PAUL JONES: Vocals &
Harmonica
In the decade before the far-reaching telephone call that started The
Blues Band, Paul had been a hard-working actor, mainly in London's West
End but also on Broadway (he lived in New York for a year). But
always at heart he was a bluesman.
Having declined Brian
Jones' invitation to join the fledgling Rolling Stones in 1962, Paul
accepted the very next offer, a job with the group which soon became
Manfred Mann. Later known as a pop group (Do Wah Diddy, Pretty
Flamingo) they began as an R&B band, and would find themselves
playing with Sonny Boy Williamson, Otis Spann, and Matt
"Guitar" Murphy.
Over the years, Paul's
songs have been recorded by people like Ten Years After, Al Kooper and
Carlos Santana - and the earliest line-up of Steppenwolf. He has
also written for films, television and commercials. As a harmonica
man, he has performed publicly and/or recorded with Memphis Slim, Alexis
Korner, Henry Gray, Alvin "Youngblood" Hart, Susan Tedeschi,
Eric Bibb, Otis Grand - hardly to mention the likes of Tina Turner and
the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.
The list of guests on
his programmes on BBC Radio 2 and Jazz FM is encyclopaedic, from Luther
Allison to Axel Zwingenburger, and including B B King, Koko Taylor,
Curtis Mayfield, Jimmy Witherspoon and scores more.
On 11/4/01 on BBC television, Paul
proved to be a popular
recipient of the famous THIS IS
YOUR LIFE big red book.
See Photos: The Later Years.
See Paul Jones:
Solo Projects below for more on Paul.
