Happy Birthday Howard Jones

Born on this day in 1955, British musician, singer, songwriter Howard Jones had ten top 40 hit singles in the UK and four in the top 20 in the U.S. He is considered one of the defining figures of mid-’80s synth-pop.

Jones started his music career in Canada in a progressive rock band and he continued down that path when he moved back to the UK. While in music school, he met a Buddhist practitioner who wrote lyrics to some of his songs and was a major influence on Jones during this time.

As the 1980s began, Jones had gone solo and played the club scene to rave reviews. Shortly after a BBC 1 radio session, Jones grabbed the opening slot on tours from bands like China Crisis and Orchestral Manouevres in the Dark (OMD). This led to him being signed by Warner Music Group in mid-1983.

Jones has long stated that OMD was a huge influence (he would cover their song “Enola Gay” in his early shows) along with Keith Emerson and Stevie Wonder.

His first single, “New Song” reached the top 30 in the U.S. and top 5 in the UK. The debut album that the song would appear on, Human’s Lib would eventually go double platinum and the follow-up single “What Is Love?” is a classic 80s synth-pop song. Jones developed a loyal teen following and had his parents run his fan club.

Fame came fast after as his second album, Dream Into Action, was a smash. With a lead single that was such ear candy, “Things Can Only Get Better” the album established Jones as a superstar around the globe. “Life In One Day” and “No One Is To Blame” (later re-recorded with Phil Collins on drums and backing vocals) were also huge hits. The album sold over 1.3 million copies around the world and Jones would later perform at Wembley Stadium during Live Aid.

Unfortunately, his third and fourth albums failed to sell as well as his first two, yet there were memorable songs off of each including the ridiculously catchy “Everlasting Love”.

Jones continued writing and recording into the 1990s and 2000s for himself and other artists and in 2001 he joined Ringo Starr on his concert tour, playing keyboards in the all-star band.

Jones has long spoken of the media’s negative perception of him, feeling that since his songs aren’t about drug-taking or debauchery, with more of a focus on positive thinking and challenging people’s ideas, he wasn’t fashionable.

Jones has always stuck to his guns about his music and his passions and was truly a pop star of the 1980s. So happy birthday Howard, for you, we have an everlasting love.