Hamilton’s Funeral Home

Photo: Kelly Sargent/Special to the Register)No matter who shared the stage with Janey Hooper, she held control of the groove.“She would look at you playing and smile, and you knew the change was coming,” said Jim Parker, who drummed for years alongside Hooper. “… You just knew you were going to go from a verse to a chorus … she had a calming control.”Jane Ann “Janey” Hernandez Hooper died Saturday from pancreatic cancer complications. The three-time  Iowa Rock n Roll Musical Association Hall of Fame inductee began gigging around central Iowa in the 1970s, building a name for herself around an unmatched voice and an ability to simplify things, said her brother, Dave Hooper.Her music,  which touched jazz, blues, funk and R&B,  came across soulfully and beautifully, local artist Sam Salomone said. She jammed at the now-defunct Blues on Grand, Gaslamp, Carl’s Place and numerous other central Iowa spots from the '70s until her death. True to the humble spirit described by fellow musicians, she even dedicated time to the Merrymakers in her later years, performing songs for senior citizens as part of the nonprofit organization.Janey Hooper, a Des Moines musician and Iowa Rock n Roll Musical Association Hall of Fame member, died Oct. 15 from pancreatic cancer. (Photo: Special to the Register)Parker, who performed regionally with Hooper in a group called the Cavaliers, said there were few artists recognized solely by their first name in Des Moines, "one-name" artists, and "Janey" quickly turned into just that.“Janey … when she came on in the mid-'70s, she broke the female barrier in being a one-named artist,” Parker said. “You could go anywhere and just say, 'I went to see Janey,' and (people) knew who you’re talking about.”Her artist biography lists that she performed with Robert Cray, Gary Clark and Lonnie Brooks; that she has been recognized by the Iowa Jazz Hall of Fame; and has sung the national anthem at an NBA game. But, true to the selfless nature her brother describes, the accomplishment she lists as her greatest was bei...