“Me And Mrs. Jones,” Singer, Billy Paul Has Died!

Entertainment, In Memoriam, Music Lovers Corner 1 Minute

Sigh! Here we go again! And though I do realize that singer Billy Paul was not in the same league with Prince, this Grammy-award winning hit was a smash hit with me. And he went on to record 14 albums through 1988. He is survived by his wife, Blanche.

Billy Paul, Prince is waiting for you to join him as is Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Barry White, Luther Vandross and Maurice White. Bring some old school classic to the Funk, The Pop, the R&B and the Sooooooooooul!!

He made being the ‘other’ woman seem, not so bad! Every single time I heard this song, I wanted to be “Mrs. Jones!” And though, I cannot lay claim to having the dubious fame of ever having been the other cough cough, uh..the other….cough, cough, gag, gag. uh…never mind. Nevertheless, this was a great song!

Billy Paul died at the grand old age of 81 of pancreatic cancer.

Thank you Billy Paul and bon voyage to you as well! As someone wrote, “I hate 2016! and goddamn it, this is only April!”

Published by ShelbyCourtland

I am an advocate for the poverty stricken, homeless, hungry, voiceless people who are considered to be the 'unwashed' masses but whom I consider to be the unsung heroes for surviving a never ending battle waged against them in the form of poverty wages, no benefits, living paycheck to paycheck, needing medical coverage while employed, trying to feed their families on stagnant wages that have not kept pace with inflated prices. And so the battle continues.....

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31 thoughts on ““Me And Mrs. Jones,” Singer, Billy Paul Has Died!”

    1. My mother never played this song because she was too busy calling up ALL the ‘Mrsss Joneses’ that dear ole philandering dad was seeing and cussing them the fuck out. She was always playing Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together!” and “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart!” and “Tired Of Being Alone” and “I Can’t Get Next To You!” You get the message? ROTFLMAO!!!

      Excuse me a minute while I send a shout-out to Mother!

      “Love ya Ma!! You know I never could keep a secret!”

      HLJ, I used to listen to this one playing at my aunt’s house since she WAS “Mrs. Jones to a lot of other women’s husbands! LMAO!!! I come from such ladylike stock!! No wonder I’m such a ‘fucking’ laaaadeee, I am I say!!! HAHAHAHA! I swear, I can’t fucking stop laughing. When my mother sees this, she’s going to disown me. Oh wait! She already has! No worries, there then! LOL!

      And HLJ, I am remembering him and so are all the people who stopped by this blog and according to my stats, this one is the number one post for the day! Billy Paul is NOT forgotten all up in heeeah!

      Thanks for your comment HLJ! I was wondering where you bees ’cause I ain’t seen you around lately. Good to see ya! Don’t be a stranger!

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      4. I’ll be right over! I’ll be the one in the short black bolero over a black bra with a black leather skin tight mini-skirt, black-seamed hose, 18″ stiletto heels and a black beret!

        Can ya handle it? LMAO!!! ‘Cause I been told that I’m “Too hot ta handle!” ROTFLMAO!

        j/k with ya darling. I am a demure lass. I simply wear nothing underneath my coat! LOL!

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    1. Thank you so much, Horty, for the re-blog! And I understand just how you feel! I have shed buckets of tears and then some. If they weren’t so damn salty, I could just bottle ’em and drink it back down! LOL!

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  5. Shelby, Indeed, the artists we love always leave us too soon, I feel. It’s getting to be disquieting, how much of my favorite music is from folks who are gone now. Too bad — I won’t throw it out!
    Here’s a funny thing, and it’s in no way scientific. But the stats on my haphazard ‘literary calendar’ show more writers, musicians and such have died in April than in any other month, at least of those I cared enough about to make a separate entry for their deaths. I’d assume that if people make it through winter, they’d likely be all right for a while, at least until things begin to shut down again in the fall. But apparently not. (August has the lowest death rate, BTW, by this unreliable measure.)
    As for being Mrs. Jones … like so many things, being the other woman ain’t all it’s cracked up to be! Yep, I’ve had that reputation at least — a “home-wrecking hussy” and worse. The real story isn’t that simple … reliable sources (same ones who said I was pregnant for over 2 years, which you’d think I might remember) had it that I was courting and cavorting with my partner for at least a year before I ever met the man. Maybe my infamous imaginary twin was up to her old tricks? If so as usual Bessie absconded, and for 20 years I got to enjoy his ex hanging up on me any time I answered the phone … now that’s true glamor, believe me!
    There it is, now you know my shameful saga … and if you want to block my likes and comments, I’ll understand — who needs guilt by association? Whatever, thanks for all your great work, and good luck with your escape plan! – Linda

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    1. Linda, I feel the same way! I absolutely hate this mess that passes for ‘music’ these days. The studio sound does in no way compare with the musicians who had their own band in most cases and didn’t need all kinds of dials and gadgets to make their voice sound computerized or some shit. AND……back in the day, they sang from the heart and you could tell it. This shit today, sounds like shit! Plus the lyrics are stupid and that’s if you can even understand what the fuck they’re saying.

      I refuse to throw out my oldies but goodies. I don’t have this new shit and I refuse to even listen to it. I cannot tell you when I have listened to the radio, it’s been years too numerous to count.

      Funny thing about deaths occurring in certain months because I used to think that if people made it beyond the Ides of March, they’d be fine until winter because that’s when most of my family stuck their spoon in the wall. I hated to see that time of year come around. Not to mention, we’d have to bail folks outta jail for fighting during the solemn funeral services and we had back to back to back solemn funeral services. I guess that’s why I’m such a fighter because that’s all we know!

      My reputation took a nosedive, quite innocently because I asked the man if he was married and he said, “No!” So, he was taking me everywhere and buying me every goddamn thing; expensive clothes, I never had to cook(I can’t cook anyway, so that was a GOOD thing). I was wined and dined and flown to casinos and given thousands of dollars to do with what I wanted. And then one night, he got a phone call, his WIFE was calling to say that he needed to get back home because their son had been shot in the face for selling drugs! But get this! He even took me over to the hospital to see the son and took me back to his place because he had told his wife to get out and go stay in her house so that he could move me in. Needless to say, I told him that I was through, but he became a ‘stalker’. I finally had to move to another state. I’ve had to do that quite often. But I truly didn’t set out to be the ‘other woman’, it was just something that happened. But one thing I do not regret is that my college roommate was so in love with me, it was unreal. And he was so sweet and innocent and he wanted to marry me just as soon as he got his law degree, but I knew I wouldn’t have been the sweet, nice and gentle wife, he deserved. That just ain’t me. So, I did the right thing and shoved him away in such a way that we parted ways and never the twain shall meet. I am pretty sure he is thankful that it happened like that. He was just too innocent and sweet for me to corrupt. He later became a politician and so I guess he IS probably corrupt by now. LMAO! But at least, I didn’t do it!

      And Linda, know this, as long as I am still on the grid and blogging, you can post anything you damn well please. You, me and Tubularsock go waaaaaaaaay back! You guys are like family to me. No! Strike that! You guys are the ‘opposite’ of MY family to me, which means, you guys mean the world to me! If anybody wants a piece of you, you tell them that they are going to have to go through me FIRST!!

      Linda, thank you for that most heartfelt comment. I still like Bessie, too though! LOL!! You go with yo bad self!

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      1. Man, it sounds like your family has more fun at funerals than mine has at weddings! Of course, we don’t dare have open bars at receptions and reunions … or we’d have gang funerals … which sometimes seems like not such a badd idea.
        Thanks for having my back! With my terrible twin, (and Uncle Vinnie and a few others) you just never know when a bodyguard will be most welcome. Hope you have some way to heargood music on your desert island paradise, if only in your head. Oops … maybe normal folks don’t do that?

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      2. Linda, funny you should mention ‘open bars’. My dad had a bar everywhere he went. He used to take his truck TO a bar and then host a bar out of his truck. One night, mother got a phone call from the other bar that my dad’s truck was pulled up in front up and she was told that my dad’s truck had gotten shot up. Mother swooned in my arms and so I took the phone and the guy on the other end told me there was no need to worry, only the liquor bottles in the back of the truck were hit. Apparently, someone had gotten drunk, and attempted to target practice with the liquor bottles inside my daddy’s truck while they were standing around it. I still can’t believe the drunk only hit the liquor bottles and he couldn’t even see inside the truck.

        Dang! I’m just telling too much of the family dirty laundry. Oh well, we southerners never could keep our mouths shut and who don’t know that ain’t never been down south.

        And last I heard, Vinnie turned good! He’s now, a deacon. Oh, wait! Never mind, if he’s a deacon, he’s still BAAAAD!!

        I am taking a CD player with me to my ‘island paradise’ and plenty of batteries. Does anyone remember what a CD player looks like? I still got cassette tapes too. LOL!

        I told Tubularsock that the chicken truck is supposed to come around monthly to bring supplies and I hear tell that it is equipped with a satellite and so I may just be able to send up a smoke signal. Look up in the sky! You’ll see an 18″ stiletto heel. That’ll be me communicating with the ‘civilized’ world! LMAO!!

        Linda, I’ll figure something out, I’m sure I will.

        Thank you for your comment Linda!

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      3. So is it some kinda ‘rule’ that women who blog have to be ‘the other woman’??? I’m pretty sure I haven’t had more than 20 men in my ‘bed’, but I am getting old and forgetful 🙂 I’ve had doctors and lawyers, but never a politician … can’t say I feel cheated about that one! My 2 favorites were both doctors, and I still see one of them on occasion — I’ve been to Paris, and London, Antwerp, NYC, DC, Boston, and Philly, but the best place he took me was Chaco Canyon where I lived until I was 6 years old. He knows me way too well and he’s still here! 🙂

        I feel right honored to be in such good company with both of you! 🙂

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    1. Isn’t it though, Kelley? I had to hit the ‘play’ button when I came in here! I just love it! They don’t sing like this anymore. I don’t care what anyone says, they just don’t! I will never get rid of my oldies but goodies. Never!

      Thank you for your comment Kelley!

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  9. Comment from Donald. F. Maconald

    My wife and i danced to me and mrs jones starting in 1975 in Syracuse, In. Where a young man named John Compston Kirkwood III sang at a bar and grill on LAKE WAWASEE, IN SYRACUSE, IN.
    WE PROBABLY DANCED TO IT, WHILE HE SANG IT, SEVERAL HUNDRED TIMES AS WE WENT TO HEAR HIM SING FROM 75 TO 91 AND THEN WE MOVED AWAY TO CALIFORNIA. YESTERDAY I HEARDN BILLY PAUL SING THE SONG AND AT FIRST I THOUGHT JOHN HAD MADE IT TO THE BIG TIME, THEN LEARNED THAT IT WAS BILLY PAUL. IT WAS ON 93.3. I HAVE THE RECORD OF JOHN SINGING THE SONG AND SINCE MY WIFE OF 55 YEARS AND I HAVE DANCED TO IT MANY,MANY TIMES, IT IS A TREASURE OF OUR BEAUTIFUL MARRIAGE SO I WILL PROBABLY WEAR IT OUT. JUST A NOTE OF INTEREST. BELIEVE JOHN MOVED FROM SYRACUSE TO FT. WAYNE AS HE SANG SO MUCH IN THAT CITY, HE JUST MOVED THERE. HE IS MARRIED WITH SEVERAL CHILDREN AND THE CD HE SENT ME COST 16.00–WHICH I SENT HIM AND FORTUNATELY HIS MAIL FOLLOWED HIM AND I GOT THE CD. I BELIEVE I SHALL HAVE ANOTHER ONE CUT AND SEND IT TO 93.3 TO SEE IF THEY WOULD PLAY IT.

    —————————————————
    Donald I posted your comment here because you had attempted to post this comment on my “About” page and I knew you wanted it here.

    Thank you for posting this as it just goes to show that many people were moved by this song of Billy Paul’s and it wasn’t so much because he was singing of illicit love, but that the lyrics along with the music was so moving. I still listen to it, sing along with it and just love it. We will always love songs like this one and musicians like Billy Paul.

    Again, I thank you for stopping by and for your comment.

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