James T. Jones IV

The nephew of Betty Carter,^[1] Jones was born in Detroit, Michigan. He received his master's degree from Western Michigan University, after which he went on to work for the Detroit News.^[2] In addition to his work in music journalism, he became a successful bass guitarist in his own right. He began working for USA Today in 1988.^[3] While working there, he interviewed such prominent musicians as Miles Davis, Anita Baker, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder. He also did one of the last interviews that Eazy-E gave before the latter died of HIV/AIDS in 1995.^[4] In 1994, he received a Contributor award for journalism from the International Association of African-American Music.^[3] His article "Racism & Jazz" ran as the cover story in the March 1995 issue of the magazine Jazz Times.^[5]

Jones died on March 13, 1996, at his home in Jersey City, New Jersey, at the age of thirty-six. At the time of his death, he was working as music/television editor for USA Today.^[6] USA Today itself reported that he had died of "an apparent heart attack".^[3] Vibe, to which Jones had also been a contributor, subsequently stated that he had died of "a heart attack and kidney failure". The James T. Jones IV Music Scholarship Fund was established in his memory at Howard University,^[7] and the International Association of African-American Music renamed one of its awards the James T. Jones IV Journalist Award in his honor.^[8]