Session work Baldwin joined his first band, The Deltas, at the age of 15. He then played bass for jazz-rock London group, Jett Blacks, a collective that included guitarist
John McLaughlin. His big break came in 1962, when he was hired by
Jet Harris and
Tony Meehan of the successful British group
the Shadows for a two-year stint. Shortly before hiring Baldwin, Harris and Meehan had just had a number 1 hit with "
Diamonds" (a track on which Jones' bandmate-to-be
Jimmy Page had played). Baldwin's collaboration with the Shadows nearly prevented the future formation of Led Zeppelin, when the parties engaged in talks about the possibility of Baldwin replacing their bassist
Brian Locking, who left the band in October 1963, but
John Rostill was ultimately chosen to fill the position. In 1964, on the recommendation of Meehan, Baldwin began studio session work with
Decca Records. From then until 1968, he played on hundreds of recording sessions. He soon expanded his studio work by playing keyboards,
arranging and undertaking general studio direction, resulting in his services coming under much demand. He worked with numerous artists including
the Rolling Stones on
Their Satanic Majesties Request (Jones' string arrangement is heard on "
She's a Rainbow");
Herman's Hermits;
Donovan (on "
Sunshine Superman", "
Hurdy Gurdy Man", and "
Mellow Yellow");
Jeff Beck;
Françoise Hardy;
Cat Stevens (on "
Matthew and Son");
Rod Stewart;
Shirley Bassey;
Lulu; and numerous others. As well as recording sessions with
Dusty Springfield, Jones also played bass for her
Talk of the Town series of performances. His arranging and playing on Donovan's "Sunshine Superman" resulted in producer
Mickie Most using his services as choice arranger for many of his own projects, with
Tom Jones,
Nico,
Wayne Fontana,
the Walker Brothers, and many others. In 1967, Most, as
music supervisor, also tasked Jones with arranging the music for Herman's Hermits' theatrical film ''
Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter'', released in January 1968. Such was the extent of Jones' studio work – amounting to hundreds of sessions – that he said years later that "I can't remember three-quarters of the sessions I was on." It was during his time as a session player that Baldwin adopted the stage name John Paul Jones. This name was suggested to him by a friend,
Andrew Loog Oldham, who had seen a poster for the 1959 film
John Paul Jones in France. He released his first solo recording as John Paul Jones, "Baja" (written by
Lee Hazlewood and produced by Oldham) / "A Foggy Day in Vietnam", as a single on
Pye Records in April 1964. Jones has stated that, as a session musician, he was completing two or three sessions a day, working six or seven days a week. However, by 1968 he was feeling
burned out by the heavy workload: "I was arranging 50 or 60 things a month and it was starting to kill me."
Led Zeppelin Formation During his time as a session player, Jones often crossed paths with guitarist
Jimmy Page, a fellow session veteran. In June 1966, Page joined
the Yardbirds, and in 1967 Jones contributed to that band's
Little Games album. The following winter, during the sessions for
Donovan's
The Hurdy Gurdy Man, Jones expressed to Page a desire to be part of any projects the guitarist might be planning. Later that year, the Yardbirds disbanded, leaving Page and bassist
Chris Dreja to complete previously booked Yardbirds dates in Scandinavia. Before a new band could be assembled, Dreja left to take up photography. Jones, at the suggestion of his wife, In an interview he gave to
Global Bass magazine, Jones remarked on this common musical interest: After retiring his
Fender Jazz Bass (which he had been using since his days with The Shadows in the early 1960s) from touring in 1975, Jones switched to using custom-designed
Alembic basses for touring. However, he still preferred to use the Jazz Bass in the studio and in a 2010 interview mentioned that he still had that bass at the time. Jones' keyboard skills added an
eclectic dimension that realised Led Zeppelin as more than just a
hard rock band. Keyboard highlights include the delicate "
The Rain Song" (
Houses of the Holy) played on a
Mellotron; the funky "
Trampled Under Foot", played on a
Clavinet (
Physical Graffiti); and the eastern scales of "
Kashmir", also played on a Mellotron (also on
Physical Graffiti). In live performances, Jones' keyboard showpiece was "
No Quarter", often lasting for up to half-an-hour and sometimes including snatches of "
Amazing Grace",
Joaquín Rodrigo's "
Concierto de Aranjuez", which had inspired
Miles Davis'
Sketches of Spain, and variations of classical pieces by composers such as
Rachmaninoff. Jones' diverse contributions to the group extended to the use of other instruments including mandolin, recorder, and an unusual triple-necked acoustic instrument consisting of a six and a twelve string guitar. Jones often used
bass pedals to supplement the band's sound while he was playing keyboards and mandolin. On the band's 1977 tour of the United States, Jones would sing lead vocals on "
The Battle of Evermore", filling in for
Sandy Denny, who had sung on the studio version.
Profile , 1980 While all members of Led Zeppelin had a reputation for off-stage excess (a label that has been claimed was exaggerated), Jones was widely seen as the quietest and most reserved member of the group. For his part, Jones has claimed that he had just as much fun on the road as his bandmates but was more discreet about it, He joked that he was interested in becoming the choirmaster of Winchester Cathedral, which was reported as fact in several sources. Jones later explained his reservations:
"Royal Orleans" It is rumoured that the Led Zeppelin song "
Royal Orleans", from their album
Presence, is about an experience Jones once had on tour in the United States. The song is about a person who mistakenly takes a
drag queen up to his hotel room, who then falls asleep with a joint of
marijuana in hand, lighting the room on fire. "Royal Orleans" was the name of a hotel where the members of Led Zeppelin would stay when they visited New Orleans, because not as many people asked for autographs there. In an interview he gave to
Mojo magazine in 2007, Jones clarified the reliability of this rumour, stating:
Other work Jones's involvement with Led Zeppelin did not put a halt to his session work. In 1969 he returned to the studio to play bass guitar on
the Family Dogg's
A Way of Life album. Jones was
Madeline Bell's first choice to produce and arrange her 1974 album ''
Comin' Atcha. He has also played bass on the opening track for the Roy Harper album HQ'', which also featured guitarist
David Gilmour. Other contributions include playing bass on
Wings'
Rockestra,
Back to the Egg along with Zeppelin's drummer
John Bonham.
After Led Zeppelin 1980–2000 Led Zeppelin dissolved in 1980 with the death of
John Bonham. "At the time that John died, I had just moved to
Devon to bring up my family", Jones said. "So, after the split, I was completely out of everything. And I must say I didn't miss it." Jones subsequently collaborated with artists including
Diamanda Galás,
R.E.M.,
Jars of Clay,
Heart,
Ben E. King,
Peter Gabriel,
Foo Fighters,
Lenny Kravitz,
Cinderella,
The Mission,
La Fura dels Baus,
the Harp Consort,
Brian Eno, the
Butthole Surfers, and
Uncle Earl. He appeared on sessions and videos for
Paul McCartney and was involved in the soundtrack of the film
Give My Regards to Broad Street. In 1985, Jones was asked by director
Michael Winner to provide the soundtrack for the film
Scream for Help, with
Jimmy Page appearing on two tracks. Jones provides vocals for two of the songs. He recorded and toured with singer
Diamanda Galás on her 1994 album,
The Sporting Life (co-credited to John Paul Jones). In 1985, Jones joined Page and Plant for the
Live Aid concert, with
Phil Collins and
Tony Thompson on drums. The former members again re-formed for the
Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert on 14 May 1988. Page, Plant and Jones, with
John Bonham's son
Jason, closed the event. In 1992, Jones
arranged the orchestration on the
R.E.M. album
Automatic for the People. In 1995, the band
Heart released a live acoustic album called
The Road Home. It was produced by Jones, and featured him playing several instruments. Also in 1995,
Andrew Lawrence-King's Harp Consort released a set of three Spanish language songs in 17th-century style of Jones's own composition, accompanied by baroque instruments including
harps,
chitarrone,
guitars,
lirone,
viola da gamba and percussion (this 10-minute CD, titled
Amores Pasados, was coupled with The Harp Consort's debut record,
Luz y Norte).
2000–present Zooma, his debut solo album, was released in September 1999 on
Robert Fripp's
DGM label and followed up in 2001 by
The Thunderthief. Both albums were accompanied by tours, in which he played with
Nick Beggs (
Chapman Stick) and
Terl Bryant (drums). In 2004, he toured as part of the group
Mutual Admiration Society, along with
Glen Phillips (the front man for the band
Toad the Wet Sprocket) and the members of the band
Nickel Creek. in 2007 Jones plays on two tracks on the
Foo Fighters' album
In Your Honor. He plays mandolin on "Another Round" and piano on "Miracle", both of which are on the acoustic disc. The band's frontman
Dave Grohl (a big Led Zeppelin fan) has described Jones' guest appearance as the "second greatest thing to happen to me in my life". He has also branched out as a record producer, having produced such albums as
the Mission's album
Children,
the Datsuns' second album
Outta Sight, Outta Mind (2004) and
Uncle Earl's
Waterloo, Tennessee album of
Old-time music, released in March 2007 on
Rounder Records. In May 2007, he accompanied
Robyn Hitchcock and Ruby Wright in performing the song "Gigolo Aunt" at a tribute for
Pink Floyd founder
Syd Barrett in London, which he did on mandolin. on stage, 2009 He played at
Bonnaroo 2007 in a collaboration with
Ben Harper and
the Roots' drummer
Questlove as part of the festival's all-star Super-Jam, which is the festival's annual tradition of bringing together famous, world-class musicians to jam on stage for a few hours. Jones appeared and played mandolin with
Gillian Welch during the festival during the song "Look at Miss Ohio" and a cover of the
Johnny Cash song "
Jackson". He also appeared during the set of
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals where they played a cover of "
Dazed and Confused". Jones then closed
Gov't Mule's first set, playing part of "
Moby Dick" and then "Livin Lovin Maid" on bass, then proceeded to play keyboards on the songs "
Since I've Been Loving You" and "
No Quarter". Jones also performed on mandolin with the all-female bluegrass group Uncle Earl, whose album he had produced in 2007. Mandolin-slinging Jones jammed on Led Zeppelin's "
Whole Lotta Love" with Winnipeg's energetic
Duhks at April 2007's
MerleFest in North Carolina. Jones played in the
Led Zeppelin reunion show at London's
O2 Arena on 10 December 2007 with the other remaining members of Led Zeppelin as part of a tribute to
Ahmet Ertegun. In 2008, Jones produced
Nickel Creek singer-fiddler
Sara Watkins' debut solo album. As previously mentioned, Jones toured with Watkins,
Glen Phillips, and the rest of Nickel Creek in late 2004 in a collaboration entitled Mutual Admiration Society. On 10 February 2008, Jones appeared with the Foo Fighters on the
Grammy Awards conducting the orchestral part to the song "
The Pretender". On 7 June 2008, Jones and Jimmy Page appeared with the Foo Fighters to close out the band's concert at
Wembley Stadium. Jones performed with
Sonic Youth and
Takehisa Kosugi, providing the stage music for
Merce Cunningham's
Nearly 90, which ran 16–19 April 2009 at the
Brooklyn Academy of Music. , 2009 In 2009–2010 he was part of a supergroup with
Dave Grohl and
Queens of the Stone Age frontman
Josh Homme named
Them Crooked Vultures. The trio played their first show together on 9 August 2009 at the
Metro in Chicago, and their
first album was released on 17 November 2009. In February and March 2011, he appeared in the onstage band in
Mark-Anthony Turnage's opera
Anna Nicole, about the
Playboy model
Anna Nicole Smith, at the
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in London. In August 2011, he appeared at
Reading and Leeds Festivals to play alongside
Seasick Steve. On 16 September 2012, Jones appeared at the Sunflower Jam charity concert at the
Royal Albert Hall, London, performing alongside guitarist
Brian May of
Queen, drummer
Ian Paice of
Deep Purple, and vocalists
Bruce Dickinson of
Iron Maiden and
Alice Cooper. In November 2012, Jones toured the UK with the Norwegian
avant-garde/improvisational band
Supersilent. On 6 December 2012, Jones performed on bass, guitar and mandolin with Robyn Hitchcock as 'Biscotti' at
Cecil Sharp House, London. On 30 April 2013, Jones appeared live on the BBC TV Show
Later... with Jools Holland, playing bass for
Seasick Steve on "Down on the Farm" from Seasick Steve's new album
Hubcap Music. On 1 May 2013, Jones appeared with Seasick Steve at a concert at the Roundhouse in Camden, London. Introduced by Seasick Steve as a member "of the best rock band ever", Jones played bass, mandolin, and steel guitar, and provided vocals. On Saturday 29 June 2013, Jones played guitar whilst appearing with
Rokia Traoré, who opened the Pyramid Stage that morning at Glastonbury 2013. He also supported Seasick Steve on the West Holt's stage at the same festival. During November 2013, Jones joined a seven-day tour of the Southeast US, playing mandolin with the
Dave Rawlings Machine. The Atlanta show (21 November 2013) included a rendition
Led Zeppelin's "
Going to California." Jones also toured with the
Dave Rawlings Machine in autumn 2014. On 5 and 6 September 2015, Jones, along with
Queen drummer
Roger Taylor, joined
Foo Fighters on stage in
Milton Keynes to perform a cover of
Queen's "
Under Pressure," with
Taylor Hawkins and
Dave Grohl singing. Stepping outside his normal genre, he composed three
lute songs for the 2015 album Amores Pasados by
John Potter,
Anna Maria Friman,
Ariel Abramovich and
Jacob Herringman. In 2017, Jones formed a trio, the "Tres Coyotes" with the Finnish composer,
Magnus Lindberg and the Finnish
cellist,
Anssi Karttunen, they have performed in Helsinki (Savoy Theatre 2017), Torino (Torino Jazz Festival 2019) and Strasbourg (Festival Musica 2022). In 2019 he formed a duo, called the "Sons of Chipotle" with Anssi Karttunen. The group premiered with a tour in Asia in Seoul at
Place Vib and in Tokyo at the
Pit Inn in Tokyo, Japan in September of that year. For the Tokyo shows they were joined by musicians
Jim O'Rourke and
Otomo Yoshihide The band's first scheduled US date at the
Big Ears Festival in
Knoxville, Tennessee was cancelled in March 2020, due to the
COVID-19 outbreak and finally took place at the Big Ears in 2024. ==Legacy==