Taméca Jones: Homecoming Queen

The Empress of Soul Returns to Austin

Words by Abby L. Johnson Photos by Eric Morales

On the corner of East 20th and Salina streets sits a squat brick building in a dusty orange hue common of the early 20th century. Established in 1928, Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church has long served the East Austin community. It also happens to be the place where Austin’s favorite soul vocalist first found the joy of singing. 

While Taméca Jones sings about topics a bit less sanitized than those she grew up belting in her church’s choir, there was a long period of time where she didn’t pursue singing at all. Yet, she always knew she was meant to be a performer. A dancer for many years, she found that the stage was the place where she felt most alive. It wasn’t until she became a mother to twins and was faced with the reality of providing for two little ones that she turned to her God-given vocal talent and decided to foster it. 

With a powerhouse voice, Taméca quickly became a mainstay of the Austin music scene, polishing her sound, and drawing crowds at venues like the Continental Club, until she earned the moniker that follows her today: “Queen of Austin Soul.” Performing live became a profitable career. While the feat of becoming a professional musician and making a living supporting her family is a remarkable one, the downside, she notes, is that “Whenever music becomes your main income, it kind of adulterates the art, especially when you’re a mother and you have to raise your kids.”

However, a couple of decades later, with the newfound freedom of being an empty nester, Taméca set out on a quest to find some of the things she was missing in Austin and to replenish her love of the art. She did what many musicians do. She packed her bags and headed to L.A. 

It was in SoCal where she dove head first into writing and collaborating with other musicians and producers, seeking out paid opportunities beyond the live performances that have always been her bread and butter. “It was nice to get away and see that the grass is not always greener. But also, it was just good to get away to a bigger city,” she recounts. “I had to go to a bigger city and see how good I had it right where I was.” While in L.A., she realized that she didn’t have to always be a performer. With the advantage of learning how to operate in the music industry in both L.A. and Austin, Taméca had the knowledge she needed to come back home and thrive.

A solo journey of 2,760 miles brought the singer back to her start. Now that she’s back in Austin, Taméca has a new wind under her wings. She’s planning to not only put her new industry knowledge and connections to work but to also use it to uplift fellow women in music. She smiles, “I just want to help artists. I think my role in this life is one of service…I feel like my best self when I serve.” She also notes that, “I want to write more!” She admits that it was hard for her to do that in the past because she did not live near Austin’s central music district. Now that she is resettling in South Austin, she’s excited knowing that the thriving musical hub of the city will surely lead to more musical output from her soul. 

On the Silver Screen:
Hear a performance of one of Taméca’s songs on Walker, Texas Ranger. Good Boy appears in season 1, episode 10, when character Minnie Jayne (played by Crystal Monee Hall) performs the ballad on-screen.

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