BIO

BIOGRAPHY

First and foremost, Jon considers himself a songwriter. He started out though at a young age as an actor, and it wasn't until his early teens that Cardiff born Jon discovered music and songwriting. Today he believes it is songwriting that has kept him sane!

Also a prolific writer Jon won his first award for writing whilst still at school.

Encouraged by his parents, (his mother was a singer with the Welsh National Opera), Jon first recorded in a studio aged fourteen, before being given carte blanche at the BBC studios in Cardiff for the next few years, attracting the attention of several labels, settling on a deal with RCA in LA after moving to Santa Barbara in his late teens where he also had his first book of poetry published.

As an actor, his first stage performance was aged seven, in front of two thousand people at Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens Pavilion. His high school drama teacher encouraged Jon’s acting, the result being various drama courses and training with LAMDA and the Welsh College of Music and Drama, appearing in many professional productions including the then newly born Chapter Arts, the Sherman and other Cardiff theatres, with Cardiff Laboratory Theatre Company and Orbit. A project that remains special to Jon was the "Magic Bus" theatre company run by Phil Cope, and based in a red double-decker bus, that travelled around Cardiff and the surrounding areas putting on plays, performances and shows, all on a specially made mobile stage, in parks and other outside venues.

At Cardiff Art College, given a project meant to be a five minute presentation, Jon, who already had a 8mm film camera and loved making short movies, had the idea of making a film, and with valuable input from others, the film went on to win an award for the college, and featured songs by the band Jon was in at the time.

Jon's move to beautiful Santa Barbara saw him performing with some of music's biggest names - Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Hall and Oate), Kenny Loggins, Peter Cetera, Joe Cocker and more, before he moved to LA, living in Laurel Canyon. However, after the successful concerts, releases and TV/radio appearances, Jon became disillusioned with being an artist and suddenly abandoned his own career and turned to representing, writing for and producing a wealth of artists. His LA based entertainment company in the 90's attracted and/or worked with many top professionals and household names, including two teen idols from the 70's; a true musical legend; and two American Idol judges, amongst others, becoming a highly respected independent company, creating innovative campaigns and producing some outstanding music for its artists.

Amongst his numerous personal appearances on television, film and radio, a special moment was appearing on the national Jerry Lewis telethon along with, amongst others, one Francis Albert Sinatra. He has an impressive reputation for discovering new artists and songs, having been the person who has brought many successful artists to the attention of the industry, media and public and he is a respected authority on both music and film. His weekly radio show for Fox in LA introduced many new artists to a vast audience..

Whilst living in LA Jon took his song-writing to another level, writing scripts, first developing one of his 'story songs' into a screenplay, followed by a second television screenplay for Fox.

On his return to the UK, where he had a theatre and live venue, Jon set about writing his first stage play, the acclaimed WEEKEND BREAK, which was first performed at the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival at the Gilded Balloon with Jon starring in the male lead; reviews included "skillful writing"; "excellent acting"; "impressive". Jon also actually directed the play as well. Weekend Break has been adapted for screen and is now called ‘TIL LOVE DO US PART.

Three plays have recently been published in hardback for the first time. The strong influences that the British ‘kitchen sink’ dramas of the fifties and sixties (A Kind of Loving; Saturday Night, Sunday Morning; A Taste of Honey; The Family Way; Look Back in Anger etc.) and writers and producers such as Tony Richardson, Alan Sillitoe, Stan Barstow and Bill Naughton have had on Jon is evident in his own writing.

He also cites John Steinbeck, James Lee Burke, Kinky Friedman, William Goldman and Dylan Thomas as other major influences.

The plays are; TRICK, a disturbing, gritty drama which tells the story of a teenage prostitute, who is a single mum fighting to get her son back from care; THE COLOUR OF LOVE, an electrifying contemporary Romeo and Juliet, set in modern day London, exploring the dangerous underlying racism that is threatening countries everywhere; and WEEKEND BREAK.

Jon also has several other books now available, including WINTER, SPRING, SUMMER, FALL; poetry collections POSTCARDS FROM THE ROAD; TODAY WAS TOMORROW YESTERDAY, TONIGHT THE SKY CRIED WITH ME; CHASING SUNSETS, as well as three anthologies of his work; IT'S NOT MY FIRST RODEO, featuring all his short stories; SONGWRITER, featuring all his lyrics and poems; and SCENES FROM A DREAM, which features all his plays and scripts.

His collection of short stories, TRAILER PARK TALES, published in 2015 has been joined by Stories for Dark, Rainy Nights. This year sees the publication of The Ballad of a Shooting Star and London, a collection of short stories.

The screenplay, DEAD AT NIGHT, was recently published and will shortly be followed by THE PREACHER screenplay.

His latest books include THE BALLAD OF JOSHUA TREE and the BALLAD OF THE LAST COYOTE, both set in the desert and Joshua Tree.

With his theatre and venue, Jon hosted friends and acclaimed musicians, including CARL PALMER, (Asia, ELP); COLIN BLUNSTONE and ROD ARGENT (The Zombies) and members of THE WHO, THE ROLLING STONES and GENESIS.

Musically, his first new release was the four track E.P., THE RODEO, which featured "Only Hurts Me When I Breathe" and "I Don't Work Without You.

At that time Jon was dividing his time between the UK and Nashville. He released his full debut solo album, COUNTRY TALES AND HOBO TRAILS, which was preceded with the release of a single, TELEGRAPH ROAD from the album, which received extensive worldwide airplay.

A second album, THE LONELINESS OF NIGHT, a naked and intimate romantic album, followed by a third album, THE JOURNEY .... SO FAR.

His earlier new age, instrumental album, HALF MOON SUITE, has been reissued and was followed by a second instrumental album, MOTHER NATURE'S ODYSSEY, featuring piano solos.

Jon is currently recording at his home studio for a very intimate and honest album. The influences of the singer songwriters who lived in Laurel Canyon during the late 60's and early 70's is very evident.

His last band in LA consisted of a Doobie Brother and members of Chicago and Bonnie Raitt's band, recording in Danny (Three Dog Night) Hutton's Trancas Canyon studio in Malibu, Danny providing backing vocals alongside Jon.

Jon lives in Tennessee on a small, six acre farm with goats, four dogs, chickens and ducks - and a donkey, and in the tranquility of the desert of California.

SIMON CRENSHAW

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS

The End of the Beginning (2009)

Winter’s Trilogy (2010)

Look, Two Hands (2010)

Spring; A Trilogy (2011)

Tall Stories (2007)

Telegraph Road (script) (2012)

Summer; A Trilogy (2013)

Fall; A Trilogy (2013)

Scripts (2013)

Weekend Break (2013)

Trick (2013)

The Colour of Love (2013)

Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall (2013)

Waiting in the Wings (2013)

Postcards From The Road (2013)

Today was Tomorrow, Yesterday (2014)

Songwriter (2015)

It's Not My First Rodeo (2015)

Scenes From A Dream (2015)

Trailer Park Tales (2015)

Chasing Sunsets (2017)

The Ballad of Joshua Tree (2021)

Tonight, The Sky Cries With Me (2021)

Stories for Darm, Rainy Nights (2022)

Dead At Night (2022)

The Ballad of the Last Coyote (2022)

PLAYS

Weekend Break (2007)

Trick (2010)

The Colour Of Love (2012)

DISCOGRAPHY

ALBUMS

Half Moon Suite (2008)

The Rodeo (EP) (2012)

Country Tales and Hobo Trails (2013)

The Loneliness of Night (2013)

The Journey ... so far (2014)

Mother Nature's Odyssey (2017)

SINGLES

Telegraph Road (2013)

Country Tales and Hobo Trails (2013)

Winter’s Day (released December 3, 2012)

Fallen (2013)

Telegraph Road acoustic 2021

All books and music available from the Shop page, iTunes, Amazon and all major sites and stores

Limited CDs and selected books are available online from this site