Howard Jones (musician)
| Howard Jones | |
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Howard Jones, 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Howard Jones |
| Born |
23 February 1955 Southampton, Hampshire, England |
| Genres | Synthpop,new wave |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Keyboards, synthesizer, vocals, drums, piano |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Labels | Elektra, East West |
| Website | www |
| Notable instruments | |
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Moog Prodigy Roland Jupiter-8 Yamaha DX-7 |
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John Howard Jones (born 23 February 1955) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He had ten top 40 hit singles in the UK between 1983 and 1986, including six which reached the top ten, and his 1984 album Human's Lib went to number one. Around the world, he had 15 top 40 hit singles between 1983 and 1992. He has been described by AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine as "one of the defining figures of mid-'80s synth pop." He also performed at Live Aid in 1985.
Jones is the eldest of four boys. His brothers, Roy, Martin, and Paul, are all musicians in their own right. They had a band called Red Beat in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and Roy has since released a few albums of dubstep-tinged electronic dance music both under his own name and under the pseudonym Dredzilla.
Born in Southampton to Welsh parents, Howard Jones spent his early years in Rhiwbina, Cardiff, South Wales, where he attended Heol Llanishen Fach primary school and then Whitchurch Grammar School. Later in Stokenchurch, near High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, he attended the Royal Grammar School. He took piano lessons starting at age seven. The family moved to Canada when he was a teenager. His first band was Warrior, a progressive rock group. He returned to the UK and attended the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester while playing in various bands. He met Buddhist practitioner Bill Bryant, who wrote lyrics for some of Jones's songs and was a major influence in this period. In the late 1980s, Jones began practising Nichiren Buddhism as a member of the worldwide Buddhist association Soka Gakkai International; he has credited his daily practice of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo since 1991 as "having a profoundly positive effect on my life."
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