Richard Jones (born 23 May 1974) is a Welsh

bassist 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 b ...

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

and

backing vocalist A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

from

Cwmaman Cwmaman () is a former coal mining village near Aberdare, Wales. The name is Welsh for "Aman Valley" and the River Aman flows through the village. Cwmaman literally means: valley of the river Aman. It lies in the valley of several mountains. Wi ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, for the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

post-Britpop

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two gui ...

Stereophonics, playing alongside

Kelly Jones Kelly Jones (born 3 June 1974) is a Welsh singer-songwriter and a founding member, lead singer, and guitarist of the rock band Stereophonics. Early life and debut Kelly Jones was born youngest of three boys for Beryl and Arwyn Jones in the s ...

(no relation),

Adam Zindani Adam Zindani (born 5 March 1972) is an English rhythm guitarist for the Welsh-based rock group Stereophonics, and the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the Birmingham-based band Casino. His debut solo single, "What About Love", is due to b ...

and

Jamie Morrison Jamie Morrison (born 30 June 1983) is a British musician and producer from Scotland, best known as the drummer in Welsh band the Stereophonics. He is also known for his playing with Noisettes, Drewford Alabama and Ninjas & Wolves. Biography I ...

. Jones grew up in Cwmaman, an old mining village in

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

. Richard originally formed the band with

and

Stuart Cable Stuart James Cable (19 May 1970 – 7 June 2010) was a Welsh rock drummer and broadcaster, best known as the original drummer for the band Stereophonics. Early life Cable was born in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on 19 May 1970. When he was 1 ...

, playing under the name "Tragic Love Company". Jones played to his largest audience on 2 July 2005 as the group appeared at the

Live 8 Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland, from 6–8 July 200 ...

concert, in

Hyde Park, London Hyde Park is a Grade I-listed major park in Westminster, Greater London, the largest of the four Royal Parks that form a chain from the entrance to Kensington Palace through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner and Green Pa ...

. Jones is often noted for his

tattoos A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing pr ...

, and claims; "I got my first tattoo done in one of the Welsh Valleys when I was 16 or 17. By law you shouldn't have them before you're 18 but this tattooist bloke figured if you were old enough to walk in his shop, you were old enough to have them done. I wanted Jonesy tattooed on my arm but he spelt it wrong and put J-O-N-S-E-Y. I went back a few weeks later and asked for a big tattoo on my body but I hadn't got enough money, so instead he tattooed Richard on the side of my neck. I quite regret that one, actually." The 'Jonsey' tattoo on Jones' upper-right arm, among others, has since been covered up by Maori,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese and

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...

designs across his arms and upper chest. He is an avid motorcycle enthusiast and has had multiple Ducati bikes.

References

1974 births Living people Welsh bass guitarists People from Aberdare 21st-century bass guitarists {{UK-bass-guitarist-stub

See also

References