Love Jones

Two ex-punk rockers launched Love Jones in 1990, placing the band squarely inside the early-'90s cocktail nation movement. The group's embrace of mid-century lounge aesthetics served in part as a counterpoint to the grunge and alternative surge that swept the United States in 1992; its members instead championed the sounds and atmosphere of the 1950s and early 1960s, from lounge jazz and crooning pop to martinis. Love Jones performed any strain of pop that suited this sensibility, encompassing pop, blues, R&B, bossa nova, and doo wop. Ben Daughtrey, previously the drummer for Squirrel Bait and the Lemonheads, joined bassist Barry Thomas to establish the band in spring 1990. They soon enlisted singer/guitarist Chris Hawpe, drummer Stuart Johnson, and singer Jonathan Palmer, with Daughtrey also contributing assorted percussion and vocals. After performing for a year in Louisville, KY, the ensemble relocated to Hollywood and eventually signed with Zoo Entertainment. Love Jones issued its debut album, Here's to the Losers, in late 1993.