VALDOSTA — Doug Jones enjoyed a rare opportunity as a teenager. He worked at a Philadelphia-area hotel that allowed him to meet many of the soul and R&B; superstars of the 1970s.
As part of June’s Black Music Month, Jones, now of Valdosta, shared memories of meeting some of these performers.
A Hilton hotel hired Jones to work as kitchen staff. His smile and energy soon had him working in the front of the hotel. This same energy pushed Jones to introduce himself to stars staying at the hotel.
Of course, with the stars staying at the Hilton, Jones joked, he didn’t seek them, “they came to me.”
This energy would eventually lead him to working as a disc jockey for radio stations in Pennsylvania, then Florida and then in Valdosta, where he has lived for several years.
Many of his radio years were working as a disc jockey in the country-music format. He admits being a black country-music DJ surprised many people. He has been listed in three different radio ranking books: Britch, R&B;, and Arbitorn. He worked at WGOV, and hosted the Gospel Morning Show.
“I grew up listening to many kinds of music and many different radio stations,” Jones said. “I have earned many backgrounds in music with many experiences. I learned all I could about all formats of music. ... You must know your music in order to reach different types of people. You must know your audience well.”
Part of this education came from meeting famous stars. Jones sat down with The Valdosta Daily Times recently and shared some of his encounters and thoughts on the stars he met.
Isaac Hayes: Doug Jones skipped school to meet Isaac Hayes, best known for his theme song to the movie “Shaft.” “I thought he would be impressed that I skipped school to meet him,” Jones said. Hayes wasn’t. He agreed to pose for a photograph with Jones, but did so with a warning. “Isaac Hayes told me that my education was more important than meeting him.”
Gladys Knight: A very gracious woman, Jones said, both to him and her back-up singers. Jones asked to have his photo taken with her. Knight said she would pose for a photo only if the Pips were also in the picture. The Pips are in the photo with Jones and Knight.
Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.: Leads for the Fifth Dimension, best known for “Up, Up and Away” and “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In.” Very nice people, Jones said.
The Spinners: This harmonious R&B; group were clean-cut guys who were very friendly and approachable, Jones said. “It was a big thing to meet them.”
The Supremes: Jones encountered this group after the Diana Ross years. He wanted to meet Jean Terrell. He sneaked into the room where they were performing and had his photo taken with the group.
Al Green: Jones had to deal with dogs to meet the star with the hit “Let’s Stay Together.” In meeting Green, Jones also met what he believes were Green’s Dobermans. “His dogs attacked me as I was trying to get my photo taken with him,” Jones laughs, adding the dogs sniffed around his ankles.
Dionne Warwick: Jones’ meeting with this soul singer did not go well. He asked for an autograph but did not ask if he could kiss her. He gave her an impromptu kiss on the cheek, and she refused him an autograph and a photo. The kiss angered her, he said. Jones did get a photo of himself with Warwick’s back-up singers.
Redd Foxx: Foxx was no singer. He was a comedian and Fred Sanford in the television show “Sanford and Son.” Jones attended Foxx’s stand-up show and was shocked by the comic’s blue material. Still, he encountered Foxx after the show. It was about 4 a.m.
Foxx agreed to the photo with Jones, but “he told me to hurry up because he had to go to the toilet.”
Local News
DJ shares meeting the stars for Black Music Month
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