Jones, Tarsha 1969- (Tarsha Nicole Jones)

PERSONAL:

Born 1969. Education: Attended Syracuse University.

CAREER:

Singer, disc jockey. Started as an R&B hip hop artist; toured with Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew; New York Hot 97 FM, New York, NY, morning disc jockey and host of "Miss Jones in the Morning"; WPHI, Philadelphia, PA, disc jockey.

WRITINGS:

Have You Met Miss Jones? The Life and Loves of Radio's Most Controversial Diva, One World/ Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Tarsha Jones grew up in a rough area of Queens, New York, the daughter of an epileptic mother and a father whom her mother divorced when Jones was very young, followed by a string of stepfathers. Despite her disadvantages, Jones worked hard and, prodded by her mother, pursued a singing career from an early age. She attended the prestigious High School of Music and Art in Manhattan, where she was a classmate of Ricky Waiters, who eventually became the hip-hop performer MC Slick Rick. She went on to attend Syracuse University in Ithaca, New York, then returned to New York City where she worked on her singing career through a number of connections in the music industry, including rapper Doug E. Fresh, with whom she went on tour. She also became romantically involved for a time with rapper Busta Rhymes. She later went to work for the New York radio station, Hot 97 FM, with Ed Lover and Dr. Dre, who hosted a morning program, and then on her own as "Miss Jones in the Morning." Jones has also served as a disc jockey for WPHI, a radio station broadcasting out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In 2007, Jones published Have You Met Miss Jones? The Life and Loves of Radio's Most Controversial Diva, an autobiographical work telling the story of her difficult childhood and her struggles to succeed in the music business and on radio. She discusses how growing up in the projects and her dysfunctional family situation helped to motivate her in her attempt to achieve her goals, and goes on to talk about the various people who have supported her in her career and who have been important to her, including mentors as well as more personal relationships. In addition, she explains the motivations behind some of her more controversial decisions as a radio disc jockey. Critics had mixed reactions to Jones's book. A contributor for Kirkus Reviews acknowledged that "her journey from the projects in Queens to a job at a massively popular radio station is impressive," but remarked that her "relentless peevishness and defensive hauteur make it difficult to stick with her story." A reviewer for Publishers Weekly noted: "Jones has her axes in work and love to grind, and it makes for cluttered, pedestrian reading." However Jamiyl Samuels, in a review for All HipHop.com, dubbed the book "the story of a woman driven to succeed, taking on the harsh reality of life and love, learning from her mistakes and persevering."