Samuel Jones was born November 12, 1924, in Jacksonville, Florida; his father played piano and drums, and his aunt played organ in church. By 1953 he was playing with Tiny Bradshaw, and after moving to New York in 1955 he worked with Kenny Dorham, Cannonball Adderley, Dizzy Gillespie, and Thelonious Monk. He became a member of the Cannonball Adderley Quintet from 1959 to 1966, paired with drummer Louis Hayes in what's widely regarded as a benchmark rhythm section for staying "in the pocket." While with Adderley's group he wrote original compositions including "Unit 7" and "Del Sasser," both of which became jazz standards in their own right.

Jones went on to join the Oscar Peterson Trio from 1966 to 1970, as Ray Brown's first replacement, whose own career is covered in full in his JazzProfiles.com profile, before freelancing for the remainder of his career. A solid bassist with impeccable technique who could swing and groove with the best of his generation, he was also a talented jazz cello soloist.

Jones died of lung cancer on December 15, 1981, at age 57.

Jones's rock-solid time and melodic sensibility, honed across the Cannonball Adderley Quintet's celebrated rhythm section and later the Oscar Peterson Trio, made him one of the most in-demand bassists of the hard bop era, and his compositions "Unit 7" and "Del Sasser" remain staples of the jazz repertoire.