Arlette Jones’ rise to the top involves avoiding the trappings of ‘Diva-hood’
As part of what are known as “the flyover states,” Akron, Ohio is perhaps best known as the hometown of Lebron James, although it has spawned its fair share of musical talent as well, including the likes of Howard Hewett of Shalamar, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, and Grammy Award-winning balladeer James Ingram. Following in the footsteps of these illustrious vocalists is a not-so-recent expatriate to our local Mecca for entertainment, Ms. Arlette Jones.
North Ohio, South of Cleveland
A SoCal native since 2015, Arlette Jones’ upbringing in the Akron suburb of Barberton shares many similarities with other aspiring female singers of color, albeit with distinct differences.
“I wouldn’t know anything about singing if it wasn’t for church,” she says, acknowledging the influence of her Grandma, aunts, and cousins.
Her seminal “chops” were nurtured in the gospel traditions of the church, but along the way she developed a passion for performance, more specifically musical theatre (“…comedy, acting, singing, dancing, just everything together,” she says).
These preadolescent attempts at harmonizing were executed on her front porch in the company of her sister and a “crew” of their peers. During this transition into the era of compact discs, cassettes had become passé, and their mother purchased buckets of these affordable implements of recording to foster their youthful attempts at stardom.
Young Arlette had her personal epiphany as she entered the triple digits of teendom when she happened upon a recording booth at an amusement park, and recorded her own “demo.” Shortly afterwards, she was able to secure employment at the Magical Theatre Company, Barberton’s own version of a professional theater for children, where she served as a counselor for pre-teens while learning stagecraft. Arlette’s initial production was a production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” a biblical musical based on the book of Genesis.
“When you see it from both sides of (performing and backstage) it creates a whole new respect for it,” she recalls.
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night…”
Northern Ohio has the benefit of being seven hours driving distance from the mega-culture of New York City, and perhaps a hop, skip, and jump (actually 30 minutes commuting time) from the considerable influence of Cleveland, where the sophisticated influences of the East Coast were filtered by the wind chill of Lake Erie that refrigerates that working class burg.
Adolescence and early adulthood meant college and training as an actor throughout the region around northern Ohio, but being of modest means meant the necessity of gainful employment. Always with an eye on career advancement, she secured a position as a postal worker with the idea of transitioning to further her career aspirations.
“Although there was a smaller market I could have explored, I still had a bigger picture in mind—which was to come to L.A. to explore acting and music, if possible,” she remembers.
Eventually she felt secure enough to seek out greener pastures, so her avocation as a postal carrier in the grim Midwestern winter enabled her to evolve westward and secure a position indoors to the distribution end of the postal system. Alas, all is not paradise in the Golden State, and the expatriates traded the numbing cold–and possibly frostbite–for a different type of malady: heat rash.
Casting Call
“Seeking an actress who can act, sing and dance to light choreography to perform…”
—from Backstage, the American entertainment industry trade publication.
These climate adjustments along with a dramatic increase in living costs were more than worth it for the opportunity to enroll at a variety of training venues like the Actors Studio of Orange, and especially the fabled Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB), a venue Arlette Jones was aware of well before her transition to the coast. Founded by Amy Poehler and other veterans of Saturday Night Live, it helped with her improvisational skills as she continued her voice lessons.
A chance audition through a trade publication gained an intro with a veteran intrepid impresario/hype man named Tom Pergola. Originally a guitarist, Tom’s own résumé starts in his native New Jersey in the 1960s, where he cut his teeth playing in cover bars before moving across the George Washington Bridge into New York. Along the way, his professional associations have included Ricky Bell of Bell Biv Devoe and New Edition, Merry Clayton, Freda Payne, Allen Toussaint, and eventually being accepted in a trio with Spanish Flamenco guitarist/singer Charo, better known as the “Cuchi-Cuchi” Girl.
Capitalizing on her physical attractiveness, Charo is none-the-less an accompanist instrumentalist in her own right, and Tom picked up expertise in a variety of Latin percussion during their collaboration. Over the decades he has assumed the hats of songwriter, producer, and visual artist, as his genre evolved into what he calls “retro R&B.”
Singing the Body Anti-Glam!
“…keep striving for what you believe in, and never giving up.”
—Arlette Jones
Eventually he hit upon a concept, an updated musical version of “The Golden Girls,” an ensemble cast sitcom popular in the 1980s and 90s. Envisioned as a musical comedy featuring middle-aged women as they lounge around the house, he presented it as a counterpoint to the typical showbiz formula of bejeweled, heavily made up singers, his version would include his performers singing about the realities of menopause, problematic men, getting old, and sore feet.
Coming up with the concept was one thing, bringing it to fruition was another. This included the ritual of auditions and reshuffling of performers to find the “right chemistry” without the ominous byproduct of personality conflicts.
Eventually, the musical Gods smiled from up high, as he came upon an alluring alto, coupled with an alluring personality and relatable Mid-Western charisma. Along with her cohorts Gina Jourard, Paula Kelley, Cindy Shields, and Trace Taylor, Arlette is now part of the “Singing Mamas,” providing a provocative twist on formulated entertainment. Clad in attire suited more for the duplex than the concert hall, they are a voice for the unheard, belting out relatable numbers for the rest of us left out of the “Thirty Mile Zone (TMZ).”
They include “Hot Flashes, “Dump That Chump,” “The Losers Parade,” and “My Feet Hurt,” catchy tunes for everyone from Pacoima to Poughkeepsie.
Everyone may not be a Diva, but everyone deserves a chance at self love in this, the era of body conscious awareness.
For Arlette Jones’ personal website, go to https://arlettejones.com/.
To give a listen, just punch in “Singing Mamas via YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzww2scB6JM, or go to https://thesinginmamas.bandcamp.com/album/the-singin-mamas.
For Tom Pergola’s website, go to https://tompergola.com/.