Just looking through records and played this one, great track, but I have nothing else on vinyl or MP3 of Willie Jones, anybody know who Willie Jones was, did he cut other records, or is this a made up name?

It came out on a Goldmine CD (Popcorn's Detroit Soul Party - GSCD59 - Track 13) as by Willie Harvey. They both sound the same to my cloth ears.

Cheers Dave, I have that CD, I'll play those to compare... so, and you can see this coming, who the hell was Willie Harvey? laughing

Hi Mal,

You're welcome. According to Keith Rylatts Groovesville USA book, Willie Jones had solo records on Big Top, Triple Star & Mr Peacock (Where's My Money) and was a member of the Royal Jokers.

No mention of a Willie Harvey.

He was singing on these too. A great artist.

I have the McArthur 45, never made the connection.

4 hours ago, daveh said:

Hi Mal,

You're welcome. According to Keith Rylatts Groovesville USA book, Willie Jones had solo records on Big Top, Triple Star & Mr Peacock (Where's My Money) and was a member of the Royal Jokers.

No mention of a Willie Harvey.

Willie Jones was a long-time R&B and later, Soul singer in Detroit, both singing lead for groups, and as a solo artist, who sang in falsetto and his regular voice was also very high. He started with The Royals/Royal Jokers, also was the lead singer with The Chimes, and the reconstructed Royal Jokers, and The 21st. To ME, the "Willie Jones" on The Kool Kat record, "My Baby Ain't No Plaything", sounds like a totally different person, having a much deeper register voice. So, I could believe the latter was a completely different person, with the real name of Willie Harvey. I read in a few different places that the singer on that Wylie-Hester song was actually "Willie Harvey". On the other hand both singers worked out of Detroit, and that time when the song was recorded (1966) fits well into a period of little recording work in Jones' career. So, I can't decide whether he is or not the R&B/Soul singer. Jones was a much more popular singer in Detroit than his modest level of US national record sales would ordinarily indicate. He was fully booked with local club gigs during all of the '50s and '60s, and, at least into the early-to-mid '70s.

Edited July 24Jul 24 by Robbk

On 19/07/2025 at 05:14, Mal C said:

"Just looking through records and played this one, great track, but I have nothing else on vinyl or MP3 of Willie Jones, anybody know who Willie Jones was, did he cut other records, or is this a made up name?"

Both of his cuts with The Chimes (below), and all his cuts on Atco, Fortune, Mr. Peacock, and Big Top were sung in his falsetto voice. But, just as one can hear the singer's same unique tone in both his falsetto AND natural voice (as I've done with Smokey Robinson, Curtis Mayfield, and Marv Johnson), I cannot hear a same voice-identifying tone in Willie Jones' and Willie Harvey's voices. Now, if we were to find out that Willie Jones had the middle name of Harvey, I might consider it more likely that they ARE the same person. However, The lead on the McArthur record sounds like he could be the same as Willie Harvey on the Kool Kat record. I'll have to stay away from betting my life savings on whether, or not, they were the same singer.

Nice track that it, he has a great voice doesn’t he

I have these two 45s by Willie Jones

The metro 45 is a mental rocking rnb thing that had plays on the European Mod scene

The storm 45 is obviously the u tube post

Jazzy mod rnb of the highest order imo

Just a great rnb finger snapper

Just noticed the u tube post is both sides

Coming back to you is the side for me

I need love - nice doo wop soulful tune , but must admit I had never flipped my 45 over , never heard it before 😂😂😂