"So calm and so brilliant …". Very often this is how the fans characterize the personality of an outstanding musician of our time. Yes, they are right. You can't say better about John Paul Jones - the famous British musician, composer, music producer, arranger.
The early years of the musician and the beginning of his musical career
The full name of the musician is John Richard Baldwin. He comes from the county of Kent, which is located in the far south-east of England. Kent is a beautiful corner of England that has inspired many writers and artists on more than one occasion. It was there, on January 3, 1946, that John was born.
His father - Joe Baldwin at that time was already a well-known musician in his country - arranger. He, as a saxophonist, participated in many then fashionable big bands, for example the Ambrose Orchestra. John's mom was also associated with music, or rather, with the music business. It was this family passion for music that allowed them in the future to engage in the fact that they organized musical family concerts, even went on tour with them.
Born into such a creative family, the child simply had to become a musician, which happened to him. Already at the age of 6, thanks to his father, John began to study and play the piano.
But the future celebrity received her professional musical education at London Christ College. Passionate about music, the young man, at the age of 14, became an organist and choirmaster in his local church.
At this time, the young musician, his musical thinking was strongly influenced by classical music (he loved Rachmaninov very much), as well as jazz and blues music. Then he acquires the first electric guitar, which he has not parted with for many years.
Creation of the Led Zeppelin group
As a young man, he was only 15 years old, he begins to play in the group The Deltas. But soon he moved to a jazz group called Jett Blacks. It was in this group that he met and worked with virtuoso guitarist John McLaughlin. John McLaughlin becomes the leader of the famous Mahavishnu Orchestra. But at the age of 18, John joins the group of Jet Harris and Tony Meehan.
As the musician himself later recalled, at the same time he began to do a lot of session work, which did not bring him satisfaction because they were very exhausting him and “began to kill”. This work was fraught with a great burden on the musician. He could do 60 arrangements a month. In just 2 years (1966-1963) he took part in over one hundred studio sessions.
The year 1964 in the musician's work is significant in that this year he finally decides to try himself as an author. Signs a contract with Andrew Loog Oldham, who later becomes the manager of the well-known and outstanding Rolling Stones at the time. It is Lug who offers John Baldwin to take the pseudonym "John Paul Jones" and he agrees. Since that time, the world has known Baldwin under the name John Paul Jones. This year he recorded his first solo single titled "A Foggy Day In Vietnam". This single was produced by the same Andrew Loog Oldham.
No matter how hard Jones' studio work was, it was thanks to her that the famous group Led Zeppelin (The New Yardbirds) was created, which opened a new era in rock music. In certain periods of his career (1968-1980), the musician met his music colleague Jimmy Page, and then with John Bonham (drummer) and Robert Plant (vocalist). All of them then entered the group Led Zeppelin (The New Yardbirds).
John Paul Jones is a musician of high class and professionalism. Playing the role of the band's bassist, he often stood up at the concerts at the keyboard instruments, and in some cases took the flute in his hands.
During the existence of Led Zeppelin (13 years old), John Paul Jones was always distinguished by his modesty and invisibility among his team, but this was only on stage. In the group, he was considered the leader, and their strong creative duet with Bonham is still considered one of the most significant in the history of rock.
Solo career of John Paul Jones and subsequent work
The group disbanded after Bonham's death. Thereafter, she periodically reunited with Jones and Bonham's son. John Paul Jones was always delighted, and he took part in these reunions with great pleasure, although they were very short-lived.
For the first time, the musical world saw the musician's solo work only in 1999, when John Paul Jones was already 53 years old. This performance of him finally showed everything that was hidden in the musician for many years of his work. With the power of his playing, he showed what was hidden in his external calmness, more than compensating for everything that was hidden behind this stage calmness. The musician himself said that he gets incredible pleasure from the tour. He admitted that he "allowed himself a lot, but acted secretly".
The musician is married. The wife is Maureen Jones. They have two daughters - Tamara Jones and Jacinda Jones, who followed in her father's footsteps - she is a singer. In the career of Jacinda Jones, her father John Paul Jones has always provided assistance.
Throughout his life, John never gave up session work. He often and a lot helped young, novice musicians, as well as those whom he knew well - his close friends and colleagues in the industry, such as Peter Green, Roy Harper, the famous Paul McCartney.
The rating of John Paul Jones (John Richard Baldwin) as a bass player, keyboardist, guitarist, music producer in the millennium rating is very high. During his life he created and changed several bands (Led Zeppelin, Them Crooked Vultures, Minibus Pimps), which are known not only in his country of England, but also far beyond its borders. During his life the musician has mastered such instruments as guitar, mandolin, bass-guitar, block flute, keyboard instruments. Most importantly, with his tremendous talent and dedication to his work, he earned the sincere gratitude of his fans, whom he still pleases with his unique creativity to this day.
