Wizz Jones
Encyclopedia
Raymond Ronald Jones better-known as Wizz Jones is an English
acoustic guitar
ist, singer and songwriter
. He has been performing since the late 1950s and recording
from 1965 to the present. He has worked with many of the notable guitarist
s of the English folk music
revival, such as John Renbourn
and Bert Jansch
.
and Jack Kerouac
and grew his hair long. His mother had started calling him Wizzy after the Beano
comic strip
character "Wizzy the Wuz" because at the age of nine Raymond was a budding Musician. The nickname stuck throughout his school years and when he formed his first band "The Wranglers" in 1957 the name became permanent. Bert Jansch
later said "I think he's the most underrated guitarist ever". In the early 1960s he went busking
in Paris
, France
, and there mixed in an artistic circle that included Rod Stewart
, Alex Campbell
, Clive Palmer
(Incredible String Band
) and Ralph McTell
. After a couple of years in Paris he married and returned to England to raise a family.
In 1965 his only single
was released: Bob Dylan
's "Ballad of Hollis Brown
". By this time the skiffle
boom was over but one of the stars of that movement, Chas McDevitt
, used Jones' guitar-playing on five album
s in 1965 and 1966. Another musician on those sessions was the bluegrass
banjo
-player, Pete Stanley. In 1966 Jones and Stanley released an album Sixteen Tons of Bluegrass, but this partnership broke down in 1967, as Jones then turned solo
.
. His first solo album was Wizz Jones
in 1969. Up to 1988, ten solo albums followed and he played on Ralph McTell
’s single "Easy
" in 1974. In a way Ralph was repaying Wizz for his help in getting McTell established on the scene, Steve Tilston was also guided by Wizz, through the easy stages of his career. Wizz was once described a having 'a right hand worthy of Broonzy', the Broonzy in question is of course legendary Country Blues Guitarist Big Bill Broonzy
. Most of his recordings from this period are long out of print.
A brief excursion as a member of the traditional folk band Lazy Farmer in 1975 produced an album that was reissued in 2006. Wizz has always maintained a high level of popularity in Germany, since the mid - 1970's, he stills tours mainland Europe every year. The early 1990s were a quiet period. He almost disappeared from public view.
When in the mid-nineties he appeared on the Bert Jansch television documentary
Acoustic Routes, there was renewed interest in his work. In 2001 he led John Renbourn
and other members of Pentangle
on the album Lucky The Man
. In 2007 The Legendary Me
and When I Leave Berlin
were reissued on CD
by the Sunbeam record label
.
(*) with John Renbourn and others. (**) with Bert Jansch. (***) includes recordings from 1970-74. (****) with Simeon Jones.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
ist, singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. He has been performing since the late 1950s and recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
from 1965 to the present. He has worked with many of the notable guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
s of the English folk music
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....
revival, such as 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...
and Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
Herbert "Bert" Jansch was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s, as an acoustic guitarist, as well as a singer-songwriter...
.
Early days
Jones became infatuated with the bohemian image of Woody GuthrieWoody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
and Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
and grew his hair long. His mother had started calling him Wizzy after the Beano
Beano
Beano can refer to:* The Beano, a British children's comic* Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton, a 1966 John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers album nicknamed The Beano Album as the cover shows Clapton reading a Beano comic...
comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
character "Wizzy the Wuz" because at the age of nine Raymond was a budding Musician. The nickname stuck throughout his school years and when he formed his first band "The Wranglers" in 1957 the name became permanent. Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
Herbert "Bert" Jansch was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s, as an acoustic guitarist, as well as a singer-songwriter...
later said "I think he's the most underrated guitarist ever". In the early 1960s he went busking
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and there mixed in an artistic circle that included Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, Alex Campbell
Alex Campbell (singer)
Alex Campbell was a Scottish folk singer. Described by Colin Harper as a "melancholic, hard-travelling Glaswegian", he was influential in the British folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s and was one of the first folk singers to tour the UK and Europe...
, Clive Palmer
Clive Palmer
Clive Palmer is a British folk musician and banjoist best known as a founding member of the Incredible String Band.Born in Edmonton, North London, he first went on stage at the age of 8, and took banjo lessons from the age of 10. Around 1957 he began playing with jazz bands in Soho...
(Incredible String Band
Incredible String Band
The Incredible String Band were a psychedelic folk band formed in Scotland in 1966. The band built a considerable following, especially within British counterculture, before splitting up in 1974...
) and Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s....
. After a couple of years in Paris he married and returned to England to raise a family.
In 1965 his only single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
was released: Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's "Ballad of Hollis Brown
Ballad of Hollis Brown
"Ballad of Hollis Brown" is a blues song written by Bob Dylan, released in 1964 on his third album The Times They Are A-Changin. The song tells the story of a South Dakota farmer, who overwhelmed by the desperation of poverty, kills his wife, children and then himself.- Structure :Musically, this...
". By this time the skiffle
Skiffle
Skiffle is a type of popular music with jazz, blues, folk, roots and country influences, usually using homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a term in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century, it became popular again in the UK in the 1950s, where it was mainly...
boom was over but one of the stars of that movement, Chas McDevitt
Chas McDevitt
Chas McDevitt is a British musician, one of the leading lights of the skiffle genre which was highly influential and popular in the United Kingdom in the mid-to-late 1950s....
, used Jones' guitar-playing on five album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s in 1965 and 1966. Another musician on those sessions was the bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
-player, Pete Stanley. In 1966 Jones and Stanley released an album Sixteen Tons of Bluegrass, but this partnership broke down in 1967, as Jones then turned solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
.
The folk period
Jones started to became a singer-songwriterSinger-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. His first solo album was Wizz Jones
Wizz Jones (album)
Wizz Jones is the 1969 album by the pioneer British Folk musician Wizz Jones. This was Jones' debut solo album, despite being a performer since 1959.-Track listing:#"Teapot Blues" #"Shall I Wake You from Your Sleep?"#"A Common or Garden Mystery"...
in 1969. Up to 1988, ten solo albums followed and he played on Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s....
’s single "Easy
Easy (Ralph McTell album)
Easy is the 1974 album by British Folk musician Ralph McTell. Guest musicians include folk pioneers Wizz Jones; Bert Jansch and Danny Thompson from Pentangle; Gerry Conway from Fotheringay; and Dave Mattacks from Fairport Convention.-Track listing:...
" in 1974. In a way Ralph was repaying Wizz for his help in getting McTell established on the scene, Steve Tilston was also guided by Wizz, through the easy stages of his career. Wizz was once described a having 'a right hand worthy of Broonzy', the Broonzy in question is of course legendary Country Blues Guitarist Big Bill Broonzy
Big Bill Broonzy
Big Bill Broonzy was a prolific American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. His career began in the 1920s when he played country blues to mostly black audiences. Through the ‘30s and ‘40s he successfully navigated a transition in style to a more urban blues sound popular with white audiences...
. Most of his recordings from this period are long out of print.
A brief excursion as a member of the traditional folk band Lazy Farmer in 1975 produced an album that was reissued in 2006. Wizz has always maintained a high level of popularity in Germany, since the mid - 1970's, he stills tours mainland Europe every year. The early 1990s were a quiet period. He almost disappeared from public view.
When in the mid-nineties he appeared on the Bert Jansch television documentary
Television documentary
Documentary television is a genre of television programming that broadcasts documentaries.* Documentary television series, a television series which is made up of documentary episodes....
Acoustic Routes, there was renewed interest in his work. In 2001 he led 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...
and other members of Pentangle
Pentangle (band)
Pentangle are a British folk rock band with some folk jazz influences. The original band were active in the late 1960s and early 1970s and a later version has been active since the early 1980s...
on the album Lucky The Man
Lucky The Man
Lucky The Man is the 2001 studio album by the noted and influential British Folk guitarist, singer and songwriter Wizz Jones. The album was re-released on CD in 2007, with additional tracks, on the Hux label; this issue comes with a 12 page booklet including extensive notes, personal comments from...
. In 2007 The Legendary Me
The Legendary Me
The Legendary Me is the 1970 album by the pioneer British Folk musician Wizz Jones. The album contains eight cover tunes written by songwriter and Jones' friend Alan Tunbridge. The standout tracks are "The Legendary Me", "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning", and "Dazzling Stranger"...
and When I Leave Berlin
When I Leave Berlin
When I Leave Berlin is the 1973 album by the pioneer British Folk musician Wizz Jones. Wizz was accompanied on some of the songs by his future group "Lazy Farmer", and Bert Jansch played guitar on "Freudian Slip"...
were reissued on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
by the Sunbeam record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
.
Solo albums
- Wizz JonesWizz Jones (album)Wizz Jones is the 1969 album by the pioneer British Folk musician Wizz Jones. This was Jones' debut solo album, despite being a performer since 1959.-Track listing:#"Teapot Blues" #"Shall I Wake You from Your Sleep?"#"A Common or Garden Mystery"...
(1969) - The Legendary MeThe Legendary MeThe Legendary Me is the 1970 album by the pioneer British Folk musician Wizz Jones. The album contains eight cover tunes written by songwriter and Jones' friend Alan Tunbridge. The standout tracks are "The Legendary Me", "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning", and "Dazzling Stranger"...
(1970) - Right NowRight Now (Wizz Jones album)Right Now is the 1972 album by the pioneer British Folk musician Wizz Jones. The album was produced by John Renbourn, who also played instruments on the album...
(*) (1972) - Winter SongWinter Song (Wizz Jones album)Winter Song is the 1973 EP by the pioneer British Folk musician Wizz Jones. The songs were recorded on a tape recorder at concert promoter Willy Schwenken's house in Nottuln, Germany circa 1972...
(E.P.) (1973) - When I Leave BerlinWhen I Leave BerlinWhen I Leave Berlin is the 1973 album by the pioneer British Folk musician Wizz Jones. Wizz was accompanied on some of the songs by his future group "Lazy Farmer", and Bert Jansch played guitar on "Freudian Slip"...
(**) (1973) - SoloflightSoloflightSoloflight is the 1978 double album by the pioneer British Folk musician Wizz Jones. The album contains covers and traditional folk tunes recorded from 1970-1974...
(***) (1974) - Lazy FarmerLazy Farmer (album)Lazy Farmer is the 1975 album by British Folk rock group Lazy Farmer. This short-lived group consisted of pioneer British Folk musician Wizz Jones, his wife Sandy Jones, John Bidwell and Jake Walton. The album was dedicated to American banjo player John Burke, whose book "Fiddle Tunes for the...
(1975) - Happiness Was FreeHappiness Was FreeHappiness Was Free is the 1976 album by the pioneer British Folk musician Wizz Jones. The standout tracks are "Propinquity", "Happiness Was Free", "Womankind" and "City of the Angels".-Track listing:#"Propinquity"...
(1976) - Magical FlightMagical FlightMagical Flight is the 1977 album by the pioneer British Folk musician Wizz Jones. In addition to composing some of the songs, Alan Tunbridge produced the U.K...
(1977) - Letter from West Germany (197?)
- The Grapes of LifeThe Grapes of LifeThe Grapes of Life is the 1987 studio album by the noted and influential British Folk guitarist, singer and songwriter Wizz Jones.-Track listing:#"The Grapes of Life" #"Happiness was Free" #"Corrinne"...
(1987) - Live In Dublin (cassette tape only, 1991)
- Late Nights and Long DaysLate Nights and Long DaysLate Nights and Long Days is a 1993 CD album by the noted British Folk musician Wizz Jones and his son, Simeon Jones. The album was recorded at Airwave Studios, London in 1989 and Metcalfe Studios, London in 1992...
(****) (1993) - Dazzling Stranger (1995)
- Through the Fingers (2001)
- Lucky The ManLucky The ManLucky The Man is the 2001 studio album by the noted and influential British Folk guitarist, singer and songwriter Wizz Jones. The album was re-released on CD in 2007, with additional tracks, on the Hux label; this issue comes with a 12 page booklet including extensive notes, personal comments from...
(2001) - Young Fashioned WaysYoung Fashioned WaysYoung Fashioned Ways is the 2004 live album by the noted British Folk guitarist, singer and songwriter Wizz Jones. It was recorded live at the in Buer, Germany, and released on that venue's own label.-Track listing:#"Weeping Willow Blues"...
(****) (2004) - When I Leave Berlin: Expanded EditionWhen I Leave BerlinWhen I Leave Berlin is the 1973 album by the pioneer British Folk musician Wizz Jones. Wizz was accompanied on some of the songs by his future group "Lazy Farmer", and Bert Jansch played guitar on "Freudian Slip"...
(**) (2007) - Lucky the Man (Extra tracks)Lucky The ManLucky The Man is the 2001 studio album by the noted and influential British Folk guitarist, singer and songwriter Wizz Jones. The album was re-released on CD in 2007, with additional tracks, on the Hux label; this issue comes with a 12 page booklet including extensive notes, personal comments from...
(2007) - More Late Nights and Long DaysLate Nights and Long DaysLate Nights and Long Days is a 1993 CD album by the noted British Folk musician Wizz Jones and his son, Simeon Jones. The album was recorded at Airwave Studios, London in 1989 and Metcalfe Studios, London in 1992...
(****) (circa 2008)
(*) with John Renbourn and others. (**) with Bert Jansch. (***) includes recordings from 1970-74. (****) with Simeon Jones.
Pete Stanley and Wizz Jones
- Sixteen Tons of BluegrassSixteen Tons of BluegrassSixteen Tons of Bluegrass is an album by Pete Stanley and Wizz Jones produced by Chas McDevitt, and originally released in the UK1966 on Columbia Records. Wizz & Pete were probably the first British musicians to successfully interpret America's favourite traditional music for UK audiences...
(1966) (issued in Italy as 'Way Out West') - More Than Sixteen Tons of Bluegrass and Other Fine StuffSixteen Tons of BluegrassSixteen Tons of Bluegrass is an album by Pete Stanley and Wizz Jones produced by Chas McDevitt, and originally released in the UK1966 on Columbia Records. Wizz & Pete were probably the first British musicians to successfully interpret America's favourite traditional music for UK audiences...
(2000) (re-issue of above on CD with additional, previously unissued, tracks)
Anthology - Alex Campbell, Andy Irvine, Wizz Jones, Finbar Furey, Dolores Keane et al.
- Folk Friends (1979)
- Folk Friends 2 (1981)
Video and DVD
- Masters of the British Guitar (VHS) (1998)
- Wizz Jones - Maestros of the Guitar No 1 (2006)
Session recordings
- Ralph McTell: "Easy" (1974)
- Derroll Adams "Songs of the Banjoman" (1984)
- Clive Palmer "Clive Palmer's Banjoland" (recorded 1967, released 2007)