Led Zeppelin
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John Baldwin (born January 3, 1946 in Sidcup, London), better known by his stage name John Paul Jones, is an English musician and was the bassist and the keyboardist for Led Zeppelin from its inception until the band's breakup following the death of John Bonham in 1980. A versatile musician, he also plays guitar, mandolin, koto, lap steel guitars, autoharp, ukulele, cello, and the three over-dubbed recorders heard on "Stairway to Heaven". He is widely respected as both a musician and a producer and is considered as one of the most influential bassists in Rock music.
Jones was born in Sidcup, Kent, now part of Greater London. The name John Paul Jones was suggested to him by a friend, Andrew Loog Oldham, after seeing a movie poster with that name on it in France.
Jones learned his keyboard skills from his father, Joe Baldwin, who was a pianist and arranger for big bands in the 40s and 50s, notably with the Ambrose Orchestra. His mother was also in the music business which allowed the family to often perform together touring around England. His influences ranged from the blues of Big Bill Broonzy, the jazz of Charles Mingus, to the classical piano of Sergei Rachmaninoff. Jones was a student at Christ College boarding school in Kent where he formally studied music. At the age of 14, he became choirmaster and organist at a local church and during that year, he also bought his first bass guitar, a Dallas solid body electric followed by a Fender Jazz bass. The fluid playing of Chicago musician Phil Upchurch made him decide to take up the bass guitar. Jones continued to use that Fender bass up until 1975.
Jones joined his first band, The Deltas, at 15. He then played bass for jazz-rock London group, Jett Blacks. His big break came in 1962 when he met Jet Harris and Tony Meehan (who had just left the Shadows) and played bass for their band for two years. Jet and Tony had just had a Number 1 hit with "Diamonds" (a track on which Jimmy Page had played.)
In 1964, Jones began session work with Decca Records on the recommendations of Tony Meehan. Between 1964 and 1968 he was much in demand arranging, and playing keyboards or bass guitar for artists including the Rolling Stones on Their Satanic Majesties Request; Herman's Hermits; Donovan on Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow; Jeff Beck; Cat Stevens; Rod Stewart; Shirley Bassey; Lulu; and numerous others. As well as recording sessions with Dusty Springfield, Jones also played bass for her Talk Of The Town series of performances. His arranging and playing on Donovan's "Sunshine Superman", resulted in producer Mickie Most using his services as choice arranger for many of his own projects, with Tom Jones, Nico, Wayne Fontana, the Walker Brothers, and many others.
Jones also got to record with fellow friends of Tony Meehan and Jet Harris, none other than Meehan and Harris' ex-band, Cliff Richard and the Shadows.
Before these recordings, Cliff Richard and the Shadows came close to changing history by nearly preventing the future formation of Led Zeppelin, when they had talks about Jones replacing their ex-bassist Brian "Licorice" Locking. Instead they chose John Rostill.
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Main article: Led Zeppelin |
During his time as a session player, Jones often crossed paths with fellow session veteran, guitarist Jimmy Page. In June 1966 Page joined The Yardbirds, and in 1967 Jones contributed to their Little Games album. The following winter, during the sessions for Donovan's The Hurdy Gurdy Man, Jones expressed to Page an interest in being a part of any projects the guitarist might be planning. Later that year, The Yardbirds disbanded, leaving Page and bassist Chris Dreja to complete some previously booked Yardbird dates in Scandinavia. Before a new band could be assembled, Dreja left to take up photography. Jones inquired to Page about the vacant position, and the guitarist gladly welcomed his old friend into the new project. Initilly dubbed the New Yardbirds for the Scandinavian dates, the band would eventually come to be known as Led Zeppelin.
Jones' decision to leave session work and join a group was due to his desire to express his artistic creativity. Despite the spotlight being placed on the more flamboyant members of the band, many cite Jones' temperament, musicianship and experience as crucial elements adding to the success of Led Zeppelin. He was responsible for the classic bass lines of the group, notably those in "Dazed and Confused" (Led Zeppelin I) and "What Is and What Should Never Be" (Led Zeppelin II), and power crunch and shifting time signatures, such as those in "Black Dog" (untitled fourth album). As Zeppelin's rhythm section-mate with drummer John Bonham, Jones shared an appreciation for funk and soul rhythmic grooves which strengthened and enhanced their musical affinity.
After "retiring" his Fender Jazz Bass in 1975, Jones switched to using custom-designed Alembics [1]. His keyboard skills added an eclectic dimension that realised Led Zeppelin as more than just a heavy metal band, most notably on the delicate "The Rain Song" (Houses of the Holy) played on a Mellotron, the funky, danceable "Trampled Under Foot" (Physical Graffiti), and the eastern scales of "Kashmir" (also on Physical Graffiti). In live performances, Jones' keyboard showpiece was "No Quarter", often lasting for up to half-an-hour and sometimes including snatches of "Amazing Grace", Joaquín Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez", which had inspired Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain, and variations of classical pieces by composers such as Rachmaninoff. His diverse contributions to the group extended to the use of other instruments, including unusual double and even triple-necked mandolins. Jones often used bass pedals to suppliment the band's sound while he was playing keyboards.
While all members of Led Zeppelin had a reputation for excess (a label Robert Plant later claimed was somewhat exaggerated), Jones was widely seen as the 'quiet one' of the group. His professionalism ensured that any excesses experienced on the road never hindered his performance, in contrast with Page and Bonham in particular during Led Zeppelin's later years. Following several exhausting tours and extended periods of time away from his family, by late 1973 Jones was beginning to show signs of disillusionment with life as a member of arguably the biggest band in the world. He seriously considered quitting Led Zeppelin to become choirmaster at Winchester Cathedral, but was talked into returning by the band's manager, Peter Grant.[2] Jones later claimed that everything he did was kept private, so no one would know about it.
It is rumored that the Led Zeppelin song "Royal Orleans", from their album (Presence) is about an experience Jones once had. The song is about a person who mistakenly takes a drag queen up to his hotel room, who then falls asleep with a joint of marijuana in hand, lighting the room on fire. "Royal Orleans" was the name of a hotel where the members of Led Zeppelin would stay when they visited New Orleans because not as many people asked for autographs there.
Jones' involvement with Led Zeppelin did not halt his session work. In 1969 he returned to the studio to play bass guitar on Family Dogg's Way of Life album, in 1970, keyboards for guitarist Peter Green on his solo album The End of the Game. Jones was Madeline Bell's first choice to produce and arrange her 1974 album Comin' Atcha. He has also played keyboards on many Roy Harper albums, and contributed to Wings Rockestra, Back to the Egg.
Since 1980 his collaborators have included R.E.M., Heart, Ben E. King, The Mission, La Fura Dels Baus, Brian Eno, and The Butthole Surfers. He appeared on a number of sessions and videos for Paul McCartney and was involved in the soundtrack of the film Give My Regards to Broad Street. In 1986, Jones was asked by director Michael Winner to provide the soundtrack for the film, Scream for Help, with Jimmy Page appearing on two tracks. He recorded and toured with Diamanda Galás on her 1994 album, The Sporting Life (co-credited to John Paul Jones). Jones set up his own recording studio called Sunday School, as well being involved in his daughter's (Jacinda Jones) singing career.
Zooma, his debut solo album, was released in September 1999 and followed up in 2001 by The Thunderthief, which includes his debut as a solo vocalist.
In 2004, he toured as part of the group Mutual Admiration Society, along with Glen Phillips (the front man for the band Toad the Wet Sprocket) and the members of the band Nickel Creek.
Jones plays on two tracks on Foo Fighters' new album In Your Honor: mandolin on "Another Round" and piano on "Miracle", both of which are on the acoustic disc. The band's frontman Dave Grohl has described Jones' guest appearance as the "second greatest thing to happen to me in my life."
He has also branched out into album production, having produced such albums as The Datsuns' sophomore effort Outta Sight, Outta Mind (2004) and Uncle Earl's upcoming album.
John Paul Jones' first solo recording was a single for Pye Records in April 1964 which featured "A Foggy Day in Vietnam". The B-side was "Baja".