Buster B. Jones
Buster B. Jones in Rietberg/Germany in 2005
Buster B. Jones in Rietberg/Germany in 2005
Background information
Birth nameBradley F. Jones
Also known asBuster B. Jones
BornAugust 24, 1959
OriginAmes, Iowa
DiedFebruary 2, 2009(2009-02-02) (aged 49)
GenresCountry
Occupation(s)Guitarist Songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar
Years active1988–2009

Buster B. Jones (August 24, 1959 - February 2, 2009) was an American guitarist specializing in the fingerpicking style.

Biography

Born Bradley F. Jones in Ames, Iowa, on August 24, 1959, he is the son of Clarence Buster and Allene Whillour Jones and had three sisters and three brothers. He learned to play a very young age, his talent coming from his parents and older brother, Ron. He graduated from Ames High School in 1978 and then served in the United States Air Force.[1] He first became known after entering Guitar Player Magazine's International Reader's Soundpage Competition in 1988[2] on a whim. He submitted an original composition, titled Back Porch Boogie, as well as a cover of Salty Dog Blues, recorded using a reel-to-reel recorder and then transferred to cassette using a boombox. Jones came in first place out of nearly 900 entries.[3] He went on to win the National Fingerpicking Championship at Winfield, Kansas in 1990. He formed a duo with his friend Thom Bresh, the son of the Merle Travis.

In 1995, Jones became a spokesman for Godin guitars,[4] playing a custom instrument he named "Pearl" for the mother of pearl inlay of his name on the neck. He toured often, earning the nicknames "Le Machine Gun" and "Pistola" for his fast playing style. That same style earned the notice of Chet Atkins, who described Buster by saying; "Buster B. Jones is the best fingerpicker I've heard since Jerry Reed… He plays like he's double parked."[4]

Jones was well known for his mentoring of young players and he appeared in 11 instructional videos demonstrating and explaining fingerstyle guitar technique.

He toured all over the United States and Canada and overseas, in France - where he played guitar with Marcel Dadi -, Germany, England, Ireland, Italy, Australia, Japan and more.

He died on February 2, 2009, in Eugene, Oregon, from liver failure.[5][1] He was survived by his companion Nancy Writer, and had two daughters, Jennifer and Jessica. He was first married to Cindy Jones Thomas.

Discography

Albums

Solo

Year Album Label
1988 Back Porch Boogie Flat Five Press & Recording Co., FFP-1103
1988 Stepping Out Flat Five Press & Recording Co., FFP-1105
1991 Live at 'Five Flat Five Press & Recording Co., FFP-1111
1998 Fingers in Flight Recorded at Brian McConnal Studio, Quebec, Canada
2002 Just Us Pazgunyak Music, PM040602
2005 A Decade of Buster B. Jones compilation CD (?)

Duet

Year Album Label
2001 Guts & Steel: Goovemasters vol. 5: Thom Bresh & Buster B. Jones Solid Air Records
2003 Ron's Point of View (featuring Buster's song Jessica Sue and two duos with Ron Wise: Conceived in Alaska & Fireweed) Ron's Point of View

DVDs

Year Name Studio
1998 (VHS Tape), 2006 (DVD) Buster B. Jones In Concert (with special guest Thom Bresh) Homespun, Hal Leonard, HL00641399 (VHS Tape), HL00642001 (DVD)
1998 (VHS Tape), 2005 (DVD) Thom Bresh In Concert (with special guest Buster B. Jones) Homespun, Hal Leonard, HL00641893 (DVD)
+14 instructional DVDs released by Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop

Songbooks

Year Name Publisher
1999 Ballads and Barn Burners Mel Bay Publication, Book & CD edition, MB98627BCD
2001 Remembering Marcel - 19 Fingerstyle Guitar Solos Celebrating the Life of Marcel Dadi (featuring one Buster's song Au revoir mon ami) Mel Bay Publications, Book & CD edition, MB99759BCD
2009 Just Us - 14 Complete Notation and Tab Transcriptions Mel Bay Publications, Book & CD edition, 20395M

References

  1. 1 2 "Obituary information for Bradley "Buster B." Jones". www.adamssoderstrum.com. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  2. ↑ Wheeler, Tom (July 1988). "The Winner!" (PDF). Guitar Player. pp. 48–50. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  3. ↑ "Titles by: Buster B. Jones". Mel Bay. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Godin Guitars Mourns Loss of Buster B. Jones". Guitar Player. 10 February 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  5. ↑ Dickens777-6474, Tad (2012-04-12). "Tribute to Brad 'Buster B.' Jones benefits Music Lab in Roanoke". Roanoke Times. Retrieved 2023-11-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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