- Rob "The Bass Thing" Jones
Rob "The Bass Thing" Jones (
1964 –31 July 1993 ) was an English musician. He was a founder member and originalbassist forThe Wonder Stuff , based inStourbridge (West Midlands,England ).The Wonder Stuff
Jones was born in
Kingswinford , nearDudley ,United Kingdom in 1964. He had followed "From Eden", an earlier band featuring fellow future Wonder Stuff membersMiles Hunt andMalcolm Treece . Following the split of "From Eden" he left the Midlands for London in 1984 to play in a number of unsuccessful thrash/death metal bands and even roadie for a support band on one ofThe Pogues ' tours. Hearing that Jones had returned to the Midlands in March 1986, Miles contacted him with a view to becoming the group's new bassist. The first time they played together, along with drummerMartin Gilks in March 1986, they sat in the kitchen and wrote "A Wonderful Day" and "Red Berry Joy Town " which, respectively, became the first Wonder Stuff single and the first track on the debut album.Jones played on the debut album "
The Eight Legged Groove Machine " and the follow-up "Hup ". Following disagreements within the group, The Bass Thing left in December 1989, heading straight for America as soon as the group had played the final night of a sellout 3 night residence atBirmingham 'sAston Villa Leisure Centre.Later career and death
After the move to New York he formed another band, The Bridge & Tunnel Crew, singing vocals and playing rhythm guitar.
He died in New York on 31 July 1993, aged 29, of an overdose of
heroin andcocaine , mixed with alcohol, shortly after he split-up from his second wife, Jessica.In 2007 Jessica commented: "In life, he told me he never wanted to return to the UK. So I had his body cremated, and I put his ashes in various places I thought he'd like...The pink sands of the
Sahara desert inMorocco ...Across from the Parachute drop inConey Island ...Tammy Wynette 's poolside garden (when I was there for a party when she was alive)... Hudson Park across from theStatue of Liberty andEllis Island ... (and)New Orleans ." cite web | date =October 9 ,2007 | title = RIP Rob Jones | url=http://www.room512.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=2383 | work=room512.com] .References
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