Howard Jones

Howard Jones biography

Howard Jones (born John Howard Jones, 23 February 1955, Southampton, Hampshire, England) is a British musician, singer and songwriter. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, "Jones is an accomplished singer-songwriter who was a regular chart visitor in the mid 1980s with his brand of synthpop. Jones, who was equally popular in the U.S., appeared at Live Aid". Allmusic journalist, Stephen Thomas Erlewine adds, "Jones was one of the defining figures of mid 1980s synthpop. His music merged the technology intensive sound of New Wave with the cheery optimism of hippies and late 1960s pop. Jones racked up a string of hits in the mid and late 1980s, before he retreated into being a cult figure in the 1990s".

Biography

Early life

Howard Jones is the eldest of four boys (Howard's brothers, Roy, Martin, and Paul, were all musicians in their own right and had their own band, called Red Beat, in the late 70s and early 80s). Born in Southampton to Welsh parents, he spent his early years growing up in Rhiwbina, Cardiff, South Wales where he attended Heol Llanishen Fach primary school, and then Whitchurch Grammar School; and later in Stokenchurch, near High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, where he attended the Royal Grammar School. Jones took piano lessons from the age of seven, and when he was a teen, his family had relocated to Canada, which is where he joined his first band, a progressive rock group called Warrior. Eventually, Jones moved back to the United Kingdom, where he played in a number of different groups. He then spent a year at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

Early career

Jones's early career and song writing was influenced by his close friend at the time, Bill Bryant; they were best man at each other's wedding. Bryant co-authored the lyrics on Jones's first album Human's Lib, contributing to the tracks, "Conditioning", "What Is Love", "Hunt the Self", "Equality", "Natural" and "Humans Lib". Jones was first introduced to Bryant by his brothers, Martin and Roy Jones. It was they who first created early versions of "What Is Love", "Equality" and "Conditioning", which would later appear on Human's Lib. Human's Lib was to be the only piece of work Bryant and Jones both worked together on.

Jones appeared as a solo artist in local venues in High Wycombe, before inviting the mime artist Jed Hoile, who used to do improvised choreography, whilst doused in white paint, as Jones played behind him. In 1983 Jones hired the Marquee Club in London and invited record labels to come and see him perform. After a well-received BBC Radio 1 session he obtained support slots with China Crisis and OMD before signing to WEA in the UK and Elektra in the U.S. in the summer of 1983.

Major record label career

His first single called "New Song" was released in September 1983 and reached the UK Top 5 He made his debut performance on BBC Television's Top of the Pops in October 1983, and he watched his tape-delayed performance on a borrowed television resting on an ironing board before a concert at the University of Kent. He subsequently had four more hits over the next twelve months and a UK Number 1 album, Human's Lib, which eventually went double platinum. Thanks to repeated exposure on MTV, the album became a moderate hit in the U.S. Later in 1984, "New Song" and "What Is Love" became American Top 40 hits, while "Pearl in the Shell" became his third UK Top 10 single. Human's Lib went gold and platinum in a number of countries. Jones had developed a loyal teen following, and his mother and father, Thelma and John Jones, ran his fan club.

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