Jimmy Jones
Jimmy Jones (born June 2, 1937, Birmingham, Alabama) is an African American, singer-songwriter, who moved to New York while a teenager. According to Allmusic journalist, Steve Huey, "best known for his 1960 R&B smash, "Handy Man," Jones sang in a smooth yet soulful falsetto modeled on the likes of Clyde McPhatter and Sam Cooke."
Starting his entertainment career as a tap dancer, Jones joined a doo-wop group named The Berliners in 1954. They later changed their name to Sparks Of Rhythm. Read Full BioJimmy Jones (born June 2, 1937, Birmingham, Alabama) is an African American, singer-songwriter, who moved to New York while a teenager. According to Allmusic journalist, Steve Huey, "best known for his 1960 R&B smash, "Handy Man," Jones sang in a smooth yet soulful falsetto modeled on the likes of Clyde McPhatter and Sam Cooke."
Starting his entertainment career as a tap dancer, Jones joined a doo-wop group named The Berliners in 1954. They later changed their name to Sparks Of Rhythm.[1] In 1955 Jones co-wrote "Handy Man", which was recorded by the Sparks Of Rhythm in 1956 (after Jones left the group).
After recording with other groups, Jones went solo and, in 1959, teamed up with Otis Blackwell who reworked "Handy Man" which Jones recorded on the subsidiary MGM record label, Cub. When the flute player did not show up for the session, Blackwell famously whistled on the recording. "Handy Man," released in 1959, gave Jones his first U.S. and UK hit single. "Handy Man" went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960. Later in that same year, Jones' recording of "Good Timin'" shot to #1 on the UK Singles Chart and #3 in the U.S. Both "Handy Man" and "Good Timin'" were million sellers, earning Jones two gold discs.
Jones' subsequent career was low key although it included three more UK chart entries in the following twelve months. "Handy Man", which introduced a rock falsetto singing style to the British audience, later scored hits for Del Shannon and James Taylor who both covered it.
Although Jones had but two Top 40 hits, both million sellers, he nevertheless kept active in the music industry as both a songwriter and recording artist and made personal appearances as he saw fit. He kept recording through most of the 1960s and remained with Cub until 1962, scraping the lower reaches of the charts with "That's When I Cried" and "I Told You So." He recorded for Ro-Jac and Vee-Jay over the next two years, and his work gradually took on a New York style uptown soul flavor.[1] From 1965-1967, he recorded for Roulette, Parkway, and Bell, none of which restored his commercial standing.
His considerable influence using falsetto extended to Del Shannon, who paid homage to Jones and also The Ink Spots for Shannon's falsetto style. Later singers who used falsetto included Lou Christie and Barry Gibb. Gibbs cited Shannon, in turn, as an influence for his disco vocalizations with the Bee Gees.
Jones released Grandma's Rock & Roll Party in the 1990s on CD, perhaps, in part due to his popularity in the UK Northern soul circles. It included new versions of "Handy Man" and "Good Timin'". In 2002, Castle/Sanctuary issued a double album anthology titled Good Timin': The Anthology.
Starting his entertainment career as a tap dancer, Jones joined a doo-wop group named The Berliners in 1954. They later changed their name to Sparks Of Rhythm. Read Full BioJimmy Jones (born June 2, 1937, Birmingham, Alabama) is an African American, singer-songwriter, who moved to New York while a teenager. According to Allmusic journalist, Steve Huey, "best known for his 1960 R&B smash, "Handy Man," Jones sang in a smooth yet soulful falsetto modeled on the likes of Clyde McPhatter and Sam Cooke."
Starting his entertainment career as a tap dancer, Jones joined a doo-wop group named The Berliners in 1954. They later changed their name to Sparks Of Rhythm.[1] In 1955 Jones co-wrote "Handy Man", which was recorded by the Sparks Of Rhythm in 1956 (after Jones left the group).
After recording with other groups, Jones went solo and, in 1959, teamed up with Otis Blackwell who reworked "Handy Man" which Jones recorded on the subsidiary MGM record label, Cub. When the flute player did not show up for the session, Blackwell famously whistled on the recording. "Handy Man," released in 1959, gave Jones his first U.S. and UK hit single. "Handy Man" went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960. Later in that same year, Jones' recording of "Good Timin'" shot to #1 on the UK Singles Chart and #3 in the U.S. Both "Handy Man" and "Good Timin'" were million sellers, earning Jones two gold discs.
Jones' subsequent career was low key although it included three more UK chart entries in the following twelve months. "Handy Man", which introduced a rock falsetto singing style to the British audience, later scored hits for Del Shannon and James Taylor who both covered it.
Although Jones had but two Top 40 hits, both million sellers, he nevertheless kept active in the music industry as both a songwriter and recording artist and made personal appearances as he saw fit. He kept recording through most of the 1960s and remained with Cub until 1962, scraping the lower reaches of the charts with "That's When I Cried" and "I Told You So." He recorded for Ro-Jac and Vee-Jay over the next two years, and his work gradually took on a New York style uptown soul flavor.[1] From 1965-1967, he recorded for Roulette, Parkway, and Bell, none of which restored his commercial standing.
His considerable influence using falsetto extended to Del Shannon, who paid homage to Jones and also The Ink Spots for Shannon's falsetto style. Later singers who used falsetto included Lou Christie and Barry Gibb. Gibbs cited Shannon, in turn, as an influence for his disco vocalizations with the Bee Gees.
Jones released Grandma's Rock & Roll Party in the 1990s on CD, perhaps, in part due to his popularity in the UK Northern soul circles. It included new versions of "Handy Man" and "Good Timin'". In 2002, Castle/Sanctuary issued a double album anthology titled Good Timin': The Anthology.
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Good Timin'
Jimmy Jones Lyrics
Oh, you need timin' a tick a tick a tick a
Good timin' a tock a tock a tock a tock a
Timin' is the thing it's true
Good timin' brought me to you
If little, little David hadn't grabbed that stone
Lyin' there on the ground
Big Goliath might've stomped on him
Instead of the other way
But he had
Timin' a tick a tick a tick a
Good timin' a tock a tock a tock a tock a
Timin' is the thing it's true
Good timin' brought me to you
Who in the world would've ever known
What Columbus could do
If Queen Isabella hadn't hocked her jewels in 1492
But she had
Timin' a tick a tick a tick a
Good timin' a tock a tock a tock a tock a
Timin' is the thing it's true
Good timin' brought me to you
What would've happened if you and I
Hadn't just happened to meet
We might've spent the rest of our lives
Walkin' down misery street
But we had
Timin' a tick a tick a tick a
Good timin' a tock a tock a tock a tock a
Timin' is the thing it's true
Good timin' brought me to you
Yeah, we had timin', woah, woah, woah good timin'
Yeah, yay, yay, yay timin' is the thing it's true
Good timin' brought me to you
Yeah, we had timin', woah, woah, woah good timin'
Yeah, yay, yay, yay timin' is the thing it's true
Good timin' brought me to you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FRED TOBIAS, CLINT BALLARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Kensy Skye
These songs are timeless......Still love this one in 2020! 😃💕
Ram Fam
Lovin this in 2022 in the middle of a boring ass night shift 😂
Doug Shelton
If this dude had only released "Handy Man" and "Good Timin'", I would still consider him a legend. I'm not a big fan of falsetto, but the way this fellow slid from falsetto back into his natural range is a trick of vocal gymnastics that few artists can pull off. Great stuff.
Maryrose Hocken
This song was a hit 3 years before I was born and I can't remember a time when I didn't love it. It just goes to show that you don't need more than 2 minutes and 10 seconds to create a beautiful lifetime memory. Thank you Jimmy.
Clara Perry
I remember my sister bringing this record home when I was little and I could not believe how great his voice was, I loved it and used to play it all the time, listening still! 💖💓💋
Brenda Drumm
Still love it
Carlos Leblanc
Excelente, rock con música precisa y acompasada y muy bien cantada, Todo un éxito notable.
Michael Hamilton
Love this music .....so under rated my dad had me jamming this back in the 80s when I was a kid
QueenVelveeta
He has a gorgeous voice. I've always loved this song.
barrygioportmorien1
One of the greatest of all Rock n' Roll songs, it and "Handy Man" by a very underrated singer. I never get tired of hearing either of them.