RIP Johnny L. 'Hurricane' Jones: 1936-2015
In life, Jones was the vibrant leader of the Second Mt. Olive Baptist Church, and was known for hitting his congregation like a force of nature with a one-two punch of gospel singing and preaching.
The Rev. Johnny L. “Hurricane†Jones preaching in October 2011 at Second Mt. Olive Baptist Church.
Photo credit: Joeff Davis/CL file
Photo credit: Joeff Davis/CL file
? UPDATE: Sad news arrived this week when word spread that in the early morning hours of Mon., Nov. 9, the Rev. Johnny L. “Hurricane” Jones passed away. Jones was 79 years old. He succumbed to what his family believes was a brain aneurysm.
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? In life, Jones was the vibrant leader of the Second Mt. Olive Baptist Church, and was known for hitting his congregation like a force of nature with a one-two punch of gospel singing and preaching — bursting with the passion and fervor of a man eternally in the spirit.
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? Dust-to-Digital Records’ co-owner Lance Ledbetter first learned about Jones from Cole Alexander of Black Lips. “Bradford Cox from Deerhunter and Cole found one of Rev. Jones’ LPs from the 1960s at a thrift store and tracked him down at WYZE Radio, 1480 on the AM dial,” Ledbetter told CL in 2011. “Cole took the album cover into the radio station and asked the woman up front if she knew if Rev. Jones was still around. She said ‘yeah,' and he was able to meet him.’”
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? That led to a meeting between Dust-to-Digital and Jones soon after. Jones hadn’t released an album since the early ’70s, and when Ledbetter asked if he had any unreleased tapes he could consider for release. Jones replied, “They wouldn’t fit in the back your truck.”
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? After searching through and digitizing more than 100 hours of material with Jones, Dust-to-Digital released two compilation LPs: Jesus Christ From A To Z arrived in Jan. 2010. The Hurricane That Hit Atlanta, was released in Nov. the same year. Jones continued hosting his Second Mt. Olive Baptist Church radio program on WYZE every third Saturday until the time of his death.
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? Tonight (Tues., Nov. 10), in his honor, BBC 3 highlights the music of Rev. Jones on “The Late Junction,” which airs at 6 p.m. Eastern time.
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? UPDATE: A wake for Jones is being held from 6-8 p.m. on Fri., Nov. 13, at MD Walker Funeral Home, 103 Joseph E Lowery Boulevard S.W. On Sat., Nov. 14, a funeral service is being held from 11 a.m. till 1 p.m. at Mt. Ephraim Baptist Church, 1202 West Marietta Street. Burial to follow at Fife Cemetery, Centre, Ala.
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? Flowers can be sent to the funeral home. Donations should made out to Dorothy Jones and sent to 1069 Washington Heights Terrace N.W., Atlanta, GA 30314. There's also a You Caring page where donations can be made online.