Gloria Richetta Jones (born October 19, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter who first found success in the United Kingdom, being recognized there as "The Queen of Northern Soul".

Jones was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and moved to Los Angeles, California, at the age of seven, where she first started singing.

Jones' first taste of fame came at the age of 14, when, while still at school, she formed with Frankie Kahrl and Billy Preston the successful gospel group the COGIC Singers, with whom she recorded the album It's a Blessing.

Jones studied piano, and acquired an advanced classical degree primarily in the works of Bach.

Jones and Sawyer were amongst the second string of writers at Motown, but still wrote for such artists as Gladys Knight & the Pips, Commodores, The Four Tops and The Jackson 5.

As Jones was also initially a singer for the label, protocol demanded a pseudonym, so for some of her co-writes she used the name LaVerne Ware.

In 1972, she was recommended by Warner Brothers' Bob Regehr to sing backing vocals behind T. Rex at Winterland in San Francisco.

Her rendition of "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" appears as a bonus track on T. Rex's album Bolan's Zip Gun.

She sustained a broken jaw in the crash and was sent directly to the hospital in London for treatment, fighting for her life while in critical condition.

Jones stayed in the music industry for several years after, releasing an album produced by Ed Cobb, titled Reunited in 1981.

[6] In 2010, together with her son Rolan, she established the Marc Bolan School of Music & Film in Makeni, Sierra Leone.