Blues Search Engine: Dennis Jones

Blues guitarist Dennis Jones grew up in Baltimore County, Maryland in an area which he describes as the "boonies". As a young man, Dennis was exposed to many styles of music from Motown and Gospel to Rock & Roll and R&B. Dennis first desired to play drums, but his parents thought that they would be too loud. So when he was 13 he asked for a guitar, two years later he had a Marshall Stack in the living room at which point his parents thought maybe the drums weren’t so loud after all. Dennis has always enjoyed tweaking his guitars and amps in search of that magic tone. By the time Dennis was 15, he was playing in his first band with musicians 3 to 4 years older and with more experience, which made his playing mature even faster. His musical exposure was quite varied. He’d listen to artists from Al Green, James Brown to Santana and The Rolling Stones. As a teen his older brother introduced him to Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and the Who. His major influences were what he affectionately refers to as the three "J’s" (Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Jimmy Page) and the three "K’s" – (B.B. King, Freddie King and Albert King). To this day, Dennis continues to be inspired by these legends. Dennis played guitar in several cover and original bands throughout his youth. For several years while stationed in Europe, he played with notable Blues and R&B bands. This was a great time in life where he got to meet people, experience new cultures and hone his skills. Dennis came back to the states in the early 80s and continued playing in mostly cover bands. In 1985, Dennis moved to Los Angeles where he played in a rock and funk band that was wooed by a few major labels. In the late Eighties, the music scene changed and so did his direction. Dennis decided to concentrate solely on the blues and began writing it and playing it and has continued ever since. Dennis started the Dennis Jones Band in the mid 90s while continuing with other musical opportunities on the side. During his journey he has played with the BusBoys and with Zac Harmon and the Mid South Blues Revue in which he was featured on Zac’s CD "Live At Babe & Ricky's" as well as co-writing a song on "The Blues According to Zacariah". Dennis had the distinct pleasure of performing with Zac Harmon when he won the 2004 International Blues Challenge Championship. Over the years, Dennis has sat in with such artists as Guitar Shorty, Kenny Neal, Deborah Coleman, Chris Duarte and many more. In 2004, Dennis released his debut CD "Falling Up" (Blue Rock Records) produced by Brian O’Neal of the BusBoys. Dennis released his second CD, "Passion For The Blues" (Blue Rock Records) in 2006. Eight out of the ten tunes are penned by Dennis Jones. This CD has received great reviews and has been embraced by radio and fans as well. Life for Dennis Jones, as well as the Dennis Jones Band is shining bright. (quoted from Dennis Jones' page at myspace.com)