Dr Bob Jones

Dr Bob Jones is a US country music artist and DJ whose career in music begins in 1967, when he secures a DJ job at a local youth centre. He makes his first club appearance in 1971 and develops a policy of playing what he describes as high-quality black music, with an emphasis on soul, dance and jazz.

DJ work and early recognition

By 1971, Jones is recognised as one of the first DJs to play jazz to a dance floor. In 1979 he DJs at the first soul and jazz dance weekender at Caister in Norfolk, England, and goes on to play at 24 Caister events. He also performs in clubs and venues across England, Europe and other parts of the world.

In 1981 he appears on pirate radio stations in Essex and London, and in 1983 he joins Blues & Soul magazine as its jazz correspondent. He plays at the Monday night jazz sessions at London’s Wag Club alongside Gilles Peterson, Kevin Beadle and Sylvester. In 1987 he DJs at the first Southport Dance Weekender, a long-running event at which he later becomes a resident member of the DJ team.

Production, remixes and songwriting

In 1990 Motown Records approaches Jones to remix and add production to a Temptations recording. The result is the dance track The Joneses, and the rhythm track is later used by Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince for Boom - Shake the Room, on which Jones is credited as a co-writer. He also helps inspire Coldcut to record Yazz’s The Only Way Is Up.

Jones later produces more than 30 artists, including Terry Callier, Al Green, Daryl Hall, Snowboy, East West Connection, Swing Out Sister, Izit, Squeeze and Bobby Womack. He also works as a consultant and appears in Lenny Henry’s New Soul Nation on Channel 4, serves as music consultant for BBC 2’s Late Show, and completes a film treatment for A History of UK Black Music.

Clubs, labels and compilations

Jones is one of the founder members of the British Rhythm & Blues Association. In October 1993 he starts his own club night, The Surgery, in London’s West End, which wins an award as Best Soul Club in the UK. In December 1995 he opens LIFT at the Bluenote club in Hoxton Square, working with guest DJs including Harvey, The Idjut Boys, Harri, Glenn Gunner and Phil Asher. He later receives Best British Club DJ awards for 1995, 1996 and 1997.

He founds Black on Black Records in October 1993 and uses the label to release a catalogue of black music, mainly with British singers, songwriters and musicians. The label issues 14 singles, all of which are licensed to third-party labels for compilation releases in Europe and other territories. Jones also compiles albums and writes sleeve notes for major labels, including a 1990s soul compilation for Beechwood Music, Stop and Listen Volume 1 for Barely Breaking Even Records, Soul Spectrum and Jazz Spectrum for the same imprint, and Inspirational Dance for Slip 'n' Slide Records.

Aliases and later projects

In October 1996 Jones returns to studio production under the alias Universal Jones with Ashley Beedle, releasing material on Afro Art. In February 1997 he completes East West Connection with Lofty and records a cover of Teddy Pendergrass’s The More I Get the More I Want for Chilli Funk Records. He continues recording and producing as East West Connection and Raw Cuts, and works on a second East West Connection album with Lofty, including a new song written with Terry Callier.

Jones also compiles the TRUE SPIRIT Vol 1 & 2 various-artists releases, featuring tracks from labels including Sfere, Guidance, Large Records, File, Lumi and Estereo.

Festivals, radio and writing

He DJs at Universe’s Tribal Gathering in 1996 and 1997, appears at Universe, Creamfields and V98 in 1998, and is a regular DJ for the Bud Ice Bus. He also performs at The Big Chill and Elektrik Picnic in 2005, and makes regular appearances at Sunday Sessions at The Big Chill Bar in Brick Lane and The Chill House in King’s Cross. In 2006 he tours the UK and Europe to mark 10 years of Chilli Funk Records.

Alongside DJing and production, Jones writes for Soul specialist magazine Manifesto and contributes to FAITH fanzine. He is also working on a book about his four decades in the music business.