Richard Marigny Jones grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jones suffered from a stiff leg and walked with a limp; fellow musicians gave him the nickname "Richard My Knee Jones" as a pun on his middle name. In his youth he played alto horn[?] in brass bands[?]. His main instrument, however, became the piano. By 1908 he was playing in Storyville. A few years later he often led a small band, sometimes including Joe Oliver. He also worked in the bands of John Robichaux[?], Armand J. Piron, and Papa Celestin[?].
In 1918 Jones moved to Chicago, Illinois. He worked as Chicago manager for publisher Clarence Williams. He began recording in 1923, making discs as a piano soloist, accompaniest to vocalists, and with his bands "The Jazz Wizards" and "The Chicago Cosmopolitains". He recorded for Gennett, OKeh, Victor, and Parmount Records[?] in the 1920s. He also worked for OKeh Records as Chicago supervisor of the company's "Race" (African-American) Records for most of the decade. In the 1930s he played a similar role for Decca.
Richard M. Jones worked for Mercury Records[?] until his death.
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