John Paul Jones (musician)

John Paul Jones is the stage name of John Baldwin (born January 3, 1946), the bassist and keyboard player for Led Zeppelin until the band's breakup after the death of John Bonham in 1980. A true musical talent, JPJ also plays guitar, mandolin, koto, Lap steel guitars, autoharp, ukulele, mellotron, organ, cello, and the over-dubbed bass recorder heard on Stairway to Heaven.

Led Zeppelin

During his time in the session world, Jones often crossed paths with fellow session man, guitarist Jimmy Page, who himself left the session world for The Yardbirds in June 1966. In 1967 Jones contributed to Yardbirds Little Games album; the following winter, during the sessions for Donovan's The Hurdy Gurdy Man, Jones inquired about joining Page's post-Yardbirds band. Later that year, as Chris Dreja had decided to leave Page's post-Yardbirds group and take up photography, Jones was Page's first choice for bass player in The New Yardbirds, later to become Led Zeppelin. His decision to leave session work and join a group was due to his desire to express his artistic creativity. Despite the spotlight being placed on Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, Jones' temperament, musicianship, and experience were crucial to creating the bedrock sound and success of Led Zeppelin.

Related Topics:
Jimmy Page - The Yardbirds - 1966 - 1967 - Little Games - The Hurdy Gurdy Man - Chris Dreja - Led Zeppelin - Robert Plant

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Jones was responsible for the classic bass lines of the group, notably the descending notes on "Dazed and Confused" (Led Zeppelin), the funk influenced riffs of "The Lemon Song" and "What Is and What Should Never Be" (Led Zeppelin II), and the power crunch of "Black Dog" (untitled fourth album). After "retiring" his Fender Jazz bass in 1975, Jones switched to using custom designed Alembics http://www.alembic.com/. His keyboard skills added an eclectic dimension that realised Led Zeppelin as more than just a heavy metal band, most notably on the delicate "The Rain Song" (Houses of the Holy) played on a Mellotron, the funky, danceable "Trampled Under Foot" (Physical Graffiti), and the eastern scales of "Kashmir" (also on Physical Graffiti). In live performances, Jones' keyboard showpiece was "No Quarter", often lasting for up to half-an-hour and sometimes including snatches of "Amazing Grace", Joaquín Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez" which had inspired Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain, and variations of classical pieces by composers such as Rachmaninov. His diversity for the group also extended to other instruments, which included unusual double and even triple necked mandolins.

Related Topics:
Dazed and Confused - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II - Untitled fourth album - 1975 - Alembics - Led Zeppelin - Heavy metal - Houses of the Holy - Mellotron - Physical Graffiti - Joaquín Rodrigo - Concierto de Aranjuez - Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain - Mandolin

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While all members of Led Zeppelin had a reputation as party animals (a reputation Robert Plant later claimed was somewhat exaggerated), Jones was seen as the professional member of the group, as his excesses never hindered his performance, in contrast with Page and Bonham in Led Zeppelin's later years. Jones later claimed that everything he did was kept private, so no one would know about it.

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It is rumored that the Led Zeppelin song "Royal Orleans", from their album (Presence) is about an experience Jones once had. The song is about a person who mistakenly takes a drag queen up to his hotel room, who then falls asleep with a joint of marijuana in hand, lighting the room on fire. "Royal Orleans" was the name of a hotel where the members of Led Zeppelin would stay when they visited New Orleans because not as many people asked for autographs there.

Related Topics:
Royal Orleans - Presence - New Orleans

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Jones' involvement with Led Zeppelin however did not halt his session work. In 1969 he returned to the studio to play bass guitar on Family Dogg's Way of Life album, in 1970, keyboards for guitarist Peter Green on his solo album The End of the Game. Jones was Madeline Bell's first choice to produce and arrange her 1974 album Comin' Atcha. He has also played keyboards on many Roy Harper albums and contributed to Wings Back to the Egg Rockestra.

Related Topics:
Led Zeppelin - 1969 - 1970 - Peter Green - Madeline Bell - 1974 - Roy Harper - Wings - Back to the Egg

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