Barbara Jones

Barbara Jones (c. 1952 – December 19, 2014), also known as Barbara Nation, was a Jamaican singer best remembered for her 1981 UK hit single “Just When I Needed You Most”, which reached number 31 on the UK Singles Chart. Born in Kingston and raised in Manchester, Jamaica, she began her recording career in 1971 with the single “Sad Movies”. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Jones toured as a backing singer for Jimmy Cliff, gaining recognition for her soulful voice and emotive delivery, which earned her the nickname “the Billie Holiday of reggae music.” In 1991, she became a devout Christian and shifted her focus from secular reggae to gospel music, dedicating her later career to spiritual performances. In 2014, Jones was diagnosed with leukemia while in London. She briefly returned to reggae with performances in Brazil alongside Lloyd Parks, but her health continued to decline. She passed away at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston on December 19, 2014, from pneumonia contracted during chemotherapy, at the age of 62.