I'm actually pulling your leg. I was a keyboardist for a number of top 40 club bands for most of the 80s. I also produced local bands and formed a musicians networking organization called Musicians Anonomous in the New England area. It was a fun time.
I know who Howard Jones is. Still not one of my favs. I'm more into the harder rock stuff.
Hey! Howard Jones was my generation too... and I know that you aren't THAT much older than I am! (are you???)
Actually Howard Jones was one of those pop singers in the 80's who had a lot of hits, but wasn't really someone that everyone knew by name. Most folks who were around in the 80's would recognize his songs, but don't necessarily know that he was the one who sang them.
Very cool. I was in primary school throughout the 80's, and taking vocal lessons for 3 hours a day and piano another hour on top of that, and then playing around with my computer in any spare time I had on top of that.
I thought Howard Jones and Devo and Thomas Dolby and their ilk were awesome - they could do such amazing things with a keyboard and a computer. And Howard Jones was so awesome in that he'd do one man live shows that sounded like he had an entire orchestra, reprogramming the cartridges between sets - which was just so awesome to a 7 year old, and it's still impressive to me at 33.
Trent Reznor wouldn't have had a career if it weren't for HJ and those guys.
And, if you think about it, neither would Kei$ha or half the other people today who use completely computer-generated arrangements.