Mick Jones (Foreigner)
Mick Jones (born
December 27,
1944 in
London,
England) is a
guitarist,
songwriter and
record producer, best known as a member of the
rock band Foreigner.
Jones began his music career in the early
1960s as a member of the band
Nero and the Gladiators, who scored two minor
British hit singles in
1961. After the demise of the band, Jones worked as a songwriter and
session musician for such artists as
Sylvie Vartan and
Johnny Halliday, 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 album
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 groups albums and co-wrote most of their songs with Gramm. 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..
This
Mick Jones isn't related to the other
Mick Jones who was the
punk rock lead guitarist of
The Clash.
In addition to the Foreigner albums, Jones produced the following:
5150 -
Van Halen (1986)
Fame and Fortune -
Bad Company (1986)
Dead, White and Blue -
Flesh & Blood (1989)
Save The Last Dance For Me - Ben E. King (1989)
*Storm Front - Billy Joel (1989)
*In Deep'' -
Tina Arena (1997)
