Jim Jones

Jim Jones
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Birth name
Birth date	March 12, 1950
Birth place
Death date	February 18, 2008
Death place
Origin	Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Genres
Instruments	Guitar; bass; keyboards; synthesizer
Years active	1970s–2008
Associated acts	Mirrors; Easter Monkeys; Foreign Bodies; The Styrenes; Electric Eels; Home and Garden; Terminal Lovers; Pere Ubu; Speaker\Cranker; Noble Rot; KNG ↑ NXN
Labels
Website

★ Ohio Artist Verified ★
This artist has been verified as part of the Ohio music scene by the OHMS Archive Foundation.

Jim Jones (James E. Jones) was an American guitarist, producer, and experimental musician associated with a wide range of Cleveland, Ohio underground rock bands. Active from the early 1970s until his death in 2008, he performed and recorded with groups including Mirrors, Easter Monkeys, Foreign Bodies, The Styrenes, Electric Eels, Home and Garden, Terminal Lovers, Pere Ubu, Speaker\Cranker, Noble Rot, and KNG ↑ NXN. His textural guitar work and studio production helped define several phases of the Cleveland proto-punk, post-punk, and art-rock scenes.

Career

Jones was born in 1950 and grew up in the Cleveland area. He attended Mayfield High School, where he played saxophone in school ensembles and developed an interest in tape manipulation and recording technology.<ref> Pere Ubu biographies – James E. Jones, UbuProjex.com. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

</ref> After a brief period at Cuyahoga Community College, he went to work at Cleveland record retailer Record Rendezvous and later co-founded the independent shop Platter-Puss Records in 1984, remaining active in local music throughout this period.<ref> Platter Puss Records profile, Manta. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

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In 1974 Jones joined the Cleveland proto-punk band Mirrors as bassist, participating in the group’s mid-1970s lineup alongside Jamie Klimek, Paul Marotta, and others.<ref> Mirrors, Buckeye Beat. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

</ref> Mirrors later evolved into The Styrenes, with Jones among the members moving between the two bands in the mid-1970s.<ref> Mirrors (Ohio band), Wikipedia. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

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By the late 1970s Jones was involved in the short-lived experimental duo Foreign Bodies with Pat Ryan, releasing the single "The Incredible Truth" / "Long Walk Home" on Bizart Records in 1980, on which he is credited as a leader and producer.<ref> Foreign Bodies – The Incredible Truth, Discogs. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

</ref> During the same period he recorded with Electric Eels, contributing bass, keyboards and other parts to later-issued recordings collected on releases such as Spin Age Blasters and the single "Spin Age Blasters" / "Bunnies".<ref> The Electric Eels – Spin Age Blasters / Bunnies, Discogs. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

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In 1980 Jones formed the post-punk group Easter Monkeys. Their material was later compiled on Splendor of Sorrow, which documents studio and live recordings from the early 1980s and has been reissued by Scat Records and other labels.<ref> Easter Monkeys – Splendor of Sorrow, Bandcamp. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

</ref> Around the same time he joined Home and Garden, an art-rock project led by former Pere Ubu members, appearing on their album History and Geography.<ref> Home and Garden – History and Geography, Bandcamp. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

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Jones worked with David Thomas & the Pedestrians on the 1983 album Variations on a Theme, contributing guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals and loops.<ref> Variations on a Theme – credits, Hearpen/ubudance.com. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

</ref> In 1986 he joined Thomas’s group The Wooden Birds, which soon evolved into a revived Pere Ubu. With Pere Ubu he played guitar on the albums The Tenement Year (1988), Cloudland (1989), and Worlds in Collision (1991), contributing to the band’s shift toward more melodic, pop-leaning material while retaining their experimental edge.<ref> Pere Ubu – The Tenement Year, Pere Ubu Bandcamp. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

</ref><ref> Cloudland, UbuProjex.com. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

</ref><ref> Worlds in Collision, UbuProjex.com. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

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Beyond his better-known bands, Jones recorded with The Styrenes (appearing on the compilation It's Artastic! Cleveland '75 to '79),<ref> Jim Jones (guitarist), Wikipedia. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

</ref> contributed analog synthesizer and Korg MS-10 parts to releases by Terminal Lovers,<ref> Terminal Lovers – Past members, TerminalLovers.com. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

</ref> and continued to appear on Cleveland recordings as a musician and producer.

From the late 1990s onward he worked largely in local studio and band contexts, performing keyboards and other instruments with Speaker\Cranker, Noble Rot, and KNG ↑ NXN.<ref> Pere Ubu biographies – James E. Jones, UbuProjex.com. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

</ref> He played keyboards and handled mixing on Speaker\Cranker’s self-titled 1999 album,<ref> Speaker\Cranker – Speaker\Cranker, Discogs. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

</ref> and appears on bass, vocals, and harpsichord on KNG ↑ NXN’s Going to Hand in a Hellbasket.<ref> KNG ↑ NXN – Going To Hand In A Hellbasket, Discogs. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

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Jones died of a heart attack on February 18, 2008, at age 57. Obituaries and tributes from the Cleveland music press and Pere Ubu’s own channels highlighted his role as a central figure in the city’s experimental rock history.<ref> Pere Ubu guitarist Jim Jones dies, CleveScene. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

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Legacy

Writers and musicians have credited Jones with helping shape the sound of multiple overlapping Cleveland scenes—from Mirrors’ proto-punk recordings to Easter Monkeys’ darker post-punk and the more polished, pop-oriented Pere Ubu albums of the late 1980s and early 1990s.<ref> Dusted Down: Worlds in Collision by Pere Ubu, Undilutable Slang Truth. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

</ref> His production work and curatorial efforts, including mixtapes and archival projects, have also been cited in documentation of Cleveland’s underground rock history.<ref> Pere Ubu biographies – James E. Jones, UbuProjex.com. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

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Projects

• Mirrors
• The Styrenes
• Foreign Bodies
• Easter Monkeys
• Electric Eels
• Home and Garden
• Terminal Lovers
• Pere Ubu
• Speaker\Cranker
• Noble Rot
• KNG ↑ NXN

Discography

This discography lists major releases and clearly documented recording credits for Jim Jones. Additional compilation appearances and reissues may not be included.

With Pere Ubu

• The Tenement Year (1988, Fontana/Enigma) – guitar, composer
• Cloudland (1989, Fontana) – guitar, backing vocals, composer
• Worlds in Collision (1991, Fontana) – guitar, backing vocals, composer

With David Thomas & the Pedestrians

• Variations on a Theme (1983, Rough Trade) – guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals, loops

With Mirrors

• Another Nail in the Coffin (1989, Resonance; later reissues) – bass
• Hands in My Pockets (2001, Overground; archival 1970s recordings) – bass, occasional drums
• Another Nail in the {Remodeled} Coffin (2004, ROIR, 2×CD) – archival recordings, bass
• Something That Would Never Do (2009, Violent Times; archival LP) – bass
• Those Were Different Times: Cleveland 1972–1976 (1997, Scat Records; various-artists compilation) – tracks by Mirrors featuring Jones

With Easter Monkeys

• Splendor of Sorrow (recorded 1983; later CD/LP and digital editions on Scat Records and others) – guitar

With Foreign Bodies

• "The Incredible Truth" / "Long Walk Home" (7″ single, Bizart Records, 1980) – leader, guitar, production

With Electric Eels

• "Spin Age Blasters" / "Bunnies" (7″ single, various issues) – bass, keyboards
• Spin Age Blasters (archival compilation of 1973–1976 recordings; multiple formats) – bass, keyboards on selected tracks

With The Styrenes

• It's Artastic! Cleveland '75 to '79 (1991, Homestead Records; compilation) – bass on "Drano in Your Veins" and other tracks

With Home and Garden

• History and Geography (1986; later CD and digital reissues) – guitar, production and additional instruments

With Terminal Lovers

• Drama Pit (& Loan) (2001, Biological / Shifty) – Korg MS-10 and other synthesizer parts

With Speaker\Cranker

• Speaker\Cranker (1999, Holophon Stereosonic Sound) – keyboards; mixing

With KNG ↑ NXN

• Going to Hand in a Hellbasket (2001, Garfield’s Windmill Records; later digital reissue) – bass, vocals, harpsichord

Other appearances and production

• Production and recording work for various Cleveland bands documented through Red Hour Records and other local labels
• Additional compilation tracks, archival releases, and live recordings featuring Jones with the above projects

External links

• UbuProjex – Biography of James E. Jones
• Jim Jones (3) at Discogs
• Pere Ubu official Bandcamp

References

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