James "Jimmy" Jones was born in
Birmingham, Alabama, on June 2, 1937. His first job in the entertainment
industry was as a tap dancer. He joined a doo-wop group named the
Berliners in 1954. They later changed their name to the Sparks of
Rhythm. He wrote "Handy Man" in 1955 and after he left the "Sparks
of Rhythm" they recorded the song. In 1959 Jimmy teamed up with
Otis Blackwell, reworked the song and recorded a million seller that
reached #2 in 1960. Jimmy Jones died in Aberdeen, North Carolina, on
August 2, 2012.
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