John Jones Music

I'll Be There - John Jones - Ken Takakura

In the summer of 2001 I was fortunate to have sung the song I’ll Be There for a Kirin Beer campaign in Japan. It was written and produced by Michael Becker for Nick Wood’s Syn Productions and released as a single that featured a painting of Ken Takakura on the cover. The commercials used bits of the song with comments from Ken about life and respect for elders and nature. Ken passed away last week at 83.

I’ll Be There was on my One Moment in Time (Japan) CD.

A man of few words and many deeds, Mr Ken Roberts returned to the fold this month.

Ken is the “über” Audio-Visual geek from Hawthorne, California; home of the Beach Boys. He was executive producer on my One Moment in Time album.
Need I say more?

John, Ken Roberts and Richard Martinez in South Hollywood recently.

Please don’t forget that SUMMERTIME is an entry for best Pop duo or group performance on the Grammy ballot!

Summertime by Meninos do Morumbi & Julian Lennon

Another great Scot has passed away. Jack Bruce was a major influence on rock music with his groundbreaking songwriting, bass playing and singing, especially with bandmates Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker in their super-group The Cream.

I first heard Cream when my cousin visited us from Wales and brought their Disraeli Gears LP. He tried to draw the cover on my sister’s bedroom wall with crayons. Even though I was a Monkee fan at the time, I loved Sunshine of Your Love! When White Room was released, thousands of bands were formed around the world!

Here is a proper obituary of Jack Bruce in case you were getting tired of him being mentioned as Eric Clapton’s bass player (who also sang)!

And the YouTube of White Room.

Alan Frew is responsible for keeping me in L.A. from autumn 1993 until the spring of 1994.

By May we finished mixing his Hold On album and sent it off to Stephen Marcussen in Hollywood to be mastered.
After the last evening of mixing on the old Neve in the big room at A & M, I left California on a red eye for 2 months of recording with Duran Duran in the South of France…while I was there Alanis lived in my studio-house in the Hollywood Dell, yards from the home of Trigger.

This is our song, So Blind, from those Hollywood Hills sessions twenty years ago. Justin Clayton on guitar sweetening. Your’s truly on piano and at the helm with Walter Turbitt and Steve Churchyard, with Steve Ferrone on drums, Chris Garcia on bass!

It was a radio hit in Canada in 1995.

Thanks for the warm reception for Summertime by Meninos and Julian.

Some links:

The Satellite Santa Monica – The Music Is Hope Foundation has released a groundbreaking “Summertime” Cover

Liz Kelly of Examiner.com –  “Julian Lennon new ‘Summertime’ EP released to support Music is Hope Foundation…”

The Official Summertime page.

Wow! These guys were really good back in the day!
The video is from 1978!

SAGA performing On The Loose!

Bach meets the Blues!

John Jones and Steve Ferrone – From the black n white album by john jones

Summertime – Meninos do Morumbi & Friends with Julian Lennon