BOBBY JONES
Vocals

Born in Farmerville, LA, Bobby Jones was initially raised on the Country music stylings of artists such as Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb, Roy Acuff and Little Jimmy Dickens. At the age of 16, Jones forged his own documents in order to pass himself off as a 20 year old, so he could join the army in an attempt to get away from home. Jones caught his first taste of the blues on WLAC, a radio station in Nashville, TN, that featured late night blues programming and would spin music by Buddy Ace, Ivory Joe Hunter, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Junior Parker and B.B. King, but it wasn't until after relocating to Chicago, IL, in 1959 that his real blues education truly began. Upon his arrival, Jones quickly immersed himself in the thriving blues scene amongst legendary artists Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Hound Dog Taylor, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and Fenton Robinson, and soon found himself performing at the many popular establishments of the day including Pepper's Lounge, Teresa's and the Trocadara, all located on the South Side of Chicago. Jones was backed by many of the blues elite including Jody Williams, Lonnie Brooks and Syl Johnson, and even replaced Junior Wells in The Aces when Wells gave up his spot after landing a big hit with "Messin' With The Kid." Jones issued his first single "Sugar Baby" backed with "Lonely Bedroom," and later enjoyed relative success in the charts with "I Am So Lonely" peaking at #3 in Chicago, and also held the #1 spot for 6 weeks in Florida. The flip side of the single featured "Talkin' 'Bout Jones" recorded with Syl Johnson, who also instructed Jones on how to approach his vocals for the song. In 1999, Ace Records issued two recordings; "In the Mood For Love" and "Sneakin' & Freakin'," both distributed by Malaco Records in Mississippi. Jones' career had remained relatively quiet until 2006 when he was brought to the attention of Delta Groove CEO Randy Chortkoff, and invited to join in for the recording session of the Mannish Boys release "Big Plans." Jones will appear on two new Delta Groove projects in 2008 including an all new Mannish Boys release, in addition to his very own solo record debut.