E SHELF
time, heart pounding, ready to pounce
speaking my mind, believing that the
ble forces, crossing the water, tripping,
uering, seducing, fighting, dreaming,
– Grace Jones
one by one in Syracuse, New York. A teenage
Grace starts to experiment and finds her way in
an unfamiliar landscape.
Graduating high school, she moves to
Philadelphia with the help of an acting teacher
who would expose her to the world of arts and
summer stock theater. Interracial dating
( taboo during the time), numerous police
arrests, drug experimentation, and hippie
communal living were all part of Grace’s
journey to adulthood.
Minimal success as a black fashion model and a
failed audition for Philadelphia’s famous
Gamble and Huff lead Jones onto the yellow
brick road to New York City. In 1970’s New York
City, she learned there was only room for one
black supermodel at the time and her name
was Beverly Johnson. Frustrated with the pace
her career not taking off and still holding
visions of becoming a model, Jones paid her
own way to Paris. With a unique look and
attitude, she eventually became the model in
demand.
In Paris, she met model and later The Rolling
Stones’ Mick Jagger’s baby momma Jerry Hall