Jones was born in Newark, New Jersey, United States.[1] She started singing in her family's gospel group, the Jones Singers at the age of six.[1] Her first recording was "Lonely Teardrops" under the name of Linda Lane on Cub Records in 1963.[1] She was found performing at a local club by songwriter Jerry Harris who introduced her to producer George Kerr. After unsuccessful singles on Atco Records in 1964 and Blue Cat Records the following year, Kerr took her to Warner Bros. Records' R&B subsidiary, Loma Records in 1967.[1] The first Loma release proved to be her biggest success, the ballad, "Hypnotized" reached No. 4 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 21 on the Hot 100.[1] This proved to be the label's best-selling record and it was followed by two further hits, including "What've I Done (To Make You Mad)" (No. 8 R&B, No. 61 pop), and an album.