What Is Howard Jones' Net Worth?
Howard Jones is an English musician, singer, and songwriter who has a net worth of $16 million. Howard Jones plays the keyboards, synthesizer, drums, and piano and specializes in the genres of synthpop and new wave. His debut studio album, "Human's Lib," was released in 1984 and reached #1 in the U.K., where it was certified 2x Platinum. His second studio album, "Dream into Action," was released in 1985 and reached #1 in Sweden and #2 in the U.K. Jones also released the albums "Cross That Line" (1989), "In the Running" (1992), "Working in the Backroom" (1994), "Angels & Lovers" (1997), "People" (1998), "Piano Solos (for Friends and Loved Ones)" (2003), "Revolution of the Heart" (2005), "Ordinary Heroes" (2009), "Engage" (2015), "Transform" (2019), and "Dialogue"(2022). Howard had success with several singles, including "New Song," "What Is Love?," "Hide and Seek," "Pearl in the Shell," "Like to Get to Know You Well," "Things Can Only Get Better," "Look Mama," "Life in One Day," and "No One Is to Blame." In 1987, Jones earned an American Music Award nomination for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Video Artist. "AllMusic" editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine described Howard as "one of the defining figures of mid-'80s synth-pop."
Early Life
Howard Jones was born John Howard Jones on February 23, 1955, in Southampton, Hampshire, England. The son of Welsh parents, Howard grew up in Rhiwbina, Cardiff, South Wales. There, he attended the primary school Heol Llanishen Fach, followed by Whitchurch Grammar School. Jones started taking piano lessons when he was seven years old. His younger brothers, Martin, Roy, and Paul, are also musicians, and the three brothers formed a band called Red Beat. Howard attended Buckinghamshire's Royal Grammar School before his family moved to Canada during his teenage years. His first band was a progressive rock group called Warrior. After Jones returned to England, he enrolled at Manchester's Royal Northern College of Music in the mid-1970s, but 2 1/2 years into a three-year course, he decided that he no longer wanted to become a classical pianist. He met Bill Bryant, a Buddhist practitioner who influenced Howard and wrote lyrics for some of his songs.
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Career
In 1983, Jones invited record labels to see him perform at London's Marquee Club, and he signed with Warner Music Group later that year. He released his debut album, "Human's Lib," the following year, and it topped the UK Albums Chart and was certified 2× Platinum in the U.K. and Gold in Canada. The singles "New Song," "What Is Love?," and "Pearl in the Shell" reached the top 10 on the UK singles chart. Howard's second album, 1985's "Dream into Action," reached #1 in Sweden, #2 in the U.K., and #4 in Norway and went Platinum in the U.S. and Canada. The singles "Like to Get to Know You Well" and "Things Can Only Get Better" were top 10 hits in the U.K. and Sweden, and both were certified Silver in the U.K. At the 27th Grammy Awards in February 1985, Jones performed with Stevie Wonder, Thomas Dolby, and Herbie Hancock, and in July of that year, he participated in Live Aid. The single "No One Is to Blame," from the 1986 EP "Action Replay," was Howard's biggest U.S. hit, peaking at #4 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. That year he also released the album "One to One," which reached #10 in the U.K. Next, Jones released the albums "Cross That Line" (1989), "In the Running" (1992), "Working in the Backroom" (1994), "Angels & Lovers" (1997), and "People" (1998). "Everlasting Love" from "Cross That Line" reached #1 on the "Billboard" Adult Contemporary chart and #3 on Canada's "RPM" chart, and "Lift Me Up" from "In the Running" peaked at #6 on the Canadian Singles Chart.
In 2001, Howard joined the Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band tour as a keyboardist, and in 2003, he released the album "Piano Solos (For Friends and Loved Ones)." He followed that album with "Revolution of the Heart" in 2005, "Piano Solos (For Friends and Loved Ones) Vol. 2" in 2006, "Ordinary Heroes" in 2009, "Engage" in 2015, "Transform" in 2019, and "Dialogue" in 2022. In 2005, Jones was featured on the Mohito song "Slip Away," and it reached #23 on the UK Dance Singles Chart. Howard is a member of the Featured Artists Coalition board of directors; the organization represents "the specific rights and interests of music artists" and "advocates, educates, collaborates and researches on behalf of artists." In 2006, Howard spoke to "The Daily Telegraph" about the music press' negative perception of him, stating, "My songs are not about drug-taking or debauchery or rock and roll. They're about positive thinking and challenging people's ideas. I wasn't fashionable. I never got good reviews. But I'm proud of the fact that I wasn't liked by the media … Pop music is so reactionary and bigoted. And I found that what's 'cool' is often very shallow and transient."
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Personal Life
Howard and his wife, Jan Smith, have three children, Mica, Osheen, and Jasper. In the late '80s, Jones joined Soka Gakkai International, a worldwide Buddhist association. He has served as the musical director of Soka Gakkai International's Glorious Life Chorus, which has performed some of his songs, such as "Respected" and "Building Our Own Future." Howard practices Nichiren Buddhism and has said that chanting "Nam myoho renge kyo" ("I devote myself to the Lotus Sutra") every day since the early '90s has had a "profoundly positive effect on [his] life." Jones followed a vegetarian diet for more than four decades, and in 2019, he became a vegan.
