Howard Jones

Howard Jones is an English singer and songwriter from Southampton, England. He is born John Howard Jones in 1955 and grows up in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, before attending the Royal Grammar School. He later lives with his family in Somerset.

Early life and entry into music

He gives piano lessons when young, including to Jan Smith, whom he later marries. While he is working with her, a vehicle crashes into their van and injures her; she receives compensation and uses the money to buy him a Moog Prodigy synthesiser. The shop delivers two by mistake, and he keeps both because he likes the combined sound.

1980s success

Jones breaks through in 1983 with “New Song”, which reaches the UK top ten. He follows it with three more hits over the next year and the album Human’s Lib, which reaches number one in the UK. His early audience includes both teenage fans and older listeners drawn to the musicianship behind his electronic sound, and his mother runs his fan club. He is often compared with Nik Kershaw, who shares a similar pop period and style.

His early stage presentations include work with mime artist Jed Hoile, who performs improvised movement in white paint while Jones plays behind him. In 1984 he releases “Like To Get To Know You Well”, which he describes as dedicated to the spirit of the Olympic Games. Although it is not an official Olympic anthem for the Los Angeles Games, it becomes a major worldwide hit. The single appears on The 12 Inch Album, a remix collection built around extended versions of six previously released songs, including a multilingual version of the track.

Dream Into Action and later 1980s work

His second studio album, Dream Into Action, appears in 1985 and features his own backing band. The line-up includes Caron Wheeler, later known from Soul II Soul, in the female vocal trio Afrodiziak, and his brother Martin Jones on bass. Martin has to add an extra string to his instrument to handle some of Howard’s bass lines, which were originally written on keyboard. One of the album’s singles, “No One Is To Blame”, is later re-recorded with Phil Collins as drummer and producer.

In July 1985, Jones performs at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium, singing “Hide And Seek” while using Freddie Mercury’s piano. His last UK Top 40 hit comes in 1986. After that, he concentrates on production, songwriting and running a vegetarian restaurant, while also achieving Billboard Top 10 success in the United States during the 1990s.

Later activity

In 2005, Jones appears on the American television show Hit Me Baby One More Time. He loses to Irene Cara in the studio vote but wins the online poll. He also has an eldest son, Oisín, born in 1985, who becomes an actor.