Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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JONES, Paul

(b Paul Pond, 24 February 1942, Portsmouth, England) Blues vocalist and harmonica player. He had been part of Alexis Korner's Blues Nights at Ealing, played with Brian Jones pre-Rolling Stones, and was then a key member of Manfred Mann, leaving in 1966.

That year Joe Boyd asked Jones to put together a group for a compilation on Elektra called What's Shakin' (with Paul Butterfield, the Lovin' Spoonful, Al Kooper etc), so Jones recruited Jack Bruce, who was also planning to leave Manfred Mann. Bruce asked him who else he had in mind, and Jones said he wanted Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker. A bit startled, Bruce asked Jones if he had heard about Cream: he hadn't, and it was still something of a secret, so they didn't use Baker. The ad hoc group called itself Powerhouse: Jones, Clapton, Bruce and Steve Winwood, and one of the tunes they did was Robert Johnson's 'Crossroads', which Cream later recorded.

Jones pursued a varied career as actor, disc jockey and singer: he had hits 'High Time' and 'I've Been A Bad, Bad Boy' '67, albums My Way and Privilege '67, the last a soundtrack; sang in the original Evita '76; and was keen to get back to singing the blues: bassist Tom McGuinness from Manfred had formed McGuinness Flint, and later got together with Jones in the Blues Band, formed to play London pubs; they recorded The Official Blues Band Bootleg Album, Ready and Itchy Feet '80-1. Jones's Blues On 2 '86 was culled from sessions for his BBC Radio 2 show.

What's Shakin' is now available on a Collector's Choice CD, until 2009 a reissue label, and Jones's first album in many years, Starting All Over Again 2009, loaded with guests, was also to be on that label, its first original album.