Jammin' for Jones
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Jeff Jones and his brother began their careers as child performers singing harmony and playing ukulele. As teenagers Jeff and Mike started writing songs and performing all over the San Francisco area club scene. The brothers were eventually discovered and signed to CBS Records by the legendary record mogul Clive Davis. They started recording their own album produced by the great John Simon, producer of “The Legendary Band”, “Music From Big Pink” and many others. The brothers needed a few more songs for their next album so Leah Kunkel (sister of Mama Cass) introduced them to singer/songwriter Stephen Bishop, who eventually asked them to tour with him and play on his records.
Jeff went on to become a staff writer with EMI. While working with Rod Stewart and Eddie Money, Jeff fell ill having a seizure and was later diagnosed with MS. He lost feeling in his hands and had trouble walking. After a year of being in and out of hospitals and going through rehab, Jeff’s strong will and perseverance surprised everyone including his doctors. He became stable enough to resume his career and went on tour playing guitar for The Monkees and Art Garfunkel.
As a songwriter, Jeff had songs recorded by Art Garfunkel, The Monkees, Stephen Bishop, Johnny Mathis and Alabama. He had a hit with Hurricane 80 with the song “I’m On To You”. In addition, Jeff regularly sang on his brother’s “Live” Rockabilly Radio Show on WAKM.
In 2010 Jeff was about to sign a new Sony music publishing contract when he fell ill again after having his MS under control for the past sixteen years. He developed an alarming aggressive tremor in his left hand that shook continuously for two painful years. This prevented him from being able to play guitar. Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville diagnosed him with yet another life changing illness, Parkinson’s Disease. He was told it was rare to have both MS and Parkinson’s, and that he desperately needed brain surgery. This surgery would attempt to stop the tremor by implanting a small computer in his brain. Jeff’s surgery was costly and he wound up using all of his savings to cover the expense of it. The surgery was a success in that it calmed the tremor down considerably, but Jeff also needs the assistance of costly medications to make it possible to regain as much control over his body as he can.
Jeff became sick in the middle of working on his first solo CD. His hands were too weak and shaky to play guitar so he switched to playing the ukulele again. For now the progressive MS and Parkinson’s have rocked Jeff’s life and shelved his music career forcing him to place his solo CD on hold. It’s a full time job managing the daily struggles of these two diseases. Jeff describes living with MS and Parkinson’s like “walking up hill in mud with 40 lbs weights around your ankles”.
Please join Jeff's friends Stephen Bishop, Geanie Zelig-Galinson, Marybeth Maloney Thicke, Lena Evans, and many others in support of this campaign to help him get through these tough times.
THANK YOU!
P.S. Please LIKE the dedicated Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/JamminForJones to get updates about the concert we are planning to help Jeff finish his solo CD, so he can earn income from it!
THANK YOU!
Jeff went on to become a staff writer with EMI. While working with Rod Stewart and Eddie Money, Jeff fell ill having a seizure and was later diagnosed with MS. He lost feeling in his hands and had trouble walking. After a year of being in and out of hospitals and going through rehab, Jeff’s strong will and perseverance surprised everyone including his doctors. He became stable enough to resume his career and went on tour playing guitar for The Monkees and Art Garfunkel.
As a songwriter, Jeff had songs recorded by Art Garfunkel, The Monkees, Stephen Bishop, Johnny Mathis and Alabama. He had a hit with Hurricane 80 with the song “I’m On To You”. In addition, Jeff regularly sang on his brother’s “Live” Rockabilly Radio Show on WAKM.
In 2010 Jeff was about to sign a new Sony music publishing contract when he fell ill again after having his MS under control for the past sixteen years. He developed an alarming aggressive tremor in his left hand that shook continuously for two painful years. This prevented him from being able to play guitar. Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville diagnosed him with yet another life changing illness, Parkinson’s Disease. He was told it was rare to have both MS and Parkinson’s, and that he desperately needed brain surgery. This surgery would attempt to stop the tremor by implanting a small computer in his brain. Jeff’s surgery was costly and he wound up using all of his savings to cover the expense of it. The surgery was a success in that it calmed the tremor down considerably, but Jeff also needs the assistance of costly medications to make it possible to regain as much control over his body as he can.
Jeff became sick in the middle of working on his first solo CD. His hands were too weak and shaky to play guitar so he switched to playing the ukulele again. For now the progressive MS and Parkinson’s have rocked Jeff’s life and shelved his music career forcing him to place his solo CD on hold. It’s a full time job managing the daily struggles of these two diseases. Jeff describes living with MS and Parkinson’s like “walking up hill in mud with 40 lbs weights around your ankles”.
Please join Jeff's friends Stephen Bishop, Geanie Zelig-Galinson, Marybeth Maloney Thicke, Lena Evans, and many others in support of this campaign to help him get through these tough times.
THANK YOU!
P.S. Please LIKE the dedicated Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/JamminForJones to get updates about the concert we are planning to help Jeff finish his solo CD, so he can earn income from it!
THANK YOU!
Organizer
Lena Evans
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
