Glenn's Story

Glenn Jones is a well-traveled songwriter, singer, musician, storyteller, and performer based in Chapel Hill, NC. Born in Chester PA, Glenn has been a rolling stone most of his life, and lived five places before graduating from high school in Greensboro NC, birthing a restless nature that endures to this day.  His music-obsessed late older brother Davy Jones [punk rock Austin TX iconic guitarist (Hickoids, Ideals, Big Foot Chester)]  constantly blasted great music of all kinds into Glenn, starting around age 6, and taught him his first chords on guitar.  The die was cast, early!

 

His first paid public gig was on bass and lead vocals for Eclipse in Tamaqua, PA, having just turned 13.  In small town coal country PA, Friday night was the night that almost every corner had a fire station, VFW, or ethnic club had music and dancing, and the band stayed hopping.  Thrown in the fire early and often, Glenn learned bass, guitar, lead vocals, and how to entertain fast and well.  Glenn was a music weekend warrior through high school, and lasted a couple of years at UNC before dropping out to go full time with glam rockers Ezra.  Stints included The Suspects (NC power pop trio), The Buttondowns (London, UK), and many others.

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With a wife and two young kids to support, Glenn eventually entered the corporate world and tried to live the straight life, working his way up the ladder, eventually getting his law license.  But all of his energy and time seemed to go to the three and four nights a week still gigging, mostly solo acoustic in the Baltimore area, and filling notebooks with song ideas and working them out live in the bars.  Playing in a Graham Parsons tribute sparked a love affair with twang that never let up and burns stronger now than ever; it felt like coming home.

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The stress of leading a long-time double life, and the tankers full of booze needed to smooth it all over, finally led to the crash – career, marriage, house in Metrowest MA, the works, all gone in a blink.  Waking up in an ER hours from home, knowing he’d been a few heartbeats away from gone, immobilized for days with nothing but thinking to do, led Glenn to vow to devote the rest of his time on earth, however long or short, to living a life full of music and writing.

2016’s release, the loose song cycle of The Drunkard’s Suite, chronicles that time in 13 songs.  In “This World”, the CD ends on a note of redemption and hope.  

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After 15 years of exile in the northeast wilderness, he's now back home in his beloved Chapel Hill, NC, writing, singing, collaborating, and belting 'em out in clubs, listening room, and anywhere there's a mic and a stage.

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Glenn's latest is nearly complete - "Ready for the Good Times".  It is 12 road-tested songs recorded at the famed Rubber Room Studio with legendary producer Jerry Brown.  The personnel are a who's who of area music heavyweights - Robbie Link, upright; Andrew Marlin (Mandolin Orange), mandolin; Libby Rodenbough (Mipso), fiddle; Joseph Terrell (Mipso), guitar; John Bouldin, dobro.

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Catch this hard-working entertainer, he'll be playing somewhere near you soon.  His motto - "Music is life!"  

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