Starting out as a tap dancer, Jimmy Jones' first singing gig was in 1954 with the Berliners, a doo-wop group who later changed their name to Sparks Of Rhythm. It was under this name the band released the song Handy Man, a song Jones had written prior to leaving the group. It was recorded after his departure and became a minor hit for the group. Later, Jones re-worked the song with his original co-writer Otis Blackwell and the track subsequently entered the UK Singles Chart reaching number three. It earned Jones the distinction of being the first black singer to have a UK million-selling hit. Handy Man reached number two in the US and was later recorded by Del Shannon and James Taylor - both versions were successful for the respective artists. Jones experienced further chart success with his follow up single Good Timin', released in 1960, which went to number one in the UK and number three in the US. Three further singles also made it into the charts in the UK and whilst his songs remained popular in the UK Northern Soul scene Jones never repeated the commercial success of Handy Man or Good Timin'. Sadly most of the royalties Jones should have earned for his songwriting efforts were frittered away by his manager Norm Riley who later checked into an asylum claiming insanity to avoid legal action from his clients. Jones died in North Carolina in August 2012 aged 82.
