Remembering Spencer P. Jones

Photo by: http://emmyetie.com/

Spencer P. Jones, originally from New Zealand, has been dubbed the hardest working musician in town, some even suggesting he’s Melbourne’s answer to Keith Richards - his drawl a hundred million miles more special.

If you can’t immediately picture Spence, or Jonesy as some call him, I have no doubt you would have heard his signature wailing guitar, acerbic or painfully raw but beautiful lyrics at least once.

From fronting the cow punk outfit of the 80s The Johnny’s:

To being integral in the Beasts of Bourbon (one of Australia’s hardest, toughest, and loudest bands):

To stints with Paul Kelly (including appearing on the album Words and Music), Spencer’s legacy covered four decades.

Other well-loved bands he was associated with included Hell To Pay (with the late Ian Rilen of Rose Tattoo, X and Love Addicts), Cow Penalty, Olympic Sideburns, Maurice Frawley and the Working Class Ringos, Sacred Cowboys and his own outfits The Last Gasp and The Escape Committee:

While many friends of mine have had longer and closer friendships with Spence, he’s been a fixture in my life since first hanging out at St Kilda’s Greyhound Hotel in the late 90s, a sweaty melange of musical history past, present, and possibly future which developed into a dysfunctional family of sorts for many of us.

Weirdly Spencer was sitting between me and my partner Kim when we had our first kiss.

He has had such a varied career in music, even hosting the much famed Pure Pop trivia nights for a time, it’s difficult to gauge the impact he has had, he’s touched so many of us.

His love of mentoring younger musicians too has been much appreciated and admired, known affectionately as Uncle Spence to bands like the Bitter Sweet Kicks.

While his health hasn’t been great for some time, succumbing to liver cancer that turned particularly nasty in June, his memory will endure with a biography due for publication and an already recorded tribute album that may end up as a four volume set given the number of acts that have so far contributed.

He is survived by his wife Angie, and from a previous relationship his son Alvin.

All the way with SPJ.

Rosie.

Tonight, Wednesday 22nd August Cherry Bar is open for friends, family and fans to get together, remember and pay respects to the late musician.
Cherry Bar, AC/DC Lane, Melbourne.
More info available here