Nic Jones

Nic Jones was born on 9 January 1947 in Orpington, Kent, England, where his father owned a newsagent's shop. The family moved to Brentwood in Essex when he was two, and he later attended Brentwood School. He first learned to play guitar as a young teenager and early musical influences included such artists as The Shadows, Duane Eddy, Chet Atkins, Wes Montgomery and Ray Charles. His interest in folk music was aroused by an old school friend, Nigel Paterson who was a member of a folk band called The Halliard. When the members of the group decided to turn professional, one of them left to pursue a different career and Jones was invited to take his place. Whilst playing with The Halliard, Jones learned to play the fiddle and also how to research and arrange traditional material. The group toured the UK between 1964 and 1968, eventually splitting up when two of the members decided to pursue careers outside the folk music business. In 1968, Jones married Julia Seymour and they eventually had three children together – Daniel (deceased), Helen and Joe.