Paul Jones

Born in Portsmouth, England, in 1942 under the name Paul Adrian Pond, Paul Jones first established himself in the London rhythm and blues circuit of the early 1960s before becoming the singer and harmonica player of Manfred Mann from 1962 to 1966. This initial period placed him in a repertoire mixing British beat, pop and blues, with a prominent role for the harmonica. After leaving the group, Paul Jones pursued a solo career marked by pop songs with soul and rhythm and blues influences, notably documented by the albums My Way (1966), Sings Songs From the Film Privilege (1967), Love Me, Love My Friends (1968) and Come into My Music Box (1969). In parallel, Paul Jones developed acting work in cinema, on stage and on television, appearing among others in the film Privilege (1967). From the late 1970s his path returned more clearly to the blues with the co-founding of The Blues Band in 1979 alongside Tom McGuinness, a lineup active on stage for several decades. He also continued the venture with The Manfreds, a group bringing together former members of Manfred Mann. A familiar figure on British radio, Paul Jones hosted The Blues Show on BBC Radio 2 from 1985 to 2018, extending his role as a conduit between traditional blues, English rhythm and blues and more pop-oriented formats. His more recent albums, Starting All Over Again (2009) and Suddenly I Like It (2015), continue this thread between blues, rock and melodic singing.