Long before the wave of solo female singer-songwriters in the 1990s; before the talent flood of the Sarah McLachlans and Alanis Morissettes, Tori Amoses and Fiona Apples, Lilith Fairs and later Joss Stones and Corinne Bailey Raes — there was the Duchess of Cool.
She wore a trademark beret and beaten-up heels, played piano and guitar in genres ranging from rock to R&B, blues to pop, and above all jazz and soul. And in a sultry voice, she sang about many things — like love and loneliness, loss and long lethargic battles with personal demons.
These are topics she knew well, the child of a "lower-middle-class-hillbilly-hipster" family, a teenage runaway who spent time in juvenile halls, and a one-time wayward hippie who has talked publicly about her heroin and other addictions.
Rickie Lee Jones, 55, worked hard for her place in the male-dominated industry of the times. But carve her place she did, winning the 1980 Grammy Award for Best New Artist after releasing her debut album, "Rickie Lee Jones," featuring the radio hit "Chuck E.'s in Love."
Since, Jones has experienced lows and highs (winning a second Grammy and numerous other accolades), experimented greatly with music, given birth to daughter Charlotte, 21, and observed as the industry increasingly opened its wings to younger women.
In an interview prior to a Saturday night show at the Rupert A. Nock Middle School Auditorium in Newburyport, Jones reflected on her career, the state of the music industry and her upcoming album, "Balm in Gilead," featuring Ben Harper, out in November on Fantasy Label.
You've been making music for a long time. What has it been like to be a woman breaking ground in a largely male-dominated industry? How has the climate changed, or not?
Jones: Small things, important ones, have changed. Simply by there being so many more women in music, men are more accustomed to the idea of women, so we are not such an anomaly. And in the 'olden days,' women maybe were not at the top of the status wheel, either. They signified lesser musicianship — understand 'signified' is the key word. This is not the case anymore. Neither do they signify nor are they lesser musicians in any genre. Got to break ground to let others in behind you. I'd like to see more bluegrass, more jazz women out there blowin' them away.
You have said you battle writer's block at times. And you have also been through illness and recovery. What keeps your musical catalog fueled, even in the face of these challenges?
Jones: The resource is the need to write, and one must look for which need to serve. Do you serve your need to eat? Your need to be loved? Your need to be happy at the end of the day? ... Which need are you not serving? ... Because ultimately, that is what we do. We serve. And so, sometimes, in critical emotional times, when I felt unsafe, unloved, used, hurt, angry, all that kind of thing that fuels my negativity, I could not write. Too much trouble. ... I like the yoga idea of breathing. Stop and breathe and listen. Count. ... As long as I am here, now, I am usually not troubled and enjoy what I'm doing, have something good to say. It's when I let thoughts about the past, fear about the future, regret, all attached to the past, in my head that I am rendered incapable, not only of writing but of being a help to anyone.
What about the current state of the music industry? Can musicians thrive in the face of the technology — free downloads, for instance?
Jones: Well, the economy affects musicians like anyone else. We can offer free things as long as we are making our rent. I liked giving free. But if people act without ethic, and that is the trend in all aspects of our culture today, without being accountable, how can they expect the thing to continue or exist? You have to buy the records so the artist can live. You have to save the forest so the tree can grow, make oxygen, provide us with beauty. We need much more than 'Family Guy' or Starbucks.
How do you believe music — musicians and others in the industry — can continue the tradition of effecting change in a way that has historically been possible?
Jones: By being what you say. ... (For instance) I say 'courteous young men and protected girls,' and then fans agree. And when they come to the show we have this unspoken bond. This bond is spread, a bond of understanding. And this can spread to other relationships, and give strength and eventually, maybe, who knows? Rather than trickling down, rise up like a flood and change the direction of a life, a trend, our future.
Do you have a favorite piece on 'Balm in Gilead'?
Jones: 'Wild Girl,' I think, is the most powerful song, most powerful performance, for me. It has a naĆØve quality that harkens to a more innocent time, both in decades and in years. I mean, 1980 as opposed to 2010, and 20 as opposed to 50. Although, I think I was much older then, really. I am younger than I have been in a long time.
IF YOU GO
What: Rickie Lee Jones in concert
When: Saturday, 8 p.m.
Where: Rupert A. Nock Middle School Auditorium, 70 Low St., Newburyport
How: Tickets are $38; available online at www.MKTix.com/heptunes, or by phone at 978-462-9630.
