JONES
& COMPANY

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Openhouse Studio: Folk Legacy · Jones & Company - Live Folk Club Gigs in the 70's

Three Generations
of the band

A “family” band established in the mid-seventies; members – Helen & Brian Jones and Helen’s sister Janet Macdonald.

Brian of course was already established in the Folk scene with a regular gig at the Black Horse in West Kirby, with Helen; always the support and Ian Proctor; the Roadie.

Three Generations
of the band

A “family” band established in the mid-seventies; members – Helen & Brian Jones and Helen’s sister Janet Macdonald.

Brian of course was already established in the Folk scene with a regular gig at the Black Horse in West Kirby, with Helen; always the support and Ian Proctor; the Roadie.

Jones & Co Story from Janet

I was at the Jones’s fairly regularly and stayed on lots of occasions. While Brian practiced, Helen and I used to join in (as we knew most of the songs). We started to harmonise and got quite tight. Then Brian thought it would be fun to do a “spot” at the Black Horse one Tuesday night. Needless to say, Helen and I were terrified!! It all went quite well and people asked when we would sing again – and so, Jones & Co were born. Brian with his usual banter while he tuned his guitar – which took longer than some of the songs!! Helen also gave birth to their eldest son, Andrew during the early years (no, not on stage!).

We weren’t traditional folk artists; singing more popular songs in the folk tradition. One of the trademark songs was “Seven Little Girls” which was invariably a fun hit with the audience, but a little embarrassing for us girls with the ‘playschool’ actions.

We enjoyed travelling around the Wirral and further afield in a white Ford Transit van; although there was a hairy trip one night on the way home from one of their favourite venues in Birmingham – travelling at about 20mph through a soupy fog. Well done Ian “Roadie” Proctor for getting us safely back to the Wirral!
During a regular gig at the Black Horse one night Brian could “hear” someone in the front row singing fabulous harmonies. He jokingly said if you can play bass you can be in the band. That’s when John Tucker went out and bought a bass guitar and learned to play in a week! Jones & Co then had a fourth member. John played guitar and bass, sang beautiful harmonies but also jotted down a few of his own songs, which we performed as part of our usual set.

It was a fab time for the four of us, we pushed our boundaries with the songs we chose to perform in the folk clubs – Here Comes the Sun, Carrie-Anne, Afternoon Delight; to name but a few.

It was always fun and the audience always joined in, so it just felt like we were at home in the lounge where it all started.

The group disbanded in early 1982, when John and I emigrated to Australia; where another of Brian’s singing partners Tim Glover now resides.

And now, on to the next Chapter…