Jean-Jacques Burnel (born 21 February 1952) is an English musician, producer and songwriter, best known as the

bass guitarist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboard bass or a low bra ...

and co-lead vocalist with the English rock band

The Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have origina ...

. He is the last founding member to remain in the band.

Life and career

Jean-Jacques Burnel performing on French TV in 1983 Jean-Jacques Burnel was born in

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road M ...

, London, to French parents. His family owned a restaurant where his father worked as a chef. As a child, as the son of French immigrants, he was often the victim of mockery from his schoolmates, which later led him to call himself John to disguise his French origins. This early encounter with xenophobia would also have an impact on his explosive temper in life and on stage as well as on the way he plays. He moved with his parents to

Godalming Godalming is a market town and civil parish in southwest Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, at the confluence of the Rivers Wey and Ock. The civil parish covers and includes the settleme ...

, Surrey, when he was 12 years old and attended the

Royal Grammar School, Guildford The Royal Grammar School, Guildford (originally 'The Free School'), also known as the RGS, is a selective independent day school for boys in Guildford, Surrey in England. The school dates its founding to the death of Robert Beckingham in 1509 who ...

, subsequently reading history at the

University of Bradford The University of Bradford is a Public university, public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be creat ...

and

Huddersfield Polytechnic , mottoeng = Thus not for you alone , established = 1825 – Huddersfield Science and Mechanics' Institute1992 – university status , type = Public , endowment = £2.47 million (2015) , chancellor = George W. Buckley , vice_chancell ...

. Burnel originally trained as a

classical guitarist This is a list of classical guitarists. Baroque (17th and 18th centuries) 19th century 20th century https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXAPUbFDFJfxY2qijBIG2Og?view_as=subscriberModern See also * List of flamenco guitarists References ...

, but adopted the bass guitar as his instrument within The Stranglers. He has provided lead vocals on nearly a third of the band's songs, though Burnel later explained he often sang lyrics written by

Hugh Cornwell Hugh Alan Cornwell (born 28 August 1949) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and writer, best known for being the lead vocalist and lead guitarist for the punk rock and new wave band the Stranglers from 1974 to 1990. Since leaving the ...

(or vice versa) depending on "who had the best voice for that particular song." Burnel has been a member of the Stranglers since the group's inception in 1974, but has also made two solo albums: ''

Euroman Cometh ''Euroman Cometh'' is the debut solo album by the Stranglers' bassist J.J. Burnel, released in April 1979 by United Artists. It is a concept album of sorts, as most of the songs concern the ideal of a united Europe, both culturally and economi ...

'' in 1979, and ''

Un Jour Parfait ''Un Jour Parfait'' ( French for "a perfect day") is the second solo album by the Stranglers' bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel, released on 23 September 1988 by Epic Records. The album was aimed at the French market and its release limited to cert ...

'' in 1988, as well as a collaborative album with fellow Stranglers member

Dave Greenfield David Paul Greenfield (29 March 1949 – 3 May 2020) was an English keyboardist, singer and songwriter who was a member of rock band The Stranglers. He joined the band in 1975, within a year of its formation, and played with them for 45 years ...

, '' Fire and Water (Ecoutez Vos Murs)'' in 1983. Burnel has also produced and appeared as a guest musician for a number of artists, such as Lizard and ARB from Japan,

Polyphonic Size Polyphonic Size is a Belgian new wave band founded in 1979 in Brussels by Roger-Marc Vande Voorde. Mixing electric guitars and synthesizers with French and English lyrics (and sometimes German or Japanese lyrics), most of Polyphonic Size records ...

(from Belgium) and

Taxi Girl Taxi Girl were a French New wave music, new wave band, adopting the New Romantic aesthetics of the time, such as clashing red and black clothing, synthesizer-led songs, and taking influence from mythology and literature. The group existed betwe ...

's album ''Seppuku'' in 1981, as well as Laurent Sinclair's "Devant le Miroir" maxi single. Burnel also formed a

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

covers band, the Purple Helmets, who played a number of concerts and released two albums in the late 1980s. As a holder of French citizenship, Burnel received his call-up papers for

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

in France. He succeeded in avoiding it with a novel defence, arguing that his absence would indirectly damage the Stranglers as a band, and therefore the careers of the other members. This was in accordance with Burnel's claim that only the "

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

" would ever agree to serve their country's military. Burnel composed and performed music for the

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

'' Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo'', including both the opening and ending themes, "We Were Lovers", and "You Won't See Me Coming" respectively. Burnel is fluent in French and writes many of his songs in the language.

Equipment and sound

Shuker JJ Burnel signature bass headstock Burnel is noted for his distinctive bass guitar sound and melodic bass lines. These are particularly prominent on earlier Stranglers recordings produced by

Martin Rushent Martin Charles Rushent (11 July 1948 – 4 June 2011) was an English record producer, best known for his work with The Human League, The Stranglers and Buzzcocks. Early life Rushent was born on 11 July 1948 in Enfield, Middlesex. His father ...

, such as the

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

singles " No More Heroes" and "

Peaches The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...

". In the early days, Burnel's distinctive aggressive sound was created using a

Fender Precision Bass The Fender Precision Bass (often shortened to "P-Bass") is a model of electric bass guitar manufactured by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In its standard, post-1957 configuration, the Precision Bass is a solid body, four-stringed instrum ...

with

RotoSound Rotosound is a British guitar and bass string manufacturing company based in England. History Rotosound was started in the late 1950s by James How, a musician and engineer by trade. How started manufacturing music strings for many famous arti ...

roundwound

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

played with a

plectrum A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harpsic ...

very close to the bridge, through

Hiwatt Hiwatt is a British company that manufactures amplifiers for electric guitars and electric basses. Starting in the late 1960s, together with Marshall and Vox, Hiwatt contributed to the sonic image popularly termed "British sound". History O ...

all-

valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings ...

amplification. However, the defining factor was the use of a

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

4x12 speaker cabinet in which the speaker cones were ripped, creating a distorted sound. Later, he used a Yamaha BB2000, a Steinberger L2 (headless), and a Kinkade acoustic bass. He currently plays Shuker JJ Burnel signature basses custom-built in England by Jon Shuker. He was one of the first bass guitarists to use

Trace Elliot Trace Elliot is a United Kingdom-based bass amplification manufacturer, and has a sub-brand, Trace Acoustic, for acoustic instruments. History In 1979, a music shop in Romford, Essex, UK, called Soundwave was building and hiring out PA sys ...

amplification when the company began production in 1980. He now uses amplification by Ashdown Engineering who have honoured him with his own JJ500 signature amps.

Personal life

As of 2015, Burnel was a 7th degree black belt (nanadan) in Shidokan Karate and is head of Shidokan UK. He is also a

motorcyclist Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. For some people, motorcycling may be the only affordable form of individual motorized transportation, and small- displacement motorcycles are the most common motor vehicle in the most populous c ...

and has owned many

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

motorbikes.Buckley 1997, p.18.

Discography

The Stranglers

Albums

* ''

'' (1979) No. 40 (

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

) * '' Fire and Water (Ecoutez Vos Murs)'' (with

) (1983) No. 94 (UK Albums Chart) * ''

'' (1988) * '' Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo – Original Soundtrack'' (with Kasamatsu Kouji) (2005)

Singles

* "Freddie Laker (Concorde & Eurobus)" (1979), B-side "

Ozymandias "Ozymandias" ( ) is a sonnet written by the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822). It was first published in the 11 January 1818 issue of '' The Examiner'' of London. The poem was included the following year in Shelley's c ...

" * "Girl from the Snow Country" (1981) deleted prior to release due to dispute with record label, but also released as a bootleg on "Karate Records". * "Rain & Dole and Tea"/"Consequences" (1984) (with

) * "Goebbels, Mosley, God & Ingrams" (1988) flexi-disc release of an outtake from ''

'' sessions * "Le Whiskey"/"El Whiskey" (1988) * "Reves"/"Crazy (She Drives Me)" (1988)

Production and other appearances

Burnel has also produced and or appeared either as a member of the group (Mutations, Purple Helmets) or as a ‘guest’ musician on a number of recordings, as follows: * Celia and the Mutations – "Mony Mony / Mean to Me" single (1977) : bass and backing vocals * Celia and the Mutations – "You Better Believe Me" single (1978) : bass * Lizard – ''Lizard'' album (1979) : production, backing vocals * Lizard – ''TV Magic'' single (1980) : production * Polyphonic Size – "Nagasaki Mon Amour" single (1980) : production * Sirens – "It Doesn't Really Matter" single (1980) : production *

– "Les Armees de la Nuit" single (1981) : production & original theme * Taxi Girl – "Vivian Vog" single (1981) * Taxi Girl – "La Femme Ecarlate" single (1981) : production * Taxi Girl – "Les Armées de la Nuit"/"Musée Tong"/"La Femme Ếcarlate" single (1981) : production * Taxi Girl – ''Seppuku'' album (1981) : production, chorus vocals on UK bonus track "Find the Boy" *

– ''Live for Each Moment'' album (1982) : production, bass and backing vocals, lead vocals on two tracks, joint composer of one track * Polyphonic Size – "Winston & Julia"/"Je T'ai Toujours Aimée"/"Parties Dance" single (1982) : production, lead vocals on all tracks, bass on "Je T'ai Toujours Aimée" * Polyphonic Size – "Mother's Little Helper"/"Men and Construction"/"RDA RFA"/"Kyoto"/"Nagasaki Mon Amour" single (1982) : production * Polyphonic Size – Mother's Little Helper"/"Girlscout"/"Men and Construction"/"On the Way to Medora"/"Saison" single (1982) : production * Polyphonic Size – "Night is Coming On" single (1982) : production * Polyphonic Size – "Je T'ai Toujours Aimee" single (1982) : production, lead vocals and bass on A-side * Polyphonic Size – ''Walking Everywhere'' album (1983) : production, vocals on three tracks which he jointly composed, including lead vocals on Walking Class Hero. * Polyphonic Size – "Walking Class Hero" single (1983) : production, lead vocal, joint composer * ARB – ''Yellow Blood'' album (1984) : bass guitar on two tracks, "Yellow Blood" and "Fight it Out" * Beranek – ''Trigger'' album (1984) : production, bass and backing vocals on track "All Through the Night" * Beranek – "Some Boys Like Dolls"/"Why Don't You Wanna Dance" single (1984) : production * Play Group – ''Love Goes Round'' album (1984) : production * Laurent Sinclair – "Devant le Miroir" single (1985) : production and bass * Dave Howard Singers – "Rock On" single (1985) : production * Beranek – ''Daylight in the Dark'' album (1986) : production, bass and backing vocals * Beranek – "Dancing in the Wind"/"Teardrop" single (1986) : production, bass and backing vocals * Ping Pop – ''Just Another Lazy Day'' album (1986) : production and backing vocals *

Fools Dance Fools Dance were an English rock band active from 1983–1987, chiefly noted for their connection to The Cure. History Fools Dance was formed in Horley, Surrey in 1983 under the name 'The Cry' and consisted of Ian Fuller on vocals, Stuart Curra ...

– "They'll Never Know" single (1987) : bass *

Jacques Dutronc Jacques Dutronc (born 28 April 1943) is a French singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, and actor. He married singer Françoise Hardy on 30 March 1981 and together they have a son (manouche jazz) guitarist Thomas Dutronc, born 1973); they sepa ...

– ''CQFD'' album (1987) : bass on five of the tracks *

Mona Mur Mona Mur (born 29.07.1960 in Hamburg) is a German vocalist, composer and audio designer. Early years Mona Mur was born Sabine Bredy in Hamburg to Polish parents. In 1982 she collaborated with FM Einheit, Marc Chung and Alex Hacke of Einstür ...

– ''Mona Mur'' album (1987) : production, bass, guitars and percussion * Mona Mur – "Bastard" single (1987) : production, bass, guitars and percussion * Mona Mur – "Ritz" single (1987) : production, bass, guitars, percussion * Revenge – ''Sweet and Sour'' album (1987) : production, sound mixing and recording, backing vocals * Revenge – ''Wartime'' album (1987) : mixing * The Purple Helmets – ''Ride Again'' album (1988) : bass and vocals * The Purple Helmets – "We Gotta Get Out of This Place"/"I’m a Man" single (1989) : bass and vocals * The Purple Helmets – ''Rise Again'' album (1989) : bass and vocals * The Purple Helmets – "Brand New Cadillac"/"Under the Sun" single (1989) : bass and vocals * Dani – ''N Comme Never Again'' album (1993) : production, mixing, bass, vocals and guitars * Magic De Spell – ''Holiday in Sarajevo'' album (1993) : production * Magic De Spell – ''Nipsonanoimimata Mi Monan Opsin'' album (1995) : production *

Pat Dinizio Patrick Michael DiNizio (October 12, 1955 – December 12, 2017) was the lead singer, songwriter, and founding member of the band The Smithereens, which he formed in 1980 with Jim Babjak, Dennis Diken, and Mike Mesaros, from Carteret, New Jerse ...

– ''Songs and Sounds'' album (1997) : bass and vocals * Pat Dinizio – "124mph" single (1997) : bass and vocals * Pat Dinizio – "A World Apart" single (1997) : bass and vocals * Schindler – "Time" single (1999) : production, keyboards and backing vocals * Temple of Sound - "Dojo kun (jamais laisser tomber)" on the album ''First edition'' (2002) : vocals * 3 Men and Black – ''Acoustic'' album (2004) : bass and vocals * Teasing Lulu – "Infatuation"/"You Ain't My Baby" single (2006) : production * Teasing Lulu – "Waste of Time"/"The Ex Factor" (from the motion picture '

Reverb Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abso ...

') single (2007) : production * Teasing Lulu – ''Black Summer'' album (2008) : production * Dani - "Me & you" on the album ''Le Paris de Dani'' (2010) : vocals, song written by JJ

References

;Bibliography * Buckley, David. ''No Mercy – The Authorised and Uncensored Biography of The Stranglers''. London. Hodder and Stoughton. 1997.

External links

Ode to Joy: Issue 4; The Burning Up Times PDF: free online publication devoted to JJ Burnel's 1979 debut album, ''Euroman Cometh''. 30 years on, JJ Burnel and John Ellis are interviewed, alongside fans' live Eurotour reviews and exclusive images

JJ Burnel & Stranglers interviews, news and reviews at www.strangled.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burnel, Jean-Jacques 1952 births Living people The Stranglers members People from Notting Hill People educated at Royal Grammar School, Guildford English bass guitarists English male guitarists Male bass guitarists English songwriters English male singers English new wave musicians English record producers British male karateka English people of French descent Alumni of the University of Bradford