Billboard Hot 100 Singles: # 27
# 3 in the UK
top 20 hit at MATT RADIO
| # 1966
Howard Jones
- NEW SONG |
| |
Human's Lib,
Elektra
Records, 1984
Billboard Hot 100 Singles: # 27 # 3 in the UK top 20 hit at MATT RADIO |
| A
native of Southampton, England, Howard
Jones learned how to play piano at the age of seven. By
the time he was a teenager, his family had relocated to Canada, which
is where he joined his first band, a progressive-rock group called
Warrior. Eventually, Jones moved back to England, where he played
in a number of different groups. In the mid-'70's, he enrolled in
the Royal Northern College of Music. After he dropped out of
college, Jones played with a variety of local Southampton jazz and funk
bands. Eventually, Jones began performing as a solo artist. At these solo shows, Jones performed only with synthesizers and drum machines. During these one-man concerts, Jones had a mime called Jed Hoile perform. After a few years of solo performing, Jones attracted the attention of legendary British radio producer John Peel, who offered the keyboardist a BBC session. Soon, Jones was opening for new wave synth-pop acts across England. By 1983, he had signed with WEA in England and Europe; in America, he signed to Elektra. Howard Jones released
his first single, "New Song," in England in the fall of 1983 and it
became a big hit, peaking at number three. His second single,
"What Is Love," was released a few months later and it reached number
two. Human's Lib,
Jones' debut album, was released in the spring of 1984 and quickly rose
to number one in England. Thanks to repeated exposure on MTV, the
album became a moderate hit in the U.S. Later in 1984, "New Song"
and "What Is Love" became American Top 40 hits, while "Pearl in the
Shell" became his third British Top Ten single. |