After Dinner Speakers: Howard Jones, The Conmitments, Walter Mondale

b. John Howard Jones, 23 February 1955, Southampton, Hampshire, England. Coming to prominence as a synthesizer-pop maestro in the mid-80s, Jones had been trying to succeed as a musician for almost 15 years. His childhood saw him on the move from country to country but by the time he reached his teens he was settled in High Wycombe, England. He joined his first band in 1976 and over the next few years played in Warrior, the Bicycle Thieves, and Skin Tight. In 1974 he went to music college in Manchester and after graduation he began performing solo in his home town. He soon introduced dancer Jed Hoile to enliven his act by improvizing dance to his songs. Jones was offered a session by BBC disc jockey John Peel which led to tours with OMD and China Crisis. WEA Records signed him in the summer of 1983 and in September he charted with his first single "New Song". He won several Best New Artist awards and followed-up with hits like "What Is Love", "Hide And Seek", and "Like To Get To Know You Well". His debut Human's Lib topped the UK charts. Although he performed most of the music on his recordings in 1985 he formed a touring band with his brother Martin on bass, and Trevor Morais on drums. As the 80s drew to a close his singles charted lower and lower but he continues to record sporadically, and even joined the unplugged trend with Live Acoustic America in 1996.