Harold Jones

Harold Jones (b. Richmond, February 27, 1940 - ) – Drummer. While immersing himself in musical activities at Richmond High School, Jones earned a scholarship to attend the American Conservatory in Chicago, where he started gigging around the city. At age twenty-one, he visited twenty-three countries while on tour with Paul Winter. From 1967 to 1972, he played with Count Basie’s band and then segued into backing vocalists Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Carmen McCrae, Nancy Wilson and Sammy Davis Jr. Throughout the 1980s, he toured the world with Sarah Vaughan and played at the White House five times. His highlight of the 1990s was backing Natalie Cole for the “Unforgettable Tour.” Currently, he plays festivals—including the Indy Jazz Fest—and he gives master classes on swing style drumming at universities. As proof of his importance as a drummer, he played on five Grammy winning albums; they are Count Basie, Warm Breeze (1982), Sarah Vaughan, Gershwin Live (1982), B.B. King, Live at the Apollo (1990), Natalie Cole, Unforgettable With Love (1991), and Natalie Cole, Take a Look (1993).