Fenton "Jonesy" Jones | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 2, 1907 Los Angeles, California |
| Origin | Glendale, California |
| Died | June 30, 2003 (aged 96) Glendale, California |
| Genres | Folk and square dance calling |
| Labels | C. J. McGregor, others below |
Fenton G. "Jonesy" Jones (June 2, 1907 – June 30, 2003) was an American musician, best known as a square dance caller. He was widely described as a "nationally-known [dance] caller".[1][2]
Jones was born in 1907 in Los Angeles, California.[3] His mother, who died when Jones was seven years old, was a pianist and guitarist.[4] Jones began calling dances in 1940, touring the United States and calling at various square dancing events. He also called dances regularly at his home state of California.[5] He was known for dressing up in a Western-style at his events he worked, once stating that "short sleeves have been eliminated" while describing what he saw as a "rigid" dress code for square dance callers in a 1952 article.[5] Jones also released records of his calls under the C. P. MacGregor Records label, including "My Little Girl", "Down Yonder" and "Oh Johnny".[5] He had previously recorded his calls, first in 1946 on the Black and White then on Imperial, Capitol, MGM and Mastertone labels.[6] Jones also appeared in many films television series in the 1970s and 1980s, most often uncredited, as a square dance caller.[6]
Jones was married to Florence. He is a member of the Square Dance Hall of Fame.[6] He died in 2003. He had resided in Glendale, California for majority of his life.[7]