British synthpop pioneer Howard Jones has signed with Jonathan Wolfson, joining a roster that includes Daryl Hall & John Oates, Loverboy and Fee Waybill’s The Tubes.
“Being a proud Gen X-er, I was always a big fan,” said Wolfson. “Not only was Howard Jones a ubiquitous force on MTV, but his eternally optimistic songs have also passed the test of time. His current live show is a celebration of his legacy, as well as the present, and things to come.”
Jones, who was managed from the beginning of his career in the early ‘80s by U.K.-based David Stopps, parted ways “amicably” seven years ago to handle his career with wife Jan, but was introduced to Wolfson by his agent, Paradise Artists’ Rick Shoor, who invited the manager to see the artist’s June show at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles.
“I thought maybe I’d get to open for a Hall & Oates tour, but we really connected,” says Jones, who released a new electronic music album, “DIALOGUE,” and post-pandemic single, “Celebrate It Together,” on Friday (Sept. 2). “I wasn’t looking for a new manager, but I felt at this point in my career, the story wasn’t finished yet. Jonathan understood it’s taken me 40 years, hundreds of gigs, trial and error, to deliver the kind of show he saw. I loved that he grew up with my music and had that emotional connection. I believe we can do some amazing things working together.”
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Jones has sold more than eight million albums around the world, scoring a pair of Top 10 U.S. singles in “Things Can Only Get Better” and “No One Is to Blame,” along with a Top 10 platinum album, “Dream into Action,” while signed to Elektra.
His career received a boost thanks to the Kate Bush effect of having “Things Can Only Get Better” featured in the third season of “Stranger Things.” “My Spotify numbers went through the roof, exposing me to a whole new audience,” he says. “It’s really a confidence boost to see young people at the shows. You can’t be stuck in the past. You need to move forward, be open to new things.”
