The music industry is paying tribute to Marcie Jones, the late leader of Marcie and the Cookies and star of “The Go!! Show,” as a “true pioneer of Australian music” who possessed a “powerhouse voice.”
Jones, the vocalist who led the 1960s “girl group” Marcie and the Cookies, and who, as a solo artist, toured with the likes of The Seekers, The Monkees, Cliff Richard and Tom Jones, died on the weekend following a battle with cancer. She was 79.
“We are saddened to hear of the passing of Marcie Jones, a true pioneer of Australian music,” reads the statement from ARIA, the national recorded music association.
“As the powerhouse voice behind Marcie and the Cookies, Marcie helped pave the way for women in a male-dominated industry, breaking new ground in the 1960s and touring internationally with her signature sound.”
From “The Go!! Show” to global stages, notes ARIA, “Marcie’s impact on Australian music history is undeniable.”
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As a 15-year-old, Jones got her career underway performing with the Thunderbirds at Canterbury Ballroom and Preston Town Hall at the turn of the ‘60s. Later, she teamed up with Normie Rowe and the Playboys, and became a household name when she joined the cast of “The Go!! Show” in 1963.
Network Ten ATV-0, Melbourne aired the variety show for three seasons, from August 1964 to August 1967.
In 1967, Jones changed the game when she formed Marcie and the Cookies with the Cook sisters Margaret, Beverley, and Wendy. The all-girl, vocal group was a standout in an era when Australia’s contemporary music scene was dominated by male-fronted rock bands and solo artists. Marcie and the Cookies released a string of singles and performed extensively throughout Asia, the UK and Europe.
The group reunited on several occasions, including a “Go!! Show” 50th anniversary special at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre in 2014.
A solo career beckoned in the early 1970s, when Jones signed with Warner Music. A full-length studio album arrived in 1974, “That Girl Jones.”
In 1987, WEA Records presented her with an award for her contribution to Australian music. Jones continued to perform and in 1999 released a country music EP, “Pure Heart.” In 2021, Jones was interviewed for the Australian Music Vault’s Long Play Series, recounting the early days of rock ‘n’ roll in Melbourne’s ballrooms; her time working with Rowe, Johnny Young and Olivia Newton-John on “The Go!! Show,” and the challenges of balancing work and life as an international touring artist.
“I was 19, 20. Norm was 17. Olivia was 16. So within three months we were huge names,” she told interviewer Jenny O’Meara.
When Gold Coast music industry identify Barry O’Callaghan entered palliative care, Jones stepped up to support the family by performing at a 2023 benefit concert, featuring on a bill that included Russell Morris, Brian Cadd and Brian Mannix.
Jones is being remembered for her talent and six-decade long career, her sparkling personality, and for always giving her time to others with wise words and positivity. “Our thoughts are with her family, friends and fans,” reads the statement from ARIA. “Thank you for the music, Marcie.”
A separate message from PPCA “mourns the loss of the remarkable Marcie Jones, a trailblazing artist whose career spanned decades and defied convention.”
Marcie, the post continues, “championed originality, resilience and talent,” and her “legacy will continue to inspire generations of artists.”
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