LOS ANGELES, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Singer/producer Joe Jones, who had a 1961 hit with "You Talk Too Much," has died in Los Angeles at age 79.
The New Orleans native died Nov. 27 from complications of quadruple bypass surgery, Daily Variety reported Thursday.
The Julliard Conservatory-trained musician started as a band leader for the likes of B.B King, playing the piano and arranging music.
"He started going on the road, so one day he just decided to sing this song ... 'You Talk Too Much,'" his wife, Marion, told Variety.
The song was a hit, but Jones didn't make any money from it so he started learning about the business side of making music.
He moved to Los Angeles in 1973, started his own independent music publishing business and helped black artists recoup royalties signed away in the 1950s and 1960s.
"All he did was fight for the rights of his black fellow musicians for them not to be ripped off," his wife said.
