Howard Jones
Active decade: 80s 90s
Born 02/23/1955 in Southampton, Hants, England
Genre - ROCK

Howard Jones was one of the defining figures of mid-'80s synth-pop. Jones' music merged the technology-intensive sound of new wave with the cheery optimism of hippies and late-'60s pop. Jones racked up a string of hits in the mid- and late '80s before he retreated into being a cult figure in the '90s.

A native of Southampton, England, Jones learned how to play piano at the age of seven. By the time he was a teenager, 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 England, where he played in a number of different groups. In the mid-'70s, he enrolled in the Royal Northern College of Music. After he dropped out of college, he played with a variety of local Southampton jazz and funk bands. Eventually, Jones began performing as a solo artist. At these solo shows, Jones performed only with synthesizers and drum machines. For these one-man concerts, Jones had a mime called Jed Hoile perform. After a few years of solo performing, Jones attracted the attention of John Peel, who offered the keyboardist a BBC session. Soon, Howard Jones was opening for new wave synth-pop acts across England. By 1983, he had signed with WEA in England and Europe; in America, he signed to Elektra.

Howard released his first single, "New Song," in England in the fall of 1983 and it became a big hit, peaking at number three. His second single, "What Is Love," was released a few months later and it reached number two. Humans Lib, debut album, was released in the spring of 1984 and quickly rose to number one in England. 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 British Top Ten single.

In 1985, Jones phased Hoile out of his live show, formed a touring band, and released his second album, Dream Into Action. The record became his most successful album, reaching number ten and going platinum in the U.S. and spawning the hit singles "Things Can Only Get Better," "Like to Get to Know You Well," "Life in One Day," and "Look Mama." In the spring of 1986, he released Action Replay, an EP of remixes that featured a new version of "No One Is to Blame" from Dream Into Action, with a little help from Phil Collins. "No One Is to Blame" became Jones' biggest U.S. hit, peaking at number four. The relatively weaker chart placement of number 16 in the U.K. was indicative of his future in England -- his next single, "You Know I Love You...Don't You?, "taken from his third album One To One, became his last British Top 40 hit.

Howard Jones in Las Vegas. 9/13/99

Jones released his fourth album, Cross That Line, in the spring of 1989. The first single from the album, "Everlasting Love," became a number one adult contemporary hit in America, reaching number 13 pop. However, the album stalled at number 65. Jones returned three years later with In The Running, a set that saw him abandoning synthesizers for piano. The album didn't make the charts, despite Jones admitting it was the most difficult album he'd ever artistically become involved with. He had hoped for commercial success, and found it in "Lift Me Up," which became a U.S. Top 20 Hit. Following the release of The Best of Howard Jones in 1993, Elektra dropped him. Instead of seeking a new record contract with another major label, Jones hit the road in 1994, performing acoustic shows. At the 1994 shows, he sold Working in the Backroom -- an album he recorded at his home studio and released on his own label, Dtox Records -- at his concerts (and later on his website, howardjones.com) For the next two years, Jones continually toured America and Europe with percussionist Carol Steele. Howard even appeared on Late Night With Conan O'Brien in '95, performing an accoustic version of "What is Love?", playing a grand piano, to an astonished audience. In 1996, he released Live Acoustic America on PLM Records and Angels & Lovers in Japan, though this record is not widely available ; People followed two years later--one track, "If You Love," was included on the Party Of Five Soundtrack and "No One Is To Blame" was featured on Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion Soundtrack II. People produced "Let The People Have Their Say" and "Tomorrow is Now," both minor U.K. hits.

Jones has also attracted many German fans, and has released such titles as "Everlasting Love" and "I Remember," a duet with Juliane Weirding, and "Someone You Need," a duet with Duncan Shiek.

Howard has just finished touring the USA and the UK, and has just released a live set of songs performed on the recent summer tour, entitled Perform.00. He also released Pefawm, a specially produced 2 disc collection only available on his website. The collection includes new mixes and extra tracks, most notably "Someone You Need," a duet with American sensation Duncan Shiek.

Howard was most recently seen performing "What is Love?" at the Night of the Proms festival in Europe. He is currently gearing up to perform alongside Ringo Starr in the Ringo AllStarrs 2001 Tour, which begins in Ontario at Casino Rama Rama on July 26th, 2001. He will be on keyboards, alongside Sheila E (drums), Ian Hunter and Roger Hodgson (guitar) and, of course, Ringo Starr (vocals.) Jones has also been in the studio producing his next full length album, rumored to have an electronic-based sound. His fans anticipate the new sound! :)

Thanks to Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All-Music Guide

Additional comments by HOJO-USA.