Paul Jones (singer)

Infobox Musician
Name =Paul Jones
Background =solo_singer
Birth_name =Paul Pond
Born =24 February 1942, in Portsmouth, England
Genre =Pop music
Years_active =1960s - present
Associated_acts =Manfred Mann
Eric Clapton's Powerhouse
The Blues Band
The Manfreds

Paul Jones (born Paul Pond, 24 February 1942, in Portsmouth, England) is an English singer, actor, harmonica player, and radio and television presenter.

In 1962 Jones became resident singer with Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated (alongside Long John Baldry, both towering out above a shorter third vocalist, an aspiring Michael 'Mick' Jagger).

Jones then went on to be the vocalist and harmonica player of the successful 1960s group Manfred Mann. He had several Top Ten hits with Manfred Mann before going solo in 1966.

He was less successful without the band than they were with his replacement but did have a few hits, notably with 'High Time' (1966) and 'I've Been a Bad, Bad Boy' and 'Thinkin' Ain't For Me' (both 1967) before attempting to branch into acting.

His performance opposite model Jean Shrimpton in 1967 film "Privilege", directed by Peter Watkins, did not bring the hoped-for stardom, although the film, a satirically dystopian view of the pop world, later became something of a cult classic. In 1972 Paul recorded "Crucifix in a Horseshoe" with White Cloud a New York based session group featuring Teddy Wender on keyboards and Kenny Kosek on fiddle! [ [http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=106764 Privilege - Trailer - Showtimes - Cast - Movies - New York Times ] ] It was not until the 1990s that Jones became a familiar face on television in the children's series, "Uncle Jack". In the meantime, he enjoyed a parallel career as presenter of radio programmes focusing mainly on rhythm and blues, notably a long-running weekly show on BBC Radio 2.

Jones met and married the actress Fiona Hendley in the mid-1980s. The pair were converted to Christianity around the same time, and in the 1990s toured Britain with a gospel show discussing their faith. Together they present "The 700 Club With Paul and Fiona", a UK version of Pat Robertson's "The 700 Club".

He is also a member of The Blues Band and The Manfreds, a group reuniting many original members of Manfred Mann, and has also played harmonica as a session musician on recordings by Gerry Rafferty, Dave Edmunds, Katie Melua and others.

Paul is the father of the writer Matt Jones.

Paul Jones and his wife also starred in "The Intruder" by the "Bledlow Ridge" company.

References

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/jones/ Paul Jones' BBC Radio 2 show]
*http://www.themanfreds.com/biogs_paul_jones.htm The Manfreds
*http://www.thebluesband.com/biographies_paul_jones.htm The Blues Band
*imdb name|0428990|Paul Jones
* [http://www.rfaaplymouth.org/talhandaq/coppermine/displayimage.php?album=9&pos=32] Paul Pond at school.
* [http://www.willybrauch.de/discographies/paul%20jones/liste_singles.htm Paul Jones Discography]