Northeast Ohio can claim their own version of the Royal Family when discussing rock ‘n roll bloodlines. Marti Jones is a singer and painter originally from Uniontown, Ohio. She initially was part of the Akron band Color Me Gone which was signed by A&M Records and released one Ep in 1983 before dissolving. Jones’ career path and personal life changed when A&M arranged for Don Dixon to produce her first solo outing Unsophisticated Time in 1985. Dixon, originally from South Carolina, was fresh off co-producing R.E.M.’s landmark debut Murmur and brilliant follow-up Reckoning. Jones and Dixon subsequently married, and he produced and wrote songs for all of his wife’s albums.
Their creativity peaked on 1988’s Used Guitars and the follow-up Any Kind of Lie, but neither sold very well. Within a couple years, Jones found herself effectively out of the industry. Since then she has released precisely two studio albums in two decades. Songs “So Lonesome I Could Fly” from 2002’s My Tidy Dolly Dream or the Bland Simpson penned “Follow You All Over the World” from Live at Spirit Square can still be heard on the radio today.
Jones and Dixon decided to lay their roots and raise their daughter back in Canton after a brief stint living on the west coast. Putting her musical career on hold, Marti Jones started focusing instead on her painting. These days you’re far more likely to find the fruits of her creative labor at her DA Gallery located as part of the ACME Artists building in downtown Canton than in a music club. Her paintings can also be found at The LeQuire Gallery in Nashville. In October, she will be doing a show with filmmaker Andrew Rudd, where they both render portraits of nine people chosen by the curator, Craig Joseph, at Anderson Creative in Canton.
Although the couple will be releasing a new album titled Living Stereo this month, there are no plans to take the show out on the road for a while. Don Dixon will be out on tour playing bass with Mary Chapin Carpenter and Marti will be….painting!!!
