Sisi Afrika Magazine -

Jones, who died on Nov. 3, 2024, at the age of 91, transformed our understanding of musical arrangement. His work spanned decades and genres, from jazz and pop to hip-hop and film scoring. He worked with pop icons like Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, and also collaborated with lesser-known artists such as Lesley Gore and Tevin Campbell.

It was all bliss until 1997. At the height of the Dunia Mbaya fame, the band was performing at Kenyatta Sports Centre in Kisumu, one eventful Sunday in October 1997, when her husband began palpitating on stage. The following Friday, Prince Julie collapsed and died, forcing a young Princess Jully to painfully chart a new musical path for herself. After laying her husband to rest, she picked whatever pieces remained from their band and trudged on. Princess Jully was a natural born fighter. In 1999, she won Shs 100,000 and a Mercedes Benz at the 1999 Kisima Awards for her Dunia Mbaya hit.