We’re so pretty, oh so pretty thrilled to wish a very happy 55th birthday to Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones. Through only four singles and one album, The Sex Pistols virtually invented U.K. punk and their influence on music, fashion, and general “piss off” attitude runs deep even to this day. While Sid Vicious was drooling all over himself and Johnny Rotten was acting—well, rotten—Jones’ disciplined guitar work anchored the group’s sound along the thin barrier between rock and total chaos.
An only child raised in West London, Steve Jones performed poorly in school and had numerous petty crime convictions before dropping out of school at 17. Influenced by the early ‘70s glam rock icons, Jones formed The Strand with friends Paul Cook (drums) and Wally Nightingale, the original guitarist ousted by nefarious manager Malcolm McLaren. With Glen Matlock on bass and John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) on vocals, The Sex Pistols unleashed their brand of anarchy on a shocked U.K. public, performing messy, high-energy gigs that often ended in police action.
After the band’s split in 1978, Jones and Cook formed the short-lived punk group The Professionals, famously appearing in the punk cinema classic Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains. In ’82, he relocated to Los Angeles and worked as a producer and session guitarist, collaborating with a wide range of artists including Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, and Megadeth. In the ‘90s, he co-founded the L.A. super group Neurotic Outsiders with Duran Duran bassist John Taylor and former Guns N’ Roses members Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan.
Currently, Mr. Jones hosts his own radio program, Jonesy’s Jukebox on Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles and has also appeared with his old Sex Pistols mates for a number of reunion gigs.
God save you, Steve Jones! (We mean it, man…)
