Jones was born in the City of Newark NJ, United States. Her first recording was "Lonely Tear Drops", under the name of Linda Lane on Cub Records in 1963. After a few critically acclaimed singles on Atco Records in 1964 and Blue Cat Records. In 1967 she signed to Warner Bros. Records' R&B subsidiary, Loma Records. The first Loma release was the song “Hypnotized” in one take while reading the lyric sheet. "Hypnotized" reached No. 4 on the Billboard R&B chart, No. 21 on the Hot 100. This proved to be the label's best-selling record, followed by "What Have I Done (To Make You Mad)" No. 8 R&B, No. 61 pop), and an album. Loma closed in 1968, Jones signed to Neptune Records, run by Philly record producers, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. After two singles on Neptune, she signed to Turbo Records, in New Jersey in 1971. Jones recorded a powerful version of "For Your Precious Love" which reached both the R&B (No. 15) and pop (No. 74) charts in 1972. Shortly after the end of her national tour, Jones died at her mother's home at the age of 27, while resting between matinee and evening shows at New York City's Apollo Theater in Harlem. She had been a diabetic for most of her life and slipped into a coma while sleeping. In 2008, her daughter, Terry Jones, along with Helen Bruner, produced an album Soul Talkin released on Jones’ label Philerzy Productions. "Baby I Know" was nominated for a Grammy at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. Jones was inducted into the 2023 R&B Hall of Fame.