Howard Jones (born John Howard Jones, 23 February 1955) is an English singer and songwriter who gained acclaim in the 1980s. Jones took piano lessons from the age of 7 and joined his first band at 15. When he was young, he used to give piano lessons. One of his clients was a girl named Jan Smith, whom he later married. Whilst working with her, a vehicle crashed into their van, injuring Smith.
She claimed compensation and used the money to buy Howard a Synthesizer, a Moog Prodigy. He was sent two synthesizers by accident, and he liked the combination of the two so much that he paid for the extra one. He appeared as a solo artist in local venues in High Wycombe, before inviting a mime artist called Jed Hoile, who used to do improvised choreography while doused in white paint as Jones played behind him. After a well-received John Peel session he obtained support slots with China Crisis and OMD before signing to WEA in the summer of 1983.
Jones often uses a single bass note or repeated riff pedal point, despite chord changes. On his debut album, Human's Lib, this style is used on the following tracks:
* What Is Love? (during the chorus)
* Pearl In the Shell
* Hide and Seek
* Hunt the Self
* Don't Always Look At the Rain (during the chorus)
* Equality
Many of his subsequent albums also have numerous tracks that employ this style. This technique may stem from limitations of early sequencers and synthesisers.
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