Interviewwith Howard

Jones firstpublished in

RhiwbinaLiving

MagazineSeptember

2009

Whitchurch and Llandaff Living Page 8

Some say that going tochurch is good for the soul. Thiswas definitely the case for musiclegend Howard Jones, who as ayoungster, attended a concertheld at the Bethany BaptistChurch in nearby Rhiwbina.

“I grew up on Heol LlanishenFach. One of my most wonderfulmemories is that of my matesand I playing games on the smalltriangular piece of grass we hadoutside our house. We alwaysused to be playing cricket orfootball. North Cardiff in thosedays had a great sense ofcommunity.”

But it was a visit to a concert inthe local church that played animportant part in shapingHoward’s future.

“When I was 11, I went to see achoir at the Bethany BaptistChurch. The choir was theMorriston Orpheus Choir and theconcert had a massive impact onme. It was one of those momentsin my life that has stuck with me -right up until the present day.Even as I was writing my latest

single, SoonYou’lI Go, I foundmyself going back to thatconcert; in my head theMorriston Orpheus Choir werethere singing it.”

Howard attended what wasthen Whitchurch GrammarSchool.

“I used to run home forpiano lessons on my lunch hours.I always remember that run - inall kinds of weather. I left thearea at the age of nine when myparents emigrated to Canada. Idid come back for 18 months andthen finally left for good at theage of eleven. I haven’t beenback since.”Out in Canada, Howard joined

his first band, and upon his returnto the UK, began taking musicseriously.

“I wasn’t getting into the musicbusiness to become famous. Infact, that was the furthest thingfrom my mind. I loved music somuch, yet found it incrediblyhard to find gigs - I had to fightfor everything. I did it for the realjoy of doing it and don’t

Interview

Ordinary Hero

Howard Jones wasone of the icons of

the 1980s,setting the world

alight with his music.Speaking exclusively

to Whitchurch andLlandaff Living,

Howard talks of hiscareer, his

homecoming show,and his childhood

memories of growingup in the area.

Interview

Whitchurch and Llandaff Living Page 9

believe that anyone can sustaintheir creativity if they are in it forthe fame.”

Howard released his firstsingle in 1983 with the aptlynamed New Song. What Howardthought might sell a fewthousand copies, eventuallypeaked at No.3 in the UK charts.

“People loved the new sound.Although I was classically trained,I was always interested indeveloping new sounds inmusic.”A second single, What Is Love?

was released, reaching No.2 inthe charts before Howardreleased a third single and analbum, Human’s Lib, which wentstraight to No.1 in the albumcharts and eventually went on tobecome a platinum-sellingalbum.

Howard’s subsequent musiccareer took him the world over.

“Having a number one inAmerica was something that notmany people from the UK haveachieved. I think they embracedthe fact that here I was - a song-writer, bringing new sounds intothe music world.”

His second album Dream IntoAction was even more successfulspawning a series of hitsincluding Like To Get To Know

You Well, Look Mama, Things CanOnly Get Better and the classicNo One Is To Blame, whichreached No.1 in the US singleschart and has since had over 3million radio plays in the USA.Dream Into Action went platinumin the USA, sitting in the US Top20 album chart for the best partof a year, making Howard oneof the few British artists to havecomprehensively ‘broken’America in the past 25 years. In1986, Howard was votedKeyboard Player of theYear inRolling Stone magazine, and in1987 and 1989 he toured theworld extensively, headliningMadison Square Garden in NewYork and The Budokan in Tokyo.In 1985, he performed Hide andSeek at Live Aid.

Despite his world-wide travel,Howard maintains that his heartstill lies with Wales.

“Despite being born inSouthampton, I consider myselfWelsh. Both my parents areWelsh and whenever the rugby ison, I always support Wales, andstill get tearful when theanthems are played. The show inCardiff therefore represents a bitof a home-coming to me.”The concert at St David’s Hall on

November 13th is to promote hisnew album Ordinary Heroes - thespark for which came from thatconcert in Rhiwbina.

“Forty-four years on from thatnight at the Bethany BaptistChurch, I was writing my newsong SoonYou’ll Go, and I had theMorriston Orpheus Choir in mymind. It’s funny how childhoodmemories can have such animpact on the creative process.Watching a great choir or a band,or any major cultural event likethat when you are a kid - itdoesn’t register at the time. Itstays in your DNA and reappearslater in life. That’s why I asked the

Choir to come to sing on mylatest song.”

For his new album, Howard hasmoved away from the electronicsound for which he becamefamous.

“I’ve gone back to using moreclassical sounds on this one -orchestras, choirs and so on.

“The show in Cardiff issomething of a one-off. It’s amassive privilege to be able toperform with the very sameworld-famous choir thatinspired me all those years ago inthat Rhiwbina church. It’s goingto be an incredible and uniqueevening. I’m telling all my fansthat you have to be there toexperience it. It was a privilege tobe able to perform with the Choiron my new album too.”

It seems that Howard Jones is amusical magnate who never wentaway.

“My output is very eclectic - I stilllike to use electronic sounds butat the root of my career is song-writing. I consider an orchestraencompassing everything fromsynthesizers to horns and tostrings - any way to make themusic morcolourful orinteresting.”On November 13th, St David’s

Hall will play host to the concert,which has its roots firmly plantedin our North Cardiff village.

St David’s Hall Box Office: 0292087 8444

A young Howard