 to compete on TV’s America’s Got Talent.
In February, the songwriting community staged a benefit show for her at Douglas Corner Café. Among those booked were Rafe Van Hoy, Alan Rhody, Kent Blazy, Roger Cook, Wood Newton, and Jonmark Stone. In light of the current presidential campaign, she reissued “Donald Trump’s Hair” last spring.
Kacey Jones entered hospice care in August.
Robert K Oermann • October 4, 2016
=====
Kacey Jones
Gail Zeiler (April 27, 1950 – September 1, 2016), known professionally as Kacey Jones, was an American singer-songwriter, producer, and humorist. After co-writing the Mickey Gilley hit "I'm the One Mama Warned You About" (credited as Gayle Zeiler), she found success as a performer through the band Ethel & The Shameless Hussies, with whom she released her first album. Later, in 1997, she released her first solo album, Men Are Some of My Favorite People, through Curb Records, before founding her own label, IGO Records, co-founding the Kinkajou Records label with Kinky Friedman and creating two publishing houses—Zamalama Music and Mamalama Music. Since her first solo album, Jones released eight CDs and produced music for both the theatrical comedy Nipples to the Wind and the movie (and TV series) Sordid Lives.[1]
Born Gail Zeiler in Gilroy, California, she won the Northern California edition of the Wrangler Country Star Search in 1981 and became an Equa recording artist. Jones found initial success recording with an independent label in San Francisco before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1986. Her move to Nashville came after she co-wrote "I'm the One Mama Warned You About", recorded by Mickey Gilley on Epic Records. The song reached number 5 on the Billboard charts. Her original song, "Cold Turkey," was recorded that same year by David Allan Coe on CBS Records.
Jones moved to Nashville with expectations of being signed to a major record label as a serious singer-songwriter rather than writing humorous works. That changed when she recruited Becki Fogle and Valerie Hunt to form Ethel & The Shameless Hussies. Jones performed as Ethel Beaverton, and the group soon gained a contract with MCA Records, recording the album Born To Burn in 1988. The group stayed together for four years and was nominated for Comedy Act of the Year in the Music City News Awards.
After moving on from the Shameless Hussies, Jones became involved in a number of different projects. As a record producer, she developed "Pearls in the Snow – The Songs of Kinky Friedman". The album featured artists such as Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel, and Lyle Lovett performing songs by Friedman, and it went on to reach the number 1 spot on the Americana radio chart in 1999. While working with Kinky Friedman on the album, Jones and Friedman founded the Kinkajou Records label. Later she established her own independent label, IGO (Irritating Gentile Optimist) Records, for whom she signed artists such as Leland Martin. She is the President of two publishing houses: Zamalama Music (BMI) and Mamalama Music (ASCAP).
As a recording artist and performer, Jones signed with Curb Records in 1997. This led to her first solo album, "Men Are Some of My Favorite People" (1997). Other albums by Jones were to follow on her own label, IGO Records including Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead (2000),(produced after completing the project with Kinky Friedman), Never Wear Panties to a Party (2001), "The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Box of Music" (2003), "Nipples to the Wind" (2007), and the more recent Donald Trump's Hair (2009). Donald Trump's Hair reached No. 1 on ReverbNation's comedy charts. In addition, Kacey Jones Sings Mickey Newbury, a tribute to Mickey Newbury (who influenced her early career), was released in 2006 and gave her an opportunity to explore the more serious side of her singing.
Death
Jones died on September 1, 2016, while in hospice care at her Nashville home. She was 66.
She had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer three years before her death, and she chose only alternative cancer treatments.
Discography
Donald Trump's Hair
She's Goin' Home Alone
It Ain't My Concern (1981)
No Place to Hide (1981)
Born To Burn (1988) with Ethel & The Shameless Hussies.
Men Are Some of My Favorite People (1997)
Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead (2000)
Never Wear Panties to a Party (2001)
The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Box of Music (2003)
Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead – Live (2005)
Kacey Jones Sings Mickey Newbury (2006)
Nipples to the Wind (2007)
Kaceyoke – Volume 1 (2008)
Donald Trump's Hair (2009)
Amen for Old Friends (2014)
Wikipedia
=====
Kacey Jones was a comedy singer/guitarist act from Season 10 of America's Got Talent. She was eliminated in the Judge Cuts.
Audiences have been laughing with Kacey Jones for decades and laughing right along with them are People Magazine, USA Today, GAC & CMT Television, and Garrison Keillor and "A Prairie Home Companion." “Donald Trump’s Hair,” is the hilarious follow-up to her previous album, “Nipples to the Wind" and contains fifteen tracks including "Christmas in Rehab," "I Can Always Get Skinny But You'll Never Be Tall," and "Whatever Happened to Kenny Rogers Face."
"I'm a singer-songwriter-musician first," says Jones, “I enjoy making people laugh in the tradition of musical humorists such as Tom Lehrer, Mae West, Roger Miller, Kinky Friedman, Dan Hicks, Jerry Reed, and Sophie Tucker.” I also enjoy a good ballad…that's why I recorded a tribute to Mickey Newbury.”
If it all seems off the wall, it's totally sane in the world of Kacey Jones. Hers was, after all, the mind that conceived one of Nashville's most unique and revered cult acts, the all-girl group, "Ethel and The Shameless Hussies," who broke above the waves in the late '80s to mainstream nominations as "Comedy Act of the Year" on MCA Records. As lead singer and lead comedy writer, Kacey put the Shameless Hussies on America's national radar.
In 1997 Kacey signed with Curb Records and recorded one of the few original music-with-comedy-albums ever released by a female artist in Nashville. "Men Are Some of My Favorite People," considered a classic by collectors, yielded two music videos, "1-900-Bubba" and "I Hate Your Lousy, Rotten, Stinkin' Guts But, I'm Not Bitter.
Further proving that her talents could produce more than just a few good laughs, Kacey entered the studio with the legendary cult artist, Kinky Friedman, only to emerge as the producer of his critically acclaimed project, "Pearls in the Snow." Featuring Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, Tom Waits, Lyle Lovett, Delbert McClinton, and others, the album reached the # 1 spot on the Americana radio chart in 1999. In 2000 Kacey and Delbert McClinton recorded the duet, "You're The Reason Our Kids are Ugly." The single and video stayed atop the European country chart (#1) for nine weeks.
Movies were next to fall under her spell. Kacey contributed three original songs to the soundtrack of the multi-award-winning cult film and TV series, "Sordid Lives" starring Beau Bridges, Olivia Newton-John, Delta Burke, Beth Grant, Bonnie Bedelia, and Leslie Jordan. She also wrote the music for the hilarious stage play, "Nipples to the Wind" and toured with the company nationally in 2007.
Kacey is the “Official Songstress of The Sweet Potato Queens” an organization with 75,000 members worldwide, born out of a half dozen best-selling Sweet Potato Queen books by Mississippi author, Jill Conner Browne.
Audition
Kacey Jones' audition was never televised. It is unknown whether or not she was buzzed, but at least three judges voted "Yes," sending Kacey to the Judge Cuts round.
Judge Cuts
Kacey Jones' Judge Cuts performance in Episode 1011 consisted of singing an original comedic song titled "Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay, Or Dead" while playing the guitar. Kacey's performance was not strong enough for the judges to send her to the Quarterfinals, eliminating her from the competition along with Aaron Smyth and Leroy Patterson.
Nashville singer-songwriter Kacey Jones passed away on Thursday, Sept. 1
She was 66 years old.
Kacey is best-known for her comedic songs as a member of Ethel & The Shameless Hussies, as well as on a series of humorous solo CDs. Born Gayle Zeiler, Kacey Jones was raised in Gilroy, California. Early in her career, she recorded for an independent label in San Francisco.
She co-wrote the 1985 Mickey Gilley top-10 hit “I’m the One Mama Warned You About.” During that same year, David Allan Coe recorded her song “Cold Turkey.”
She moved to Nashville in 1986. Jones initially hoped to be recorded as a serious singer-songwriter. But then she formed Ethel & The Shameless Hussies with Becki Fogle (“Bunny O’Hare”) and Valerie Hunt (“Blanche Hickey”). Her character in the group was called “Ethel Beaverton.”
The act took its name from the Ray Stevens lyric in “The Streak.” Ethel & The Shameless Hussies signed with MCA Records and issued its debut album, Born to Burn, in 1988. They made the charts with the singles “One Nite Stan” (1988) and “It’s Just the Whiskey Talkin’” (1989). “Ethel’s” turns in the spotlight with the group included “Last Night I Really Laid Down the Law,” “Smokin’ in Bed” and “Up Against Your Love.”
The group was nominated as Comedy Act of the Year at the Music City News Awards. The trio remained together for four years.
Later in the 1990s, Jones embarked on a solo career. Her initial solo CD was 1997’s "Men Are Some of My Favorite People" on Curb Records. It yielded two music videos, “1-900-Bubba” and “(I Hate Your Lousy, Rotten, Stinkin’ Guts) But I’m Not Bitter.”
She eventually appeared several times on NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion and in the pages of People and USA Today. Her songs have also been heard on film soundtracks, such as the Beau Bridges cult favorite "Sordid Lives." Among the artists who have recorded her songs are Cledus T. Judd, Richard Fagan, Ray Stevens, and Marshall Chapman.
Jones was also a record producer. She saluted Texas singer-songwriter, Kinky Friedman, by producing the multi-artist CD "Pearls in the Snow". Featuring Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel, Lyle Lovett, Dwight Yoakam, and others, this album hit No. 1 on the Americana charts in 1999.
As an entrepreneur, she formed her own IGO Records label and the publishing companies Zamalama Music (BMI) and Mamalama Music (ASCAP). She signed country traditionalist Leland Martin to IGO, and he charted with “If I Had Long Legs (Like Alan Jackson)” (2002) and “Hey Love, No Fair” (2003).
Her own record-making career continued with "Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead" (2000), "Never Wear Panties to a Party" (2001), and "The Sweet Potato Queens’ Big-Ass Box of Music" (2003). Her 2000 duet with Delbert McClinton, “You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly,” was a big hit in Europe. In 2001, Jones became a regular on the nationally-syndicated ABC morning radio show, “Charlie & Darcy.”
She was dubbed “The Royal Minstrel to the Sweet Potato Queens’ Court.” This was a network of fans of Mississippi author Jill Connor Browne’s series of "Southern-Belle" “Sweet Potato Queen” books. Their anthem was Jones’s “Be Particular.”
Kacey Jones is remembered for such clever lyrics as “Christmas In Rehab,” “Whatever Happened to Kenny Rogers’ Face,” “Show Up Naked—Bring Beer,” “I Wanna Be Up Front Like Dolly,” “Dressin’ Up for the Pizza Man,” “I Can Always Get Skinny But You’ll Never Be Tall,” “Put the Seat Back Down” and “I Miss My Man (But My Aim’s Gettin’ Better).”
She flipped back to her serious side with 2006’s Kacey Jones Sings Mickey Newbury. The album garnered widespread critical praise.
"Nipples to the Wind" (2007), "Kaceyoke" (2008), and "Donald Trump’s Hair" (2009) returned her to light-hearted fare. Her most recent album was 2014’s "Amen for Old Friends", which combined both comedic and serious tunes.
In recent years, she had done a series of “in the round” shows with fellow tunesmiths Becky Hobbs and Benita Hill. They were billed as “A Cowgirl, a Diva, and a Shameless Hussy.” The three also wrote together. Her other songwriting/performing trio was Phillybilly, alongside Richard Fagan and Joe Collins.
In 2014, Kacey Jones was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer. Instead of chemo, radiation, and surgery, she opted for alternative, holistic therapies. She launched a GoFundMe account to pay for these. Despite chronic pain, she was well enough in 2015 to compete on TV’s America’s Got Talent.
In February, the songwriting community staged a benefit show for her at Douglas Corner Café. Among those booked were Rafe Van Hoy, Alan Rhody, Kent Blazy, Roger Cook, Wood Newton, and Jonmark Stone. In light of the current presidential campaign, she reissued “Donald Trump’s Hair” last spring.
Kacey Jones entered hospice care in August.
Robert K Oermann • October 4, 2016
=====
Kacey Jones
Gail Zeiler (April 27, 1950 – September 1, 2016), known professionally as Kacey Jones, was an American singer-songwriter, producer, and humorist. After co-writing the Mickey Gilley hit "I'm the One Mama Warned You About" (credited as Gayle Zeiler), she found success as a performer through the band Ethel & The Shameless Hussies, with whom she released her first album. Later, in 1997, she released her first solo album, Men Are Some of My Favorite People, through Curb Records, before founding her own label, IGO Records, co-founding the Kinkajou Records label with Kinky Friedman and creating two publishing houses—Zamalama Music and Mamalama Music. Since her first solo album, Jones released eight CDs and produced music for both the theatrical comedy Nipples to the Wind and the movie (and TV series) Sordid Lives.[1]
Born Gail Zeiler in Gilroy, California, she won the Northern California edition of the Wrangler Country Star Search in 1981 and became an Equa recording artist. Jones found initial success recording with an independent label in San Francisco before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1986. Her move to Nashville came after she co-wrote "I'm the One Mama Warned You About", recorded by Mickey Gilley on Epic Records. The song reached number 5 on the Billboard charts. Her original song, "Cold Turkey," was recorded that same year by David Allan Coe on CBS Records.
Jones moved to Nashville with expectations of being signed to a major record label as a serious singer-songwriter rather than writing humorous works. That changed when she recruited Becki Fogle and Valerie Hunt to form Ethel & The Shameless Hussies. Jones performed as Ethel Beaverton, and the group soon gained a contract with MCA Records, recording the album Born To Burn in 1988. The group stayed together for four years and was nominated for Comedy Act of the Year in the Music City News Awards.
After moving on from the Shameless Hussies, Jones became involved in a number of different projects. As a record producer, she developed "Pearls in the Snow – The Songs of Kinky Friedman". The album featured artists such as Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel, and Lyle Lovett performing songs by Friedman, and it went on to reach the number 1 spot on the Americana radio chart in 1999. While working with Kinky Friedman on the album, Jones and Friedman founded the Kinkajou Records label. Later she established her own independent label, IGO (Irritating Gentile Optimist) Records, for whom she signed artists such as Leland Martin. She is the President of two publishing houses: Zamalama Music (BMI) and Mamalama Music (ASCAP).
As a recording artist and performer, Jones signed with Curb Records in 1997. This led to her first solo album, "Men Are Some of My Favorite People" (1997). Other albums by Jones were to follow on her own label, IGO Records including Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead (2000),(produced after completing the project with Kinky Friedman), Never Wear Panties to a Party (2001), "The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Box of Music" (2003), "Nipples to the Wind" (2007), and the more recent Donald Trump's Hair (2009). Donald Trump's Hair reached No. 1 on ReverbNation's comedy charts. In addition, Kacey Jones Sings Mickey Newbury, a tribute to Mickey Newbury (who influenced her early career), was released in 2006 and gave her an opportunity to explore the more serious side of her singing.
Death
Jones died on September 1, 2016, while in hospice care at her Nashville home. She was 66.
She had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer three years before her death, and she chose only alternative cancer treatments.
Discography
Donald Trump's Hair
She's Goin' Home Alone
It Ain't My Concern (1981)
No Place to Hide (1981)
Born To Burn (1988) with Ethel & The Shameless Hussies.
Men Are Some of My Favorite People (1997)
Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead (2000)
Never Wear Panties to a Party (2001)
The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Box of Music (2003)
Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay or Dead – Live (2005)
Kacey Jones Sings Mickey Newbury (2006)
Nipples to the Wind (2007)
Kaceyoke – Volume 1 (2008)
Donald Trump's Hair (2009)
Amen for Old Friends (2014)
Wikipedia
=====
Kacey Jones was a comedy singer/guitarist act from Season 10 of America's Got Talent. She was eliminated in the Judge Cuts.
Audiences have been laughing with Kacey Jones for decades and laughing right along with them are People Magazine, USA Today, GAC & CMT Television, and Garrison Keillor and "A Prairie Home Companion." “Donald Trump’s Hair,” is the hilarious follow-up to her previous album, “Nipples to the Wind" and contains fifteen tracks including "Christmas in Rehab," "I Can Always Get Skinny But You'll Never Be Tall," and "Whatever Happened to Kenny Rogers Face."
"I'm a singer-songwriter-musician first," says Jones, “I enjoy making people laugh in the tradition of musical humorists such as Tom Lehrer, Mae West, Roger Miller, Kinky Friedman, Dan Hicks, Jerry Reed, and Sophie Tucker.” I also enjoy a good ballad…that's why I recorded a tribute to Mickey Newbury.”
If it all seems off the wall, it's totally sane in the world of Kacey Jones. Hers was, after all, the mind that conceived one of Nashville's most unique and revered cult acts, the all-girl group, "Ethel and The Shameless Hussies," who broke above the waves in the late '80s to mainstream nominations as "Comedy Act of the Year" on MCA Records. As lead singer and lead comedy writer, Kacey put the Shameless Hussies on America's national radar.
In 1997 Kacey signed with Curb Records and recorded one of the few original music-with-comedy-albums ever released by a female artist in Nashville. "Men Are Some of My Favorite People," considered a classic by collectors, yielded two music videos, "1-900-Bubba" and "I Hate Your Lousy, Rotten, Stinkin' Guts But, I'm Not Bitter.
Further proving that her talents could produce more than just a few good laughs, Kacey entered the studio with the legendary cult artist, Kinky Friedman, only to emerge as the producer of his critically acclaimed project, "Pearls in the Snow." Featuring Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, Tom Waits, Lyle Lovett, Delbert McClinton, and others, the album reached the # 1 spot on the Americana radio chart in 1999. In 2000 Kacey and Delbert McClinton recorded the duet, "You're The Reason Our Kids are Ugly." The single and video stayed atop the European country chart (#1) for nine weeks.
Movies were next to fall under her spell. Kacey contributed three original songs to the soundtrack of the multi-award-winning cult film and TV series, "Sordid Lives" starring Beau Bridges, Olivia Newton-John, Delta Burke, Beth Grant, Bonnie Bedelia, and Leslie Jordan. She also wrote the music for the hilarious stage play, "Nipples to the Wind" and toured with the company nationally in 2007.
Kacey is the “Official Songstress of The Sweet Potato Queens” an organization with 75,000 members worldwide, born out of a half dozen best-selling Sweet Potato Queen books by Mississippi author, Jill Conner Browne.
Audition
Kacey Jones' audition was never televised. It is unknown whether or not she was buzzed, but at least three judges voted "Yes," sending Kacey to the Judge Cuts round.
Judge Cuts
Kacey Jones' Judge Cuts performance in Episode 1011 consisted of singing an original comedic song titled "Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay, Or Dead" while playing the guitar. Kacey's performance was not strong enough for the judges to send her to the Quarterfinals, eliminating her from the competition along with Aaron Smyth and Leroy Patterson.
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