Mick Jones (Foreigner)
Encyclopedia
Michael Leslie "Mick" Jones (born 27 December 1944) is an English
guitarist
, songwriter
, and record producer
best known as the founding member of the rock
band
Foreigner
.
, Hampshire
. He began his music career in the early 1960s as a member of the band Nero and the Gladiators
, who scored two minor British
hit single
s in 1961. After the demise of the band, Jones worked as a songwriter and session musician
for such artists as Sylvie Vartan
and Johnny Hallyday
, for whom he wrote many songs, including "Je suis né dans la rue" and "À tout casser" which features Jimmy Page
on guitar, until he joined Gary Wright
, formerly of the band Spooky Tooth
, to form Wonderwheel. In 1973, Jones and Wright reformed Spooky Tooth, and after this Jones was a member of the Leslie West Band
. He also played guitar on the albums Wind of Change
(1972) for Peter Frampton
, and Dark Horse (1974) for George Harrison
.
In 1976 he formed Foreigner with Ian McDonald
and recruited vocalist Lou Gramm
. Jones co-produced all of the group's albums and co-wrote most of their songs with Gramm. Jones wrote the band's biggest and most successful single, "I Want to Know What Love Is
". Tensions developed within the band during the early 1980s and were attributed to a difference in musical taste between Gramm, who favoured a more hard-edged rock, as opposed to Jones' interest in synthesisers. Gramm left the band in 1989 but returned in 1991. Also in 1989, Jones released his only solo album titled Mick Jones
on the Atlantic Records
label. Jones is the only person to play on every Foreigner album.
He co-wrote with Eric Clapton
the song "Bad Love
" on Clapton's Journeyman
album, and in 2002 co-wrote the song "On Her Mind" with Duncan Sheik
. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he played with Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings
.
He was married to socialite/writer Ann Dexter-Jones, mother of Mark
, Samantha
and Charlotte Ronson
. Ann and Mick have two children, Annabelle and Alexander Dexter-Jones. Married for nearly 25 years, in 2007 Jones and Dexter-Jones divorced. He also has two sons, from prior relationships, Roman and Christopher Jones.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
best known as the founding member of the rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
.
Life and career
Jones was born in PortsmouthPortsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. He began his music career in the early 1960s as a member of the band Nero and the Gladiators
Nero and the Gladiators
Nero & the Gladiators were a British instrumental rock and roll band in the early 1960s. The group was led by keyboard player Mike O'Neill as "Nero", and had two minor hits in the UK, "Entry of the Gladiators" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King"....
, who scored two minor British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s in 1961. After the demise of the band, Jones worked as a songwriter and session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
for such artists as Sylvie Vartan
Sylvie Vartan
Sylvie Vartan is a French singer. She was one of the first rock girls in France. Vartan was the most productive and active of the yé-yé style artists, considered as the toughest-sounding of those. Her performance often featured elaborate show-dance choreography. She made many appearances on French...
and Johnny Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday is a French singer and actor. An icon in the French-speaking world since the beginning of his career, he was considered by some to have been the French Elvis Presley. He was married for 15 years to one of the most popular French female singers: Sylvie Vartan...
, for whom he wrote many songs, including "Je suis né dans la rue" and "À tout casser" which features Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
on guitar, until he joined Gary Wright
Gary Wright
Gary Malcolm Wright is an American musician, best known for his song, "Dream Weaver". He was the piano player on Harry Nilsson's version of "Without You".-Early life:...
, formerly of the band Spooky Tooth
Spooky Tooth
Spooky Tooth are an English rock band principally active, with intermittent breakups, between 1967 to 1974. In recent years, the band has been reconstituted at various points, and continues to perform occasionally.-Career:...
, to form Wonderwheel. In 1973, Jones and Wright reformed Spooky Tooth, and after this Jones was a member of the Leslie West Band
Leslie West
Leslie West is an American rock guitarist, singer and songwriter.-Biography:Originally named Leslie Weinstein, West was born in New York City, grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey, and in East Meadow, Forest Hills and Lawrence. After his parents divorced, he changed his surname to West...
. He also played guitar on the albums Wind of Change
Wind of Change (album)
Wind of Change is the first solo album of Peter Frampton. It was released in 1972. This album features appearances by Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, and Klaus Voorman.- Background :Frampton decided to remain with Humble Pie's U.S...
(1972) for Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...
, and Dark Horse (1974) for George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
.
In 1976 he formed Foreigner with Ian McDonald
Ian McDonald (musician)
Ian McDonald is an English multi-instrumental musician, best known as a founding member of progressive rock group King Crimson, formed in 1969, and of the hard rock band Foreigner in 1976. He is well-known as a rock session musician, predominantly as a saxophonist...
and recruited vocalist Lou Gramm
Lou Gramm
Lou Gramm is an American rock vocalist and songwriter best known for his role as the lead vocalist and co-writer of many of the songs for the rock band Foreigner. He also had a successful solo career...
. Jones co-produced all of the group's albums and co-wrote most of their songs with Gramm. Jones wrote the band's biggest and most successful single, "I Want to Know What Love Is
I Want to Know What Love Is
"I Want to Know What Love Is" is a 1984 power ballad recorded by the British-American rock band Foreigner. The song hit #1 in both the UK and the U.S. and is the band's biggest hit...
". Tensions developed within the band during the early 1980s and were attributed to a difference in musical taste between Gramm, who favoured a more hard-edged rock, as opposed to Jones' interest in synthesisers. Gramm left the band in 1989 but returned in 1991. Also in 1989, Jones released his only solo album titled Mick Jones
Mick Jones (album)
Mick Jones is singer-songwriter Mick Jones's self-titled debut/studio album, released in 1989. Jones is one of the original members of the group Foreigner. The album was Mick Jones' only solo release....
on the Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
label. Jones is the only person to play on every Foreigner album.
He co-wrote with Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
the song "Bad Love
Bad Love (Eric Clapton song)
"Bad Love", is a rock song from Eric Clapton's 1989 album Journeyman, released as the second single of the album. It was composed by Eric Clapton and Foreigner lead guitarist Mick Jones and features Phil Collins on drums and harmony vocals, Alan Clark on keyboards and Pino Palladino on bass guitar...
" on Clapton's Journeyman
Journeyman (album)
Journeyman is an album by blues/rock musician Eric Clapton, released in 1989.The album has an electronic sound, mostly influenced by the '80s rock scene, but it also had blues songs like "Before You Accuse Me", "Running On Faith", and "Hard Times"...
album, and in 2002 co-wrote the song "On Her Mind" with Duncan Sheik
Duncan Sheik
Duncan Scott Sheik is an American singer-songwriter and composer. Sheik initially found success as a singer, most notably for his 1996 debut single "Barely Breathing". He later expanded his work to include compositions for motion pictures and the Broadway stage, leading him to involvement in the...
. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he played with Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings
Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings
Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings are a blues-rock band founded and led by former Rolling Stones bass guitarist Bill Wyman. Together with his lifelong musical partner Terry Taylor, The "Dirty Boys" duo produce, arrange and compose original material for the award winning band.The Rhythm Kings are known for...
.
He was married to socialite/writer Ann Dexter-Jones, mother of Mark
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....
, Samantha
Samantha Ronson
Samantha Judith Ronson is an English singer-songwriter and disc jockey who lives in Los Angeles, California.-Biography:Ronson was born in London and raised in St John's Wood...
and Charlotte Ronson
Charlotte Ronson
Charlotte Julia Ronson is an English fashion designer who currently resides in New York, NY.-C. Ronson:Ronson always had an interest in fashion, however, she began designing after friends asked her to create pieces for them...
. Ann and Mick have two children, Annabelle and Alexander Dexter-Jones. Married for nearly 25 years, in 2007 Jones and Dexter-Jones divorced. He also has two sons, from prior relationships, Roman and Christopher Jones.
Album producer credits
In addition to the Foreigner albums, Jones produced the following:- 51505150 (album)5150 is the seventh studio album by American hard rock band Van Halen, released in 1986 through Warner Bros. Records. The album was the first to be recorded with new lead singer Sammy Hagar who replaced David Lee Roth....
- Van HalenVan HalenVan Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
(1986) - Dead, White and Blue - Flesh & Blood (1989)
- Save The Last Dance For MeSave The Last Dance For Me"Save the Last Dance for Me" is the title of a popular song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, first recorded in 1960 by Ben E. King with The Drifters....
- Ben E. KingBen E. KingBenjamin Earl King , better known as Ben E. King, is an American soul singer. He is perhaps best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me", a U.S...
(1989) - Storm FrontStorm Front (album)Storm Front is the 11th studio album by Billy Joel. Released in 1989 , the album featured one of Joel's three #1 hits, "We Didn't Start the Fire", a fast-paced song, mentioning some of the major historical events that took place in his time, and "Leningrad", Joel's take on the end of the Cold...
- Billy JoelBilly JoelWilliam Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
(1989) - In Deep - Tina ArenaTina ArenaFilippina Lydia "Tina" Arena is an Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. She has won several awards, most notably 6 ARIA Awards and in both 1996 and 2000 she received the World Music Award for the world's best selling Australian artist...
(1997) - Beyond Good and EvilBeyond Good and Evil (The Cult album)Beyond Good and Evil is the seventh studio album by English rock band The Cult. Released in 2001, it marked their first new recording in six and a half years. The record debuted at #37 on the charts in the United States, #22 in Canada, #25 in Spain....
- The CultThe CultThe Cult are a British rock band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love...
(2001)
Charted single
| Year | Song | US Rock Chart |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | "Just Wanna Hold" | |