Born in 1950 in Portland, Oregon, Jones grew up surrounded by music, his father’s trumpet providing an early foundation. Older brother Paul introduced him to drumming while he was still very young, and he began performing professionally with both Paul and sibling Bob well before reaching his teens. Those experiences were deepened by encounters with touring blues, R&B, soul, and funk figures such as Muddy Waters and James Brown. In his late teens Jones added guitar, absorbing the styles of Jimmy Reed along with Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, and received further guidance from Walter Horton and S.P. Leary. He soon took Paul’s place in the local group Moxy, later known as Brown Sugar, and eventually assumed leadership; the band maintained a strong regional following throughout much of the 1970s.
After Brown Sugar disbanded, Jones handled drums for Slice Of Life and additional pop outfits while also playing guitar in a club trio. He and blues harpist Curtis Salgado formed a duo that grew into the larger ensemble In Yo’ Face, which remained active locally for several years until Salgado departed for Roomful Of Blues. In 1985 Jones assembled the Lloyd Jones Struggle, adjusting the set list toward traditional blues and contemporary New Orleans funk. The band built a loyal audience and earned critical notice, securing more than 20 Muddy Awards from the Cascades Blues Association.
Although Jones continues to reside in the Pacific Northwest, he has appeared at events including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the Western Maryland Blues Festival and has performed in Australia. His original material features such compositions as ‘Can’t Get You Off My Mind’, ‘I Broke My Baby’s Heart’, ‘Trouble Monkey’, ‘I’ll Be Laughing (When He Makes You Cry)’, ‘Don’t Call Me Today’, ‘Long, Long Way To Go’ and ‘When I Get Back Home’. Among the musicians who have worked in his band are saxophonists Warren Rand, Bob ‘Housewine’ Roden and Rudy Draco, trumpeter Steve Cannon, keyboard player Glenn Holstrom, bass player Victor Little and drummer Reinhardt Melz.
