John Paul Jones (born John Baldwin; 3 January 1946) is an English musician, multi-instrumentalist and record producer who was the bassist and keyboardist for the English rock band Led Zeppelin between 1968 and 1980. He was a session musician and arranger prior to the point when he formed the band with Jimmy Page in 1968 (having previously collaborated with Page on other recording sessions). Jones developed a solo career after drummer John Bonham died and Led Zeppelin disbanded in 1980. He has collaborated with musicians in a variety of genres, including the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures with Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, and Alain Johannes. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 as a member of Led Zeppelin.
Early years John Baldwin was born in Sidcup, then a part of Kent, on 3 January 1946. He started playing piano when he was six, learning from his father, Joe Baldwin, a pianist and arranger for big bands in the 1940s and 1950s, notably with Ambrose and his Orchestra. His mother was also in the music business, which allowed the family to often perform together touring around England as a vaudeville comedy act.Andy Fyfe (2003), When the Levee Breaks: The Making of Led Zeppelin IV, Chicago Review Press, , p. 22. His influences ranged from the blues of Big Bill Broonzy and the jazz of Charles Mingus to the classical piano of Sergei Rachmaninoff.
Because his parents often toured, Baldwin was sent to boarding school at a young age.Snow, Mat. "The Secret Life of a Superstar", Mojo magazine, December 2007. He was a student at Christ's College, Blackheath, London where he studied music formally. At the age of 14, Baldwin became choirmaster and organist at a local church. That year, he bought his first bass guitar, a Dallas Tuxedo solid-body electric; later, he bought other basses that he part-exchanged until he bought the 1962 Fender Jazz Bass that he used until 1976. Jones has said he was inspired to take up the bass by the fluid playing of Chicago musician Phil Upchurch on his "You Can't Sit Down" song, which includes a memorable bass solo.Led Zeppelin in Their Own Words compiled by Paul Kendall (1981), London: Omnibus Press. , p. 17.
Career
Session work Baldwin joined his first band, The Deltas, at the age of 15. He then played bass for jazz-rock London group, Jett Blacks, a collective that included guitarist John McLaughlin. His big break came in 1962, when he was hired by Jet Harris and Tony Meehan of the successful British group the Shadows for a two-year stint. Shortly before hiring Baldwin, Harris and Meehan had just had a number 1 hit with "Diamonds" (a track on which Jones' bandmate-to-be Jimmy Page had played). Baldwin's collaboration with the Shadows nearly prevented the future formation of Led Zeppelin, when the parties engaged in talks about the possibility of Baldwin replacing their bassist Brian Locking, who left the band in October 1963, but John Rostill was ultimately chosen to fill the position.
In 1964, on the recommendation of Meehan, Baldwin began studio session work with Decca Records. From then until 1968, he played on hundreds of recording sessions.Tolinski, Brad. (January 1998). "Like a Rock", Guitar World, p. 60. He soon expanded his studio work by playing keyboards, arranging and undertaking general studio direction, resulting in his services coming under much demand. He worked with numerous artists including the Rolling Stones on Their Satanic Majesties Request (Jones' string arrangement is heard on "She's a Rainbow");Australian Broadcasting Corporation – Triple J Music Specials – Led Zeppelin (first broadcast 12 July 2000) Herman's Hermits; Donovan (on "Sunshine Superman", "Hurdy Gurdy Man", and "Mellow Yellow"); Jeff Beck; Françoise Hardy; Cat Stevens (on "Matthew and Son"); 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. In 1967, Most, as music supervisor, also tasked Jones with arranging the music for Herman's Hermits' theatrical film Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter, released in January 1968. Such was the extent of Jones' studio work – amounting to hundreds of sessions – that he said years later that "I can't remember three-quarters of the sessions I was on."David Cavanagh, "Interview with John Paul Jones ", Uncut.
It was during his time as a session player that Baldwin adopted the stage name John Paul Jones. This name was suggested to him by a friend, Andrew Loog Oldham, who had seen a poster for the 1959 film John Paul Jones in France.Fortnam, Ian. "Dazed & Confused", Classic Rock Magazine: Classic Rock Presents Led Zeppelin, 2008, p. 34. He released his first solo recording as John Paul Jones, "Baja" (written by Lee Hazlewood and produced by Oldham) / "A Foggy Day in Vietnam", as a single on Pye Records in April 1964.
Jones has stated that, as a session musician, he was completing two or three sessions a day, working six or seven days a week.Dominick A. Miserandino, Led Zeppelin – John Paul Jones , TheCelebrityCafe.com. However, by 1968 he was feeling burned out by the heavy workload: "I was arranging 50 or 60 things a month and it was starting to kill me."Tolinski, Brad. (January 1998). "Like a Rock". Guitar World, p. 122.
Led Zeppelin
Formation During his time as a session player, Jones often crossed paths with guitarist Jimmy Page,"... I set about recording 16 HIP HITS at Regent Sound with ... John Paul Jones playing bass and arranging and ... Jimmy Page on guitars ...", said Andrew Loog Oldham in his book STONED (), page 323. a fellow session veteran. In June 1966, Page joined the Yardbirds, and in 1967 Jones contributed to that band's Little Games album. The following winter, during the sessions for Donovan's The Hurdy Gurdy Man, Jones expressed to Page a desire to be part of any projects the guitarist might be planning. Later that year, the Yardbirds disbanded, leaving Page and bassist Chris Dreja to complete previously booked Yardbirds dates in Scandinavia. Before a new band could be assembled, Dreja left to take up photography. Jones, at the suggestion of his wife, asked Page about the vacant position, and the guitarist eagerly invited Jones to collaborate. Page later explained:
Vocalist Robert Plant and drummer John Bonham joined the two to form a quartet. Initially dubbed the "New Yardbirds" for the Scandinavian dates, the band soon became known as Led Zeppelin.
Contributions
Jones was responsible for the bass lines of the group, notably those in "Ramble On" and "The Lemon Song" (Led Zeppelin II), and shifting time signatures, such as those in "Black Dog" (Led Zeppelin IV). As half of Led Zeppelin's rhythm section with drummer John Bonham, Jones shared an appreciation for funk and soul rhythmic grooves which strengthened and enhanced their musical affinity.Murray, Charles Shaar. "21st century digital man", Classic Rock Magazine: Classic Rock Presents Led Zeppelin, 2008, p. 58. In an interview he gave to Global Bass magazine, Jones remarked on this common musical interest:
After retiring his Fender Jazz Bass (which he had been using since his days with The Shadows in the early 1960s) from touring in 1975, Jones switched to using custom-designed Alembic basses for touring. However, he still preferred to use the Jazz Bass in the studio and in a 2010 interview mentioned that he still had that bass at the time. Jones' keyboard skills added an eclectic dimension that realised Led Zeppelin as more than just a hard rock band. Keyboard highlights include the delicate "The Rain Song" (Houses of the Holy) played on a Mellotron; the funky "Trampled Under Foot", played on a Clavinet (Physical Graffiti); and the eastern scales of "Kashmir", also played on a Mellotron (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.
Jones' diverse contributions to the group extended to the use of other instruments including mandolin, recorder, and an unusual triple-necked acoustic instrument consisting of a six and a twelve string guitar. Jones often used bass pedals to supplement the band's sound while he was playing keyboards and mandolin. On the band's 1977 tour of the United States, Jones would sing lead vocals on "The Battle of Evermore", filling in for Sandy Denny, who had sung on the studio version.
Profile
While all members of Led Zeppelin had a reputation for off-stage excess (a label that has been claimed was exaggerated),Welch, Chris (1994) Led Zeppelin, London: Orion Books. . Jones was widely seen as the quietest and most reserved member of the group.Lewis, Dave (2004) The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, London: Omnibus Press, , p.77 For his part, Jones has claimed that he had just as much fun on the road as his bandmates but was more discreet about it, stating "I did more drugs than I care to remember. I just did it quietly." Benoit Gautier, an employee of Atlantic Records in France, echoed this impression, stating that "The wisest guy in Led Zeppelin was John Paul Jones. Why? He never got caught in an embarrassing situation."
In an interview, Jones explained that fame with Led Zeppelin was not something that he ever became preoccupied with:
Following exhausting tours and extended periods of time away from his family, by late 1973 Jones was beginning to show signs of disillusionment. He considered quitting Led Zeppelin to spend more time with his family, but was talked into returning by the band's manager, Peter Grant.Shadwick, Keith (2005) Led Zeppelin: The Story of a Band and Their Music, 1968–1980, San Francisco: Backbeat Books, , p. 207 He joked that he was interested in becoming the choirmaster of Winchester Cathedral, which was reported as fact in several sources. Jones later explained his reservations:
"Royal Orleans" It is rumoured that the Led Zeppelin song "Royal Orleans", from their album Presence, is about an experience Jones once had on tour in the United States.Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, . 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. In an interview he gave to Mojo magazine in 2007, Jones clarified the reliability of this rumour, stating:
Other work Jones's involvement with Led Zeppelin did not put a halt to his session work. In 1969 he returned to the studio to play bass guitar on the Family Dogg's A Way of Life album. Jones was Madeline Bell's first choice to produce and arrange her 1974 album Comin' Atcha. He has also played bass on the opening track for the Roy Harper album HQ, which also featured guitarist David Gilmour. Other contributions include playing bass on Wings' Rockestra, Back to the Egg along with Zeppelin's drummer John Bonham.
After Led Zeppelin 1980–2000 Led Zeppelin dissolved in 1980 with the death of John Bonham. "At the time that John died, I had just moved to Devon to bring up my family", Jones said. "So, after the split, I was completely out of everything. And I must say I didn't miss it."