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Laurence Jones (musician)

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Laurence Jones
Born (1992-02-13) 13 February 1992 (age 32)
Liverpool, England
GenresBlues rock[1]
Occupation(s)Guitarist, singer-songwriter
InstrumentGuitar
Years active2010–present
LabelsRuf Records, Top Stop Music, Marshall Records
WebsiteOfficial website

Laurence Jones (born 13 February 1992)[2] is an English blues rock guitarist, and singer-songwriter. He has released four solo albums to date and is signed to Ruf Records. Jones has won four British Blues Awards, including 'Young Artist of the Year' for three consecutive years.[3]

Biography

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Jones was born just outside Liverpool, England, and relocated with his family at the age of eight to Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire.[3] He learned classical guitar from the age of seven, although he became inspired towards the blues by listening to his father's collection of vinyl records. His particular favourite was The Groundhogs, Split, which was released in March 1971.[2] He acquired a Gibson Les Paul, practised for two hours each day,[1] and by his mid-teens fronted his own cover band, Free Beer, which employed a female singer.[2] He formed his own blues trio at the age of seventeen, and enrolled at University of Birmingham, but his final exams came around, Jones chose to go on tour with Johnny Winter and Walter Trout.[2] In 2012, Jones signed a recording contract with Promise Records and they released his debut album, Thunder in the Sky. In the same year Jones was diagnosed with Crohn's disease.[1] All bar one of the songs on Thunder in the Sky were written by Jones, except for his cover of "The Thrill Is Gone". He toured promoting the album and ultimately provided support for the Royal Southern Brotherhood, Wishbone Ash and another of his boyhood heroes, Tony McPhee of The Groundhogs.[2]

In 2014, Jones signed with Ruf Records, and they released his second album, Temptation.[1] It was recorded in Lafayette, Louisiana, United States. The album included contributions from Mike Zito on guitar and production work, plus the drummer Yonrico Scott and bassist Charlie Wooton (all three members of the Southern Brotherhood). Guest appearances included Johnny Sansone, Aynsley Lister and Walter Trout.[2] The critical praise saw him pick up the 'Young Artist of the Year' title at the 2014 British Blues Awards.[1] That summer, Jones toured as part of the Blues Caravan tour performing in ten European countries.[2] Part of the tour was recorded and led to the release of Blues Caravan 2014, jointly credited to Laurence Jones, Albert Castiglia and Christina Skjolberg.[4]

What's It Gonna Be (2015) was Jones next album released by Ruf Records.[1] The songs were written about his touring experiences and travelling around the world.[5] A British tour with King King followed.[2] Among other venues, Jones appeared at New York City's Carnegie Hall.[5] By 2016, Jones had secured four British Blues Awards, including 'Young Artist of the Year' for three consecutive years.[3]

Take Me High (2016) was produced by Mike Vernon.[1] It was launched at the Townsend Hall in Shipston-on-Stour, and preceded a tour across the UK plus an appearance at the Nidaros Blues Festival in Trondheim, Norway. In 2017, Jones supported Vintage Trouble on their UK tour, and later the same year toured with Kenny Wayne Shepherd in the UK and around mainland Europe.[3]

Accolades and awards

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  • 2014–2016: British Blues Awards : Young Artist of the Year
  • 2016: British Blues Awards : Guitarist of the Year[3]
  • 2016: European Blues Awards : Best Guitarist 2015
Year Organization Accolade Artist/work Ranking Source
2017 Pop Magazine Best Albums of 2017 The Truth 15 [6]

Discography

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Year Title Record label
2012 Thunder in the Sky Promise Records
2014 Temptation Ruf Records
2014 Blues Caravan 2014 (Live)
with Christina Skjolberg & Albert Castiglia		 Ruf Records
2015 What's It Gonna Be Ruf Records
2016 Take Me High Ruf Records
2017 The Truth Top Stop Music
2019 Laurence Jones Band Top Stop Music
2022 Destination Unknown Marshall Records
2023 Bad Luck & the Blues Marshall Records

[4][7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Liam Martin. "Laurence Jones | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Laurence Jones". Allaboutbluesmusic.com. 7 April 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e Chris G Roberts. "Interview with Blues Award Winner Laurence Jones – Music & Arts with WiderViewPhoto". Artsmusic.widerviewphoto.co.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Laurence Jones Discography". Discogs.com. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Laurence Jones – Keeping It Alive". Guitarinteractivemagazine.com. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  6. ^ "Best Albums of 2017". Pop Magazine. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Laurence Jones | Album Discography". AllMusic. 19 August 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
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