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Howard JonesMusician (rock)
Date of Birth: 23.02.1955
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Howard Jones
Howard Jones is a British musician, singer, and composer who was one of the defining figures of mid-80s synth-pop. His music combined the technologically-intensive sound of new wave with the optimism of the hippie movement and the pop music of the late 60s. Jones created a series of hits in the 80s, becoming a cult figure in the 90s. Unfortunately, the changing tastes of the general public in the 90s prevented him from achieving the same commercial success.
Early Life
Howard Jones began learning to play the piano at the age of seven. By the time he was a teenager, his family had moved to Canada, where he formed his first band, Warrior, playing progressive rock. His musical career got off to a rocky start as he returned to England and played in various musical groups. He then decided to enroll in the Royal Northern College of Music, but soon dropped out.
Howard went on to join several Southampton-based jazz and funk bands in an attempt to express himself musically. Eventually, he decided to pursue a solo career and started performing solo shows using only synths and drum machines.
The Rise to Fame
After several years of solo work, Howard finally caught the attention of John Peel, who was looking for a keyboardist for session recordings on BBC. This marked the turning point in Jones' career as he became a breakthrough artist of the new wave era in the synth-pop/new romantic style.
By 1983, he had signed contracts with WEA in the UK and Elektra in the US. Jones' signature style included the widespread use of synthesizers with rich and diverse sounds, refined melodies, and a slight dance-oriented direction with a minor key inclination. His debut single, "New Song," was released in the UK at the end of 1983 and quickly became a hit, reaching the third position on the charts. His second hit, "What Is Love," was released a few months later and reached the second position.
The debut album, "Human's Lib," was released in the spring of 1984 and instantly reached the top spot on the UK charts. Thanks to frequent airplay on MTV, the album also achieved moderate success in the American charts in 1984. The singles "New Song" and "What Is Love" entered the Top 40 in the US, while the track "Pearl in the Shell" reached the top ten in the UK.
In 1985, Jones formed a touring band and released his second solo album, "Dream Into Action," which became his most successful album to date. It reached the tenth position in the US, achieving platinum status, and produced hits such as "Things Can Only Get Better," "Like to Get to Know You Well," "Life in One Day," and "Look Mama."
In the spring of 1986, Howard released the "Action Replay" EP, which included remixes, including a new version of the track "No One Is to Blame" from the "Dream Into Action" album. "No One Is to Blame" became Jones' most successful US hit, reaching the fourth position in the Top 100. However, its lower placement in the UK charts, reaching only 16th place, was seen as a setback.
His next single, "You Know I Love You...Don't You?" from the third album "One to One," became the last one to enter the UK Top 40.
Later Career
Howard Jones released his fourth album in the spring of 1989. The first single from this album, "Everlasting Love," reached the 13th position on the pop charts, but the album itself only reached 65th place. Following a three-year hiatus, he released "In the Running," which showed that he had started to prefer live keyboards over synthesizers. The album did not enter the charts, as different music styles were popular at the time.
After the release of his greatest hits compilation, "The Best of Howard Jones," in 1993, Elektra refused to renew his contract. Instead of looking for another label, Jones embarked on an acoustic tour in 1994, performing acoustic shows. His last studio album, "Working in the Backroom," was sold at these shows and released under his own label, Dtox Records.
For the next two years, Howard toured extensively in Europe and America. In 1996, he released "Live Acoustic America" on PLM Records. Two years later, the album "People" was released.
Discography:
- 1983 New Song (Elektra)
- 1984 Human's Lib (Elektra)
- 1985 Dream Into Action (Elektra)
- 1986 One to One (Elektra)
- 1989 Cross That Line (WEA)
- 1992 In the Running (Elektra)
- 1996 Live Acoustic America (Plump)
- 1997 Angels & Lovers (Canyon)
- 1998 People (Ark 21)
- 2000 Perform '00 [live] (BMG)
- 2001 Perform '01 [Avex]Avex Japan
- 2002 The Peaceful Tour (Cleopatra)
