Cover Culture: Joe White / Billy Paul – Me And Mrs. Jones

COVER VERSION VS ORIGINAL SONG

Since the early 1960s and even prior, numerous iconic Jamaican hits were derived from popular foreign songs. The original pop and soul tracks were frequently embraced by audiences on the island, leading reggae artists to create their own renditions. Some of these artists gained fame by covering chart-topping songs, turning these adaptations into timeless classics. For instance, American artist Bill Withers recorded the Grammy-winning song Ain’t No Sunshine, which Horace Andy later adapted, while Dennis Brown’s rendition of Black Magic Woman originally came from Fleetwood Mac. These two examples represent just a small fraction of the many covers that have emerged over the past sixty-five years. Since the advent of these adaptations, both Jamaican and international reggae musicians have persistently reimagined pop and soul hits, continuing this tradition into the present. You’re welcome to listen to both the original and the cover versions to determine which one resonates with you the most.

JOE WHITE

Following a path trodden by many Jamaican artists and musicians, Joe White attended Alpha Boys School at South Camp Road in Kingston. His initial forays into recording in 1962 produced the ska singles Now And Forever More and Speak The Truth with the Baba Brooks band, together released by Duke Reid on 7″ single on his small Duchess label. In 1973, his cover of Me And Mrs. Jones, produced by Harry “J” Johnson, was released on the Jaywax and Roosevelt labels in Jamaica and Harry J Records in the UK, marking another notable entry in White’s discography.

BILLY PAUL

Billy Paul’s soulful and evocative song, Me And Mrs. Jones, was written by Cary ‘Hippy’ Gilbert, Kenny Gamble, and Leon Huff with arrangement by Bobby Martin. The song was recorded and released in 1972 on Philadelphia International Records, a CBS imprint. This languid ballad details an affair between a man and Mrs. Jones. Me And Mrs. Jones marked a significant achievement for Billy Paul, becoming his sole number one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in December 1972, and also topping Billboard’s R&B Singles chart for four weeks.