8. Linda Jones was one of the few to join the Club due to natural causes
Relatively unknown to all but the most fervid fans of American soul music, Linda Jones was a singer heavily influenced by American gospel music as performed in the rural south. Her first professionally released solo recording was destined to be her biggest hit, in terms of sales. In 1967 she released Hypnotized, a ballad which managed to hit the number four spot in Billboard Magazine’s R & B lists, and number 21 overall. Though solo success eluded her she was always in demand as a vocalist, performing as a backup singer and guest vocalist in hundreds of recordings. She achieved additional success as a recording artist with the posthumous release of many of her records following her untimely death in 1972.
Linda achieved a triumph by selling out Harlem’s Apollo Theater in the late winter of 1972, after having completed a successful tour in support of her album Your Precious Love. The album sold fairly well, though it had little success in the mainstream market, achieving minimal airplay. The Harlem shows were intended as a celebratory series of performances, and while resting between shows on March 14, 1972, the then 27 year old Linda slipped into a diabetic coma and succumbed to complications from the disease. Most attributed her death to insulin shock. In the 21st century several previously unreleased recordings were given airplay and one, Baby I Know was nominated for a Grammy award in 2008.