43 Fun Facts About Norah Jones

Norah Jones is the daughter of which Indian sitar master?

Her father was sitar master Ravi Shankar; she was born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar in 1979 to Shankar and American concert producer Sue Jones, who raised her.

After her parents separated, Jones grew up mainly in Grapevine, a suburb in which state?

Grapevine is a Dallas–Fort Worth suburb in Texas, where Jones sang in the local Methodist church before transferring to Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas.

What was the title of Jones's 2002 debut album?

Come Away with Me, released in February 2002, entered the Billboard 200 low, climbed to No. 1 a year later and was certified diamond for ten million US sales.

Which single from her debut won Jones the Grammy for Record of the Year in 2003?

'Don't Know Why' won Record of the Year at the February 2003 Grammys, beating Nelly's 'Dilemma' and Eminem's 'Without Me'; its songwriter took Song of the Year the same night.

How many Grammys did Jones win at the 2003 ceremony, tying the record for a female artist in one night?

Jones won five Grammys that night: Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album, matching Lauryn Hill's and Alicia Keys's single-night hauls.

Jones signed to which storied jazz label, then owned by EMI, after moving to New York?

Blue Note, then part of EMI, signed Jones in January 2001 after her three-track demo reached label president Bruce Lundvall; she had been singing with jazz and funk groups around New York.

Which Hank Williams song did Jones cover on her 2002 debut album?

Jones covered Hank Williams's 'Cold, Cold Heart' on her debut, giving the 1951 country hit a slow piano-trio reading; Tony Bennett had turned the same song into a pop standard that year.

Jones won Record of the Year again in 2005 for 'Here We Go Again', a duet with which legend?

'Here We Go Again', Jones's duet with Ray Charles from his final album Genius Loves Company, won Record of the Year in February 2005, eight months after Charles died.

Jones majored in jazz piano at which school?

Jones spent two years majoring in jazz piano at the University of North Texas in Denton, a school famed for its jazz program, before moving to New York in 1999.

At what age did Jones officially change her name from Geethali Norah Jones Shankar?

At 16, with both parents' consent, she legally shortened Geethali Norah Jones Shankar to Norah Jones; she had been singing solos in church since childhood.

Jones's 2007 album Not Too Late was the first on which she did what?

Not Too Late was the first album on which Jones wrote or co-wrote every song; she cut it at home with bassist Lee Alexander, with no deadline, and her label reportedly did not know it existed.

Which producer, who died in 2006, worked on Jones's first two albums and won Producer of the Year for one?

Arif Mardin produced Jones's first two albums and won Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at the 2003 Grammys; he died in June 2006, so Not Too Late was her first record without him.

Jones made her feature-film acting debut in 2007 in which Wong Kar-wai movie?

My Blueberry Nights, Wong Kar-wai's first English-language film, opened Cannes in May 2007 with Jones starring opposite Jude Law; she wrote 'The Story' for it.

What breed of dog is Ben, pictured on the cover of Jones's 2009 album The Fall?

The big dog on The Fall's cover is a St. Bernard named Ben; the 2009 album peaked at No. 3, the first of hers not to top the Billboard 200.

Which producer collaborated with Jones on her 2012 album Little Broken Hearts?

They had first worked together on the Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi album Rome.

What is Jones's alt-country band, formed in 2003 with Richard Julian and Jim Campilongo, called?

The Little Willies — Jones, Richard Julian, Jim Campilongo, Lee Alexander and Dan Rieser — began as a one-off Willie Nelson tribute and released a self-titled album in 2006 and For the Good Times in 2012.

Under the alias 'Maddie' and wearing a blond wig, Jones sang and played guitar in which rock band?

El Madmo was the punk-pop trio of Jones as 'Maddie', Daru Oda and Richard Julian; its self-titled album came out in 2008 on Conor Oberst's Team Love label.

Jones's all-female country trio with Sasha Dobson and Catherine Popper is named what?

Their album No Fools, No Fun came out in 2014.

Whose 1958 album Songs Our Daddy Taught Us did Jones and Billie Joe Armstrong remake?

Foreverly (2013) remakes the Everly Brothers' Songs Our Daddy Taught Us track for track, with Jones and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong taking the brothers' close harmonies.

Jones sang on 'Take Off Your Cool' from which group's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below?

OutKast's 2003 double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below features Jones on 'Take Off Your Cool', a hushed acoustic duet with André 3000 on The Love Below disc.

Jones played piano and sang on 'Virginia Moon', a 2005 track by which rock band?

Foo Fighters' 'Virginia Moon', a bossa-nova-tinged song on the acoustic disc of In Your Honor, features Jones on vocals and piano and was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

Jones's 2006 vocal on 'Sucker', for Mike Patton's Peeping Tom project, drew attention for what novelty?

Patton is best known as the frontman of Faith No More.

Jones's ninth Grammy came as a featured artist on which Herbie Hancock album, the 2008 Album of the Year?

River: The Joni Letters, Herbie Hancock's Joni Mitchell tribute, took Album of the Year in February 2008; Jones sings its opening track, 'Court and Spark', earning a share of the award.

Jones's 2024 record Visions won her tenth Grammy in which category?

Visions won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the February 2025 Grammys, Jones's tenth win; she played guitar and piano on the record and co-wrote its songs with her producer.

Jones sang 'Everybody Needs a Best Friend', an Oscar-nominated song, for which 2012 film?

Jones performs 'Everybody Needs a Best Friend' over Ted's opening credits; written by Walter Murphy and Seth MacFarlane, it was nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar, and she cameos in the film.

Jones's 2019 release Begin Again was what kind of record?

It gathered singles from 2018 to 2019, including collaborations with Jeff Tweedy and Thomas Bartlett.

Which country legend duets with Jones on 'Creepin' In' from Feels Like Home?

Dolly Parton duets with Jones on 'Creepin' In', a bluegrass-flavored track on Feels Like Home; the 2004 album debuted at No. 1 and sold over a million copies in its first week.

Jones played a three-song tribute in October 2011 at which company's campus, for its late co-founder?

Apple held its memorial for Steve Jobs on the Cupertino campus on 19 October 2011; Jones and Coldplay performed, and she closed with Bob Dylan's 'Forever Young', a Jobs favorite.

Jones's 2017 cover of 'Unchained Melody' was made for the soundtrack of which Amazon TV series?

Resistance Radio: The Man in the High Castle Album (2017) was a 1960s-style companion record to the Amazon series, and Jones's 'Unchained Melody' sits among its period covers.

Jones sang 'American Anthem' for The War, a documentary by which filmmaker?

Ken Burns's seven-part PBS documentary The War (2007) featured Jones's recording of Gene Scheer's 'American Anthem' as one of its signature pieces.

Jones's 2016 album Day Breaks marked her return to which instrument?

Day Breaks put Jones back at the piano, joined by Wayne Shorter, Lonnie Smith and Brian Blade, after The Fall and Little Broken Hearts had leaned on guitar and studio production.

Jones sang lead on Free Country, a 2003 album of jazz takes on country songs by which guitarist?

Joel Harrison's Free Country (2003) reworks songs by Hank Williams and Johnny Cash as jazz, with Jones singing on tracks including 'Tennessee Waltz'; she had earlier gigged with Charlie Hunter and Wax Poetic.

Her 2022 podcast, featuring improvised songs with guests such as Dave Grohl, is called what?

Norah Jones Is Playing Along launched in 2022, each episode pairing Jones with a guest — Dave Grohl, Jeff Tweedy, Marc Rebillet — for conversation and on-the-spot duets.

Jones sang 'Dreamgirl' on Incredibad, the 2009 album by which comedy trio?

The Lonely Island — Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone — had Jones sing the hook on 'Dreamgirl' from Incredibad, the SNL Digital Shorts crew's debut album.

Jones's 2023 Christmas collaborations, including 'Better Than Snow', were with which Icelandic musician?

They also recorded a cover of 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas'.

In which New York City borough was Norah Jones born in 1979?

Jones was born in Manhattan on 30 March 1979 to concert producer Sue Jones; she moved back to New York in 1999 and sang in lounges and with local bands before her record deal.

Which Feels Like Home song won Jones the 2005 Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance?

'Sunrise', the lead single from Feels Like Home, won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the February 2005 Grammys; the album had debuted at No. 1 in at least 16 countries.

Which songwriter, met by chance at college, won Song of the Year for her breakthrough single?

Jesse Harris wrote her breakthrough single and won Song of the Year for it in February 2003; they met in Texas while she was at college, and he mailed her lead sheets afterwards.

What was the lead single from Jones's 2009 album The Fall?

'Chasing Pirates', written by Jones alone, was released as The Fall's lead single in October 2009; the album debuted at No. 3, her first to miss the top of the Billboard 200.

Besides singing in the choir, which instrument did Jones play in her high school band?

At Booker T. Washington arts high school in Dallas she played alto saxophone in the band and sang in the choir, winning Down Beat student awards for Best Jazz Vocalist in 1996 and 1997.

Jones's 2008 duet 'Life Is Better' was with the frontman of which hip-hop group?

Q-Tip, A Tribe Called Quest's frontman, recorded 'Life Is Better' with Jones for his 2008 album The Renaissance; she later collected such guest spots on the 2010 compilation ...Featuring.

Jones's debut album entered the Billboard 200 at which lowly position before climbing to No. 1?

Her debut entered the Billboard 200 at No. 139 in March 2002 on first-week sales of about 10,000, then climbed for almost a year before reaching No. 1 in early 2003.

Who produced Jones's 2024 album Visions, handling percussion and bass himself?

Leon Michels, bandleader of the soul group El Michels Affair, co-wrote and produced Visions, playing drums and bass himself while Jones handled guitar, piano and organ.