Quick Facts
Biography
Jewell Caples (June 12, 1968 – May 6, 2022), better known as Jewell (jew-ELL), was an American contemporary R&B singer best known for her work with Death Row Records in the early 1990s. She was called the "First Lady of Death Row Records".
Career
From 1992 to 1997, Jewell provided vocals on albums from various Death Row artists such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and 2Pac, in addition to motion picture soundtracks produced by the label. Her biggest solo success was her 1994 cover of Shirley Brown's song "Woman to Woman", which peaked at #72 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #16 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Jewell was among many artists who departed Death Row between 1998 and 1999 due to financial and legal issues involving CEO Suge Knight, and her singing career wound down in the 2000s. In October 2011, she published the memoir My Blood My Sweat My Tears, in which she claimed that her past association with Knight prevented her from gaining another recording deal. An accompanying soundtrack to the book was released.
Health issues and death
Caples was hospitalized in 2019 after she stopped breathing and collapsed while shopping at a Walmart, with the cause not made public. In an October 2021 interview, she said that she was given six months to live, and hurried to release her final album, Love + Pain = Musik, as a result. Caples was hospitalized twice in March 2022 due to a self-described "lung injury illness", during which she had eight pounds of fluid removed from her heart, legs and lungs. She died at age 53 on May 6, 2022.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 200 | US R&B | |||||||||||||||||||
| Black Diamond |
| — | — | |||||||||||||||||
| Love + Pain = Musik |
| — | — | |||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or receive certification. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Compilation albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 200 | US R&B | |||||||||||||||||||
| My Blood My Sweat My Tears: The Soundtrack |
| — | — | |||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or receive certification. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Singles
As lead artist
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "Love or Lust" | — | — | Deep Cover | |||||||||||||||
| 1994 | "Woman to Woman" | 72 | 16 | Murder Was the Case | |||||||||||||||
| "Gonna Give It To Ya" (featuring Aaron Hall) | — | — | Above the Rim | ||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or receive certification. | |||||||||||||||||||
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "For the Love of Money" (Yomo & Maulkie featuring Jewell) | 1991 | Are U Xperienced? |
| "Let Me Ride" (Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg and Jewell) | 1992 | The Chronic |
| "Foe tha Love of $" (Bone Thugs-n-Harmony featuring Jewell) | 1994 | Creepin on ah Come Up |
| "Thug Passion" (2Pac featuring Jewell) | 1996 | All Eyez on Me |
| "Body and Soul" (O.F.T.B. featuring Jewell) | 1997 | Gridlock'd |
| "Just Dippin'" (Snoop Dogg featuring Dr. Dre and Jewell) | 1999 | No Limit Top Dogg |
| "I Love TNO" (Won-G featuring Jewell [as Ju-L]) | 2001 | No Better than This |