Al Jones
Encyclopedia
Alun Ashworth-Jones known as Al Jones, was an influential English
folk
and blues songwriter, guitarist and singer, noted for his distinctive and original folk-rock
guitar style and his often darkly humorous lyrics.
folk scene in the mid-1960s, where he formed a trio with harmonica player Elliot Jackson and singer/guitarist Ian A. Anderson
. They were resident performers at the Bristol Troubadour Club
and frequently played at Les Cousins
in London. Jones' recording debut was as part of that trio on an E.P.
in 1966. He moved to London in 1968/1969 and featured on "Matchbox Days", an early Village Thing
compilation of tracks by the white British "Blues Boom" artists of that period, alongside other luminaries such as Jo-Ann Kelly, John James
, Mike Cooper
and Dave Kelly
. He made an album before moving to Cornwall
, where he became reclusive
. Anderson persuaded him to make a further album in 1972, "Jonesville", which featured a very early Rodney Matthews
cover. Jones' reputation gained cult status in Britain and abroad, his albums becoming highly sought-after, and he occasionally emerged from his self-imposed obscurity to play gigs in Europe, particularly Belgium and Germany, where he had a particularly dedicated following.
and John Renbourn
would come down and I'd play guitar with them. I remember John playing something and it sounded familiar and I said 'John I know that one!' He said 'you should do you wrote it!' He started writing again. Prolifically. Got a new acoustic guitar. And ultimately he came to record a brand new CD, Swimming Pool"
His gigs at that time were at local pubs and clubs in Cornwall and he still rarely travelled beyond the Duchy's boundary. Ian A. Anderson persuaded him, though, to record some of his more recent compositions on Anderson's Weekend Beatnik label in 1998 and a new audience began to hear his work through occasional radio plays of the album – the CD mentioned by Colin Irwin, "Swimming Pool".
In 2000 Jones recorded "A little bit of Heaven" under the band name Blues De-luxe, with fellow Cornish musician and long term friend Pete Flaskett. The album consisted of a selection of songs from the album Swimming pool as well as some new material written by Jones and Flaskett. Blues De-luxe took part in festivals and gigs around cornwall for several years.
In 2001 Mooncrest Records
reissued Alun Ashworth-Jones as a double CD with numerous, previously unissued, "bonus" tracks including live recordings from April 1969 with a full electric band, and five acoustic tracks recorded in 1971.
His early works were reissued in 2007 on the Castle Records label as a double CD, "All My Friends Are Back Again". Sadly, Jones died suddenly and unexpectedly on June 1, 2008 at the age of 62.
(*) reissued on Ace Records (UK)
Big Beat label, catalogue number CDWIKD 168, in 1997
(**) tracks also available as bonus tracks on 2001 CD reissue of "Alun Ashworth-Jones"
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and blues songwriter, guitarist and singer, noted for his distinctive and original folk-rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
guitar style and his often darkly humorous lyrics.
Early career
He first came to prominence in the BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
folk scene in the mid-1960s, where he formed a trio with harmonica player Elliot Jackson and singer/guitarist Ian A. Anderson
Ian A. Anderson
Ian A. Anderson is an English magazine editor, folk musician and broadcaster.-Country blues and The Village Thing:...
. They were resident performers at the Bristol Troubadour Club
Bristol Troubadour Club
In the late 1960s and early '70s, a thriving contemporary folk music scene in Bristol was centred on the short lived but influential Bristol Troubadour Club in Clifton village, the student quarter above the city centre...
and frequently played at Les Cousins
Les Cousins (music club)
Les Cousins was a folk and blues club in the basement of a restaurant in Greek Street, in the Soho district of London. It had its heyday during the British folk music revival of the mid-1960s and was notable as a venue in which musicians of that period met and learnt from each other...
in London. Jones' recording debut was as part of that trio on an E.P.
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in 1966. He moved to London in 1968/1969 and featured on "Matchbox Days", an early Village Thing
The Village Thing
The Village Thing was an independent record label in the United Kingdom which published folk music, blues and acoustic music between 1970 and 1973, under the tag of "The Alternative Folk Label".-History:...
compilation of tracks by the white British "Blues Boom" artists of that period, alongside other luminaries such as Jo-Ann Kelly, John James
John James
John James was an architect particularly associated with Twickenham in west London, where he rebuilt St. Mary's Church and built the house for Hon. James Johnson, Secretary for Scotland, later Orleans House...
, Mike Cooper
Mike Cooper
Mike Cooper is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995.-Background:...
and Dave Kelly
Dave Kelly
Dave Kelly may refer to:*Dave Kelly , Canadian TV host and voice actor*Dave Kelly , guitarist, vocalist, and member of the Blues Band*Dave Kelly , songwriter, musician, engineer, producer, and owner of Madhouse Records in Jamaica...
. He made an album before moving to Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, where he became reclusive
Recluse
A recluse is a person who lives in voluntary seclusion from the public and society, often close to nature. The word is from the Latin recludere, which means "shut up" or "sequester." There are many potential reasons for becoming a recluse: a personal philosophy that rejects consumer society; a...
. Anderson persuaded him to make a further album in 1972, "Jonesville", which featured a very early Rodney Matthews
Rodney Matthews
Rodney Matthews is a fantasy artist and illustrator.In 1978, he published Yendor: The Journey of a Junior Adventurer, a hard-back picture book featuring his distinctive paintings of "The Wild Country", a fantasy world seen through the eyes of young Yendor, named after his son...
cover. Jones' reputation gained cult status in Britain and abroad, his albums becoming highly sought-after, and he occasionally emerged from his self-imposed obscurity to play gigs in Europe, particularly Belgium and Germany, where he had a particularly dedicated following.
Instrument making
His main business became manufacture of his Ashworth range of instrument pickups and he later joined with Nigel Thornbory, the guitar maker, to produce a range of extraordinary rubber-stringed Ashbory basses which are now manufactured under licence by Fender.Re-emergence from obscurity
Colin Irwin, in fRoots magazine in 1998 wrote about Jones: "In 1991 he had a call from a friend who wanted to put on a concert, and couldn't believe it when he found himself agreeing to appear. 'I couldn't play anything at first, it had been such a long time and my fingertips had gone soft.' But on a business trip to London he got his hands on a Strat and it felt so good he couldn't put it down. Gradually he eased back into gigging and sitting in with any damn band that passed by. 'People like Wizz JonesWizz Jones
Raymond Ronald Jones better-known as Wizz Jones is an English acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter. He has been performing since the late 1950s and recording from 1965 to the present...
and John Renbourn
John Renbourn
John Renbourn is an English guitarist and songwriter. He is possibly best known for his collaboration with guitarist Bert Jansch as well as his work with the folk group Pentangle, although he maintained a solo career before, during and after that band's existence .While most commonly labelled a...
would come down and I'd play guitar with them. I remember John playing something and it sounded familiar and I said 'John I know that one!' He said 'you should do you wrote it!' He started writing again. Prolifically. Got a new acoustic guitar. And ultimately he came to record a brand new CD, Swimming Pool"
His gigs at that time were at local pubs and clubs in Cornwall and he still rarely travelled beyond the Duchy's boundary. Ian A. Anderson persuaded him, though, to record some of his more recent compositions on Anderson's Weekend Beatnik label in 1998 and a new audience began to hear his work through occasional radio plays of the album – the CD mentioned by Colin Irwin, "Swimming Pool".
In 2000 Jones recorded "A little bit of Heaven" under the band name Blues De-luxe, with fellow Cornish musician and long term friend Pete Flaskett. The album consisted of a selection of songs from the album Swimming pool as well as some new material written by Jones and Flaskett. Blues De-luxe took part in festivals and gigs around cornwall for several years.
In 2001 Mooncrest Records
Mooncrest Records
Mooncrest Records is a British record label that was formed in 1973 as a subsidiary of Charisma Records.They issued albums by Shirley Collins , Iain Matthews , Shakin' Stevens and Alan Hull . More recently they have handled Fairport Convention and Michael Chapman...
reissued Alun Ashworth-Jones as a double CD with numerous, previously unissued, "bonus" tracks including live recordings from April 1969 with a full electric band, and five acoustic tracks recorded in 1971.
His early works were reissued in 2007 on the Castle Records label as a double CD, "All My Friends Are Back Again". Sadly, Jones died suddenly and unexpectedly on June 1, 2008 at the age of 62.
Discography
- Anderson, Jones, Jackson (Saydisc 33SD 125 – 5 track EP, 1966)
- Alun Ashworth-JonesAlun Ashworth-JonesAlun Ashworth-Jones is the full name of the noted British folk/blues/rock songwriter, guitarist and singer Al Jones, and is also the title of his first album, which this article addresses. He had previously made an E.P. as part of the trio Anderson, Jones, Jackson...
(ParlophoneParlophoneParlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
, 1969) - Jonesville (The Village ThingThe Village ThingThe Village Thing was an independent record label in the United Kingdom which published folk music, blues and acoustic music between 1970 and 1973, under the tag of "The Alternative Folk Label".-History:...
, 1972) - Swimming PoolSwimming Pool (album)Swimming Pool is the last album by the noted British folk/blues/rock songwriter, guitarist and singer Al Jones. It marked his return to writing and recording after many years of relative obscurity. All the tracks are written by Jones himself and published by Rogue Music...
(Weekend Beatnik, 1998) - Alun Ashworth-JonesAlun Ashworth-JonesAlun Ashworth-Jones is the full name of the noted British folk/blues/rock songwriter, guitarist and singer Al Jones, and is also the title of his first album, which this article addresses. He had previously made an E.P. as part of the trio Anderson, Jones, Jackson...
(reissue by Mooncrest RecordsMooncrest RecordsMooncrest Records is a British record label that was formed in 1973 as a subsidiary of Charisma Records.They issued albums by Shirley Collins , Iain Matthews , Shakin' Stevens and Alan Hull . More recently they have handled Fairport Convention and Michael Chapman...
with many previously unissued "bonus" tracks, 2001) - All My Friends Are Back Again (compilation of Alun Ashworth-Jones, Jonesville and additional tracks (Mooncrest, 2007)
Tracks on compilations
- Matchbox Days (The Village ThingThe Village ThingThe Village Thing was an independent record label in the United Kingdom which published folk music, blues and acoustic music between 1970 and 1973, under the tag of "The Alternative Folk Label".-History:...
, 1972) – "Searchin' the Desert"(*) - 49 Greek Street (RCA RecordsRCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
SF8118, 1970) (**)
(*) reissued on Ace Records (UK)
Ace Records (UK)
Ace Records Ltd. was started in 1978. Initially the company only gained permission from the label based in Mississippi to use the name in the UK, but eventually also acquired the rights to publish their recordings. When Chiswick's pop side was licensed to EMI in 1984, Ace switched to more licensing...
Big Beat label, catalogue number CDWIKD 168, in 1997
(**) tracks also available as bonus tracks on 2001 CD reissue of "Alun Ashworth-Jones"