* En anglais uniquement
Drummer
Kenney Jones has been a member of two of England's most beloved and influential rock bands --
the Faces and
the Who (although the latter he was a member of only briefly, and well after their prime). Born September 16, 1948 and raised in the East End of London, England,
Jones took up the drums at the age of 13, as he and some friends formed a skiffle group. Learning quickly from playing along to recordings by
Booker T. & the MG's and
the Shadows,
Jones became a session drummer by the age of 15. By the mid-'60s, he was a member of a local group called "the Pioneers", which eventually transformed into
the Small Faces (featuring guitarist/singer
Steve Marriott, bassist
Ronnie Lane, and keyboardist Ian McLagen). The lineup issued a total of four albums (1967's self-titled debut, plus a pair in 1968, There Are But Four Small Faces and
Ogden's Nut Gone Flake), before
Marriott split from the group to form
Humble Pie.
Instead of calling it a day,
the Small Faces shortened their name to
the Faces, and welcomed in new members
Rod Stewart (vocals) and
Ron Wood (guitar), who had both just recently exited
the Jeff Beck Group. It was this line-up that is probably the best-known, as the quintet's raucous, drunken party anthems would serve as a blueprint for a variety of future rock groups (especially such early punk outfits as
the New York Dolls and
the Sex Pistols).
The Faces managed a total of five releases (1970's
First Step, 1971's
Long Player and
A Nod Is as Good as a Wink, 1973's Oh La La, and 1974's Coast to Coast), before
Stewart left to focus full-time on an already successful solo career, and
Wood joined up with
the Rolling Stones in 1975. During the late '70s,
Jones guested on other artist's recordings (including
Joan Armatrading and
Andy Fairweather-Low, among others), and even played on a pair of albums by a reunited
Small Faces (1977's
Playmates and 1978's
78 in the Shade). Shortly thereafter, the death of one of rock's all-time greats would lead to
Jones' next full-time gig.
When longtime
Who drummer
Keith Moon died suddenly in September of 1978 after an accidental drug overdose, the group's future was suddenly uncertain (in a strange twist of fate, both
Moon and
Jones were at the same party and photographed together the night before
Moon's passing). A few months later, the group issued a statement that they would carry on, with
Jones as their new drummer (he and
Who leader/guitarist
Pete Townshend were supposedly longtime drinking buddies).
Jones kept the backbeat on several successful tours during the late '70s/early '80s (as well as such spotty albums as 1981's
Face Dances and 1982's
It's Hard), before the band announced that their 1982 tour would be their last. A few years later, the latter-day
Who lineup would reunite from time to time for special occasions, including brief sets at 1985's Live Aid at Wembley Stadium, and in 1988 at the Royal Albert Hall for the British Phonographic Industry awards ceremony. But when
the Who launched their first full reunion tour in 1989,
Jones was ousted in favor of sessionman
Simon Phillips. In the early '90s,
Jones briefly returned as a member of the group
the Law (which featured former
Free/
Bad Company frontman
Paul Rodgers), but shortly after a lone, self-titled debut appeared in 1991, the band split up as well.
Jones has subsequently appeared sporadically on recordings by other artists, but has kept a much lower profile. ~ Greg Prato