Birth name John Jones Years active 1975–present | Genres Rock, new wave Origin London, England, UK Name John Jones | |
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Born December 12, 1957 (age 66) ( 1957-12-12 ) Occupation(s) Musician, record producer | ||
Instruments guitars, vocals, piano | ||
John Jones (born 12 December 1957) is a record producer, musician, songwriter, audio engineer, and programmer, best known for his work on Duran Duran's Wedding Album, and with Celine Dion, Dee Long, Dan Hill, Fleetwood Mac, Steve Ferrone, Alan Frew, Dee Long, and Sir George Martin.
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Background
John Jones is of Welsh descent and was born in London, England. He has lived in Wales, Jamaica, Canada, and Los Angeles. Growing up in Toronto, Canada, Jones wrote many songs and performed; bass, guitar, keyboards, and vocals, with local bands, playing beside Ken Basman, John Johnson, Dave Worth, Gary Boigon, Cameron Hawkins, Dave Piltch, Claude Desjardin and others. In 1975 John got the chance to record in Toronto Sound Studio, the home of Rush producer Terry Brown with producer/engineer Steve Vaughan. That led to a stint as a songwriter for music publisher ATV Music, headed by Val Azzoli, and led to recording many song demos at Brentcliffe, Masters Workshop, The Carriage House, and Shabby Road studios. Later he joined the CBS Canada pop group Bond, as keyboard/guitarist/vocalist, and later toured with other Canadian bands; "FUNN", "Canada", and Gary O's; "Kid Rainbow". It was at Toronto Sound that John met future partner Dee Long of Klaatu. In 1979 the duo started a 15-year musical and business partnership.
1980s
In 1980, John Jones, Dee Long, and Frank Watt, built ESP Studios Buttonville, around a Fairlight CMI, where they worked on albums for Klaatu, Alice Cooper, Gary O', Strange Advance, Dalbello, Rational Youth, Red Rider, Images in Vogue, Dan Hill, The Partland Brothers and Glass Tiger, in a converted 1860's barn, that is now across the street, and houses a school.
In 1985 Jones and Long relocated to London, U.K., setting up Studio 5, the computer/midi music studio, with Sir George Martin, at AIR Studios on Oxford Street. Productions for Martin, Under Milk Wood, Yes, The Rolling Stones, Demis Roussos, Paul McCartney, Terence Trent D'Arby, The Outfield, Mark Knopfler, Willie Deville, Roy Wood, Duran Duran and many other.
During the late 1980s John Jones played piano, with Sir George Martin conducting the London Symphony Orchestra, his Beatles Yellow Submarine Suite. John also wrote the chapter on MIDI in Sir George Martin's book; 'Making Music'. Jones appeared in a special segment on sampling, filmed at AIR Studios and broadcast for many years on BBC Two's 'Science In Action'.
Jones began working with Duran Duran on their live shows for the Big Thing album, and then in the studio producing a B side single "This Is How A Road Gets Made", before working on the Duran Duran album Liberty with producer Chris Kimsey. During those sessions Jones produced the Duran Duran single "Burning the Ground", which was a remix of Duran's greatest hits for their Decade: Greatest Hits compilation album.
1990s
In 1990, JJ created keyboard sounds for John Cale for his Songs for Drella memorial to Andy Warhol, performed and written with Lou Reed. Jones worked with Chris Kimsey on Paul Rodgers's Laying Down the Law', and the Rolling Stones' Flashpoint (album).
Outside of the studio Jones played piano with Duran Duran at the Royal Albert Hall for Vanessa Redgrave's "Jerusalem for Reconciliation" concert for UNICEF in 1991, and for Duran's MTV Unplugged sessions in New York on 17 November 1993. He also played Hammond B3 organ with Queen and with Liza Minnelli at their The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in April 1992.
By 1993 Duran Duran and JJ had finished producing the multi-million–selling "comeback" record, The Wedding Album, featuring the award-winning song "Ordinary World". His next production with Duran Duran was Thank You of 1995, voted #1 of the 50 Worst Albums Ever! by Q magazine in 2006. Jones produced Ny Donsk in Iceland and the Alan Frew CD Hold On, in Los Angeles, for EMI, co-writing the album's hit song "So Blind" which won awards from the Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers of Canada for Most Performed Song of 1995 and Number 1.
In 1996, Jones wrote and produced tracks for Dan Hill's I'm Doing Fine and Fleetwood Mac's Time album's.
He was awarded the 1997 Grammy Awards for "Album Of The Year (Producer)", "Album Of The Year (Engineer)" and "Pop Album Of The Year (Engineer)" for producing Celine Dion's "Seduces Me" from the multi-platinum CD Falling Into You. Jones has also written songs for Priscilla Wright, Emily Richards, and Rational Youth, writing four top ten and three number one records, as well as writing and producing film scores for the films Stuart Bliss, A Perfect Stranger and Hot Money with Orson Welles.
In 1998, Jones released his long-awaited first solo album, of his own material, called One Moment In Time'. The album garnered three MP3.com Pop Chart number ones and extensive music video play for the single's "State Of Mind" and "Turning Me inside Out".
2000s
Jones' solo album was re-released by Victor Entertainment in Japan in late 2001 to coincide with a massive Kirin Beer campaign for which Jones sang the lead vocal, recorded for Duran Duran singer Simon Le Bon's Japanese advertising company Syn Entertainment.
In 2003 Jones started Drumroll Musicians Workshop with drum legend Steve Ferrone of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers in Burbank, California. Later they were joined by super guitarist and producer, Steve Postell, working on numerous productions and sessions for Ferrone's band Farm Fur, as well as Keb' Mo', Emily Richards, Dove, Nils, Edgar Winter, Jeff Golub, Sabian, Linspire, Mike Campbell, The Lille Claire Foundation, Ollie, Andre Berry, Karan Han, Susie Chin, Kim, The Dares, Erin Toland, Zuhdi & Frank, Dean & Robert Deleo, Cassandra Denver, Jeff Young, Alex Ligertwood, Brian Auger and Jack Dill.
2007 saw the start of Jones' collaboration with Richard Martinez and Meninos do Morumbi, the Brazilian school and social program for kids, headed by Flavio Pimenta.
In November 2009, Jones released his second solo record Black N White, featuring drums by Steve Ferrone
2010s
The twenty-teens found Jones working with composer Nick Wood and recording artist Julian Lennon on productions to benefit the victims of the devastating 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
In 2015 the Meninos Do Morumbi & Friends album was completed, with guest artists;Julian Lennon, Richie Kotzen, Alan Frew, Gary O, Alex Ligertwood, Emily Richards, Terry McDermott, Gary Twinn, Gene Anderson, Barnett O'Hara, Steve Ferrone, Michael Thompson, Richard Martinez.