Michael Leslie Jones (born 27 December 1944) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known as the founder and leader of the British-American rock band Foreigner. Prior to Foreigner, he was in the band Spooky Tooth.

Early life

Michael Leslie Jones was born on 27 December 1944 in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

, England. Jones started playing guitar at an early age, and decided to pursue a career in music.

Career

He began his professional music career in the early 1960s as a member of the band Nero and the Gladiators, who scored two minor British

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...

s in 1961. After the demise of Nero and the Gladiators, Jones worked as a songwriter and

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

in France for such artists as

Françoise Hardy Françoise Madeleine Hardy (; 17 January 1944 – 11 June 2024) was a French singer-songwriter, actress, and author. She was known for singing melancholic, sentimental ballads. Hardy rose to prominence in the early 1960s as a leading figure in F ...

Sylvie Vartan Sylvie Vartan (; born Sylvie Georges Vartanian on 15 August 1944) is a Bulgarians in France, Bulgarian-French singer and actress. She is known as one of the most productive and tough-sounding yé-yé artists. Her performances often featured ela ...

, and

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and Pop music, pop singer and actor, credited with having brought rock and roll to France. During a career ...

, for whom he wrote many songs, including "Je suis né dans la rue" and " À tout casser" (which features

Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician and producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the Rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin. Page began his career as a studio session musician in Lo ...

on guitar). When

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

toured France in 1964, they befriended Jones when Hallyday's girlfriend and future wife,

, played on the same bill as they did. Between 1965 and 1971, Jones recorded in France with Tommy Brown (Thomas R. Browne) as State of Mickey & Tommy, as well as under other session names, including the Blackburds, Nimrod, and the J&B. After leaving France to return to his home country, Jones joined Gary Wright, formerly of the band Spooky Tooth, to form Wonderwheel in 1971. In 1972, Jones and Wright reformed Spooky Tooth and, after that, Jones was a member of the Leslie West Band. He also played guitar on the albums '' Wind of Change'' (1972) for Peter Frampton, and ''

Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person, team or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, that is unlikely to succeed but has a fighting chance, unlike the underdog who is exp ...

'' (1974) for

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

. In 1976, Jones formed Foreigner with Ian McDonald, and recruited lead singer

Lou Gramm Louis Andrew Grammatico (born May 2, 1950), known professionally as Lou Gramm, is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known as co-founder and original frontman of the rock band Foreigner from 1976 to 1990 and again from 1992 to 2003, ...

. Jones co-produced all of the band's albums and co-wrote most of their songs with Gramm. Jones is credited with writing the band's most successful single, " I Want to Know What Love Is", by himself. Tensions developed within the band during the late 1980s, attributed to a difference in musical taste between Gramm, who favoured a more hard-edged rock, as opposed to Jones' interest in synthesisers. Gramm left the band in 1990 but returned in 1992. In 1989 Jones released his only solo album, titled '' Mick Jones'', on the

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

label. Jones is the only member to play on every Foreigner album. In between his Foreigner commitments, Jones also started a side career as a producer for such albums as

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...

's '' 5150'' (1986), Bad Company's '' Fame and Fortune'' (1986) and

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...

's '' Storm Front'' (1989). He co-wrote with

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

the song " Bad Love" on Clapton's ''

Journeyman A journeyman is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that field as a fully qualified employee ...

'' album, and in 2002 co-wrote the song "On Her Mind" with

Duncan Sheik Duncan Sheik (born November 18, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Sheik is known for his 1996 debut single "Barely Breathing", which earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. He has com ...

. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he played with Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings. In 2024, Jones was selected for induction into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

, as a member of Foreigner.

Personal life

Jones is married to socialite/writer/jewelry designer Ann Dexter-Jones, mother of Mark, Samantha and Charlotte Ronson. He and Dexter-Jones have two children,

Annabelle Dexter-Jones Annabelle Dexter-Jones (born 26 October 1986) is a British-American actress and director known for her roles in ''Succession'', '' American Horror Story'' and '' Under the Silver Lake''. Jones is the daughter of jewellery designer Ann Dexter- ...

and Alexander Dexter-Jones. Married for nearly 25 years (1983–2007), they divorced in 2007. In March 2017, the couple remarried. Jones also has two sons, Roman Jones and Christopher Jones, from previous relationships. In February 2024, Jones revealed that he had been diagnosed with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

years back, citing this as his reason for not touring with Foreigner since 2023.

Album producer credits

In addition to the Foreigner albums, Jones has produced the following: * '' 5150'' –

(1986) * '' Fame and Fortune'' – Bad Company (1986) * ''Dead, White and Blue'' – Flesh & Blood (1989) * '' Save the Last Dance for Me'' – Ben E. King (1989) * '' Storm Front'' –

(1989) * '' In Deep'' –

Tina Arena Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena (born 1 November 1967) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, musical theatre actress and record producer. She is one of Australia's highest-selling artists and has sold over 10 million records worldwid ...

(1997)

Discography

Albums

* '' Mick Jones'' (1989 (Studio)) * ''The Concert for London'' (2002 (Live))

Charting singles

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Mick 1944 births English lead guitarists English male guitarists English male songwriters English record producers English rock guitarists Foreigner (band) members Living people Musicians from London Musicians from Portsmouth Spooky Tooth members