Jon Farriss
Encyclopedia
Jon Farriss is the drummer for the Australian rock band INXS
.
and Tim
, and younger sister Alison, and was the youngest member of INXS until J. D. Fortune joined on lead vocals.
Farriss is known for integrating traditional rock drums with more funk
and Dance
influenced beats as well as acoustic drums and sequencers and pads. Examples of these techniques can be found in such songs as "Need You Tonight
" and "The Stairs".
Farriss has also been credited with backing vocals on many of the band's earlier albums.
Among his song writing credits with INXS (mostly collaborations with Michael Hutchence
) are "Red Red Sun," "The Gift," "Deepest Red", "Faith In Each Other," "Back On Line," "Never Let You Go" (with Fortune) and the hit "Disappear
".
and brother Tim, but was rejected for being only nine years old at the time. His first band was playing with a Christian choral group at age 11. He played with bands such as Top Kat, Blackwater, and Fish.
Farriss is credited as "Jazzy Jonny J" on Tim Farriss' album Deep Inside, a compilation of samples. He wrote and performed the song "You Never Used to Cry" on the soundtrack for the 1984 film No Small Affair
.
.
He was formerly married to the actress Leslie Bega from 14 February 1992 to 1999. After the death of his mother Jill in 1995, separation from Bega and loss of his "inseparable friend" Michael Hutchence (with whom he once shared an apartment in Hong Kong) and finally painful knee surgery – Farriss suffered from a nervous breakdown, fueled by alcohol and drugs.
In 2006, he married his long-time girlfriend Kerry Norris in a small beach-side ceremony in Jervis Bay
, followed by a party at their home in Hyams Beach. The couple's first child, Avani Jillian, was born on 6 October 2008. Their son Danan James was born on 15 November 2010 and was announced on INXS Facebook page.
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
.
Biography
Jon Farriss was born to Dennis and Jill Farriss, and is the second youngest of four children: brothers and fellow band members AndrewAndrew Farriss
Andrew Charles Farriss is a rock musician , best known as the keyboardist and main composer for the Australian band INXS.-Career:...
and Tim
Tim Farriss
Timothy William Farriss is a member of the rock band :INXS.-Early life and the formation of INXS:...
, and younger sister Alison, and was the youngest member of INXS until J. D. Fortune joined on lead vocals.
Farriss is known for integrating traditional rock drums with more funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and Dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
influenced beats as well as acoustic drums and sequencers and pads. Examples of these techniques can be found in such songs as "Need You Tonight
Need You Tonight
"Need You Tonight" is the fourth song on INXS's 1987 album Kick as well as the first single from the album released worldwide. It is the only INXS single to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" and "The Stairs".
Farriss has also been credited with backing vocals on many of the band's earlier albums.
Among his song writing credits with INXS (mostly collaborations with Michael Hutchence
Michael Hutchence
Michael Kelland John Hutchence was an Australian musician and actor. He was the founding lead singer-songwriter of rock band :INXS from 1977 to his death in 1997, a period of twenty years. Hutchence was a member of short-lived pop rock group Max Q and recorded solo material which was released...
) are "Red Red Sun," "The Gift," "Deepest Red", "Faith In Each Other," "Back On Line," "Never Let You Go" (with Fortune) and the hit "Disappear
Disappear (INXS song)
"Disappear" is a single by INXS, the second single taken from their album X. It peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's seventh and last top 10 single...
".
Other work
Farriss auditioned to be in the band Guiness with future INXS band-mates Kirk PengillyKirk Pengilly
Kirk Pengilly is an Australian musician, best known as a member of the rock group :INXS.-Early career:...
and brother Tim, but was rejected for being only nine years old at the time. His first band was playing with a Christian choral group at age 11. He played with bands such as Top Kat, Blackwater, and Fish.
Farriss is credited as "Jazzy Jonny J" on Tim Farriss' album Deep Inside, a compilation of samples. He wrote and performed the song "You Never Used to Cry" on the soundtrack for the 1984 film No Small Affair
No Small Affair
No Small Affair is a 1984 comedy-drama film directed by Jerry Schatzberg. It features the acting debuts of Jon Cryer and Jennifer Tilly.-Story:...
.
Private life
Like his brother Tim, Jon suffers from hereditary multiple exostosesHereditary multiple exostoses
Hereditary multiple exostoses is a rare medical condition in which multiple bony spurs or lumps develop on the bones of a child...
.
He was formerly married to the actress Leslie Bega from 14 February 1992 to 1999. After the death of his mother Jill in 1995, separation from Bega and loss of his "inseparable friend" Michael Hutchence (with whom he once shared an apartment in Hong Kong) and finally painful knee surgery – Farriss suffered from a nervous breakdown, fueled by alcohol and drugs.
In 2006, he married his long-time girlfriend Kerry Norris in a small beach-side ceremony in Jervis Bay
Jervis Bay
Jervis Bay is a large bay bounded by the state of New South Wales, the Jervis Bay Territory, and a detached enclave of the Australian Capital Territory. HMAS Creswell is located between Jervis Bay Village and Greenpatch in the Jervis Bay Territory.-History:...
, followed by a party at their home in Hyams Beach. The couple's first child, Avani Jillian, was born on 6 October 2008. Their son Danan James was born on 15 November 2010 and was announced on INXS Facebook page.