What has Jack Jones been up to lately? OR Some very important advice from John Farnham

Join Cheryl Lee - That Radio Chick on STILL ROCKIN' IT for news, reviews, music and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians

A two-time platinum, eight-time gold, APRA award winning career doesn’t happen by accident, and Jack Jones is refreshingly honest about what it really takes. From a vivid New York childhood to restarting life in Australia at ten, Jack shares the moments that shaped him before Southern Sons ever hit the charts with Heart In Danger and the songs that still define 90s Australian rock for so many of us.

We get into the obsession that turns a kid with a ukulele dream into a serious guitarist: the long practice days, the breakthrough plateaus, and the mentors who pulled him into bands and studio work early. Jack also breaks down the myth of the “overnight success” and what changes when the industry machine kicks in, from demos to touring to the pressure of suddenly being the voice at the front of the stage.

Then we fast-forward to the choices that matter now: stepping away from The Fabulous Caprettos, building a recording studio, and protecting creative space for new records. Jack explains why Southern Sons leans into nostalgia without turning the music into a gimmick, how the band is refreshing the show with new energy, and what fans can expect when those classic hooks meet a tighter, hungrier lineup.

If you care about live music, songwriting, and how artists balance legacy with growth, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a Southern Sons fan, and leave a review telling us which classic you never want “reimagined.”

What has Jack Jones AKA Irwin Thomas been up to lately?  Let's find out!

Get out when you can, support local music and I'll see you down the front!!

Visit:  ThatRadioChick.com.au

Transcript

Show Intro

Cheryl Lee 0:33

You're with Cheryl Lee that radio chick, and I'd like to welcome into the Zoom room today. Two times platinum, eight times gold, and APRA award-winning Jack Jones. Yay! Hello. Thank you so much for joining us, singer, songwriter, guitarist with 90s rock giant Southern Suns.

Jack Jones 1:02

Could call us that.

New York Childhood To Australia

Cheryl Lee 1:03

We've got some important and exciting dates to talk about. The 2026 Heart in Danger to us. We might go back a little bit before we go forward. Remind everybody why we love Southern Suns so much.

Jack Jones 1:18

Oh, okay.

Cheryl Lee 1:20

All right. You were born in 71 in Manhattan in New York City. Didn't come to Australia until age 10. Do you remember much of those first 10 years?

Jack Jones 1:30

Oh, yeah, a lot. And I moved back in 2009 and was pretty much East Coast for about seven years. Then I did it a couple of years in LA, which I'd done before as well, but that was that was interesting. And then I did a year in Sweden. But yeah, look, I I remember a lot of that time. I mean, it was my mum and I, and it was us against the world, basically. It was quite an adventure during that, you know, first 10 years. And then obviously coming here was was a big change, but but a worthwhile change as well. Because I got to be with my family and my cousins and my grandparents and aunties and uncles. And so I think that was we basically started started again here, but it was, you know, with a lot of support. So yeah, it was awesome. It was great.

A Ukulele Sparks The Journey

Cheryl Lee 2:12

Did you play guitar in those early years in the US or did you pick it up when you came to Australia?

Jack Jones 2:20

I begged my mum for a ukulele when I was two. We're on our way to Australia. We had a visa issue in Hawaii, and mum took me to this, I don't know, it was like a fair at night, and there was this sort of mariachi group playing, and then there was like a little pantomime, doll pantomime thing going on, and this thing was playing a ukulele. And I begged my mum for a ukulele. I did take some lessons in the US, but I think I was just too young to really grasp the concept of practicing and then I took it up shortly after we came to Australia, and that's when Tony Calabro came into the picture, my beautiful guitar teacher, who's still teaching guitar down in Gippsland. That was uh the beginnings of um of uh of quite an adventure.

Cheryl Lee 3:06

At quite a young age, at age 14, you were in cover and original bands, also getting a reputation as a very accomplished and respected studio musician. That's a big clap, really.

Jack Jones 3:19

Yeah, look, I just had such a passion for it. I just loved it. I guess I didn't realize at the time, because I was spending so much time every day doing it. I just thought everyone was like that. You know, I thought everyone was spending four, six, eight hours a day practicing, doing something. I wasn't a perfect student by any stretch of the imagination, but I did have periods of when I would sort of break through or, you know, break through like a ceiling that you sort of plateau at. And I remember those times being very inspirational because that's when I would really dig in harder, you know, because I'd see that all this new stuff was available to me. So, I mean, not that I wanted to leave Traralgon for any sort of sinister reasons, but I didn't really see my future there doing what I wanted to do musically. But I tell you what, it gave me the best grounding and best foundation that I could have ever hoped for. Because I was fortunate enough to sort of have the older, more respected and mature players. They all kind of took me under their wing and gave me a go. So uh yeah, that's right. That's right. I guess that was where a lot of the foundations of what I was doing sort of were sort of drilled into me. And then, you know, I moved to Melbourne when I was 16 and and uh the rest's kind of history.

Cheryl Lee 4:38

Starting so young, this might actually be a difficult question to answer. I don't know. What do you think you might be doing now if this music thing hadn't panned out for you?

Jack Jones 4:47

Yeah, it's a good question. I'm not sure. I mean I may have ended up in some kind of hospitality, I think, because I enjoy people. You know, I enjoy meeting people and I find them interesting. I am, even though, you know, I go through periods of just enjoying being on my own. I do generally like interacting with people. It's uh, you know, well, you know, there's always something to learn from somebody that you're talking to. So I've always kind of been a bit that way. Yeah, maybe something in definitely in the arts somewhere. But fortunately music found me.

Cheryl Lee 5:23

Yeah.

Jack Jones 5:24

Um, and that was that was pretty much it, you know, from very early in the piece. It was one thing that I was spared as I was growing up. That turmoil of, you know, what are you gonna do? All this pressure, you better get these grades to get into the next level, to level up in life. I kind of bypassed a lot of that just as a function of my musical endeavors.

Cheryl Lee 5:46

You saved yourself a lot of stress there.

Practice, Bands, And Growing Up

Jack Jones 5:48

Yeah, look, I saved stress in some areas, and I think I gained it in others. You know, there's no preparation for this business. There's no manual for it, even though people have tried to write them. There's no real kind of preparing youth. But you know what? It was it was really a great experience. You know, I was the kid at school that couldn't get a girlfriend. I was the 14-year-old who was always who always sort of fell in love with the 16-year-old. And she wanted the 18-year-old because he had a car.

Cheryl Lee 6:13

Unrequited love.

Jack Jones 6:14

Well, see, it was just an interesting sort of lesson in, and then all of a sudden, you know, I was playing in bands and all these girls were sort of interested. And I was thinking, you didn't like me last week, but now you've seen me playing, supporting, you know, Jane Scali or Tony Pantano, or you know, and and which you know, don't don't get me wrong, I'm my tongue is in my cheek with all this, but it was a it was a wonderful sort of education just in the sort of psychology. Maybe I would have gotten into something like that, something of the mind, perhaps, because I do in that does interest me.

Cheryl Lee 6:49

give a man a guitar, and you know you see does go up a few points.

Jack Jones 6:55

Apparently.

Cheryl Lee 6:56

You're in quite a few different bands, including Hans Valen, covering band Van Halen. So it didn't happen overnight, but sort of it did explode quite quickly. In 89, you created Southern Sons with Buckle, and then in 90 you have that album, you know, number five, and singles reach Heart in Danger reaching number five. And did the trajectory sort of take off from there?

Southern Sons Breakthrough Years

Jack Jones 7:20

Yeah, look, I mean, I guess every overnight success has a sort of 15-year, you know, period of work where people just now for me, yeah, that's right. And you know, I was playing in Hans Valen with Virgil. I hadn't really sang in that band. I was just a guitar player, and that came from a bunch of other things. But then basically, Virgil just took me out of the car one day and asked me if I wanted to listen to some stuff. And that stuff was a band called The State that he was in. Now I was very familiar with State because I'd auditioned for the band The State was before it was the state, which was the Cutters, when I was 14. So I was very familiar with the music and the and the personalities in that band. So after that meeting with Virgil, things moved fairly, fairly quickly. Before that, I'd kind of sung and played on a bunch of demos for other people. And I was just kind of, I guess, making a bit of a name for myself in Melbourne, you know, and like you mentioned earlier, doing some sessions and stuff. I was doing some of those things kind of in Gippsland when I was like 14, and then I was a baby. And that was just, you know, that was people, I think. I think that was more people being kind to me and giving me an opportunity to do stuff, you know. But then, you know, stuff got kind of serious. Once the sons took flight, that machine started kicking in. But then it's not two people or one person or two or five people trying to build a career, it's the whole floor of a building that's sort of making things happen and basically throwing it up against the wall and seeing, you know, seeing what's six. Kind of. I mean, that's what the that's how the I mean, I don't want to sound too cynical, but that that's pretty much how the music business works. Well, how's in the past.

Finding A Voice As A Frontman

Cheryl Lee 8:59

We discussed how you found your love of and passion of guitar quite early. When did you discover that you also had a voice?

Sessions, Tours, And Big Artists

Jack Jones 9:06

Look, I always sang, it was never something I wanted to do as a as my primary, which is so ironic because it's become become that for me now. But I always thought that I've if I could sing a few BVs, I'd get the gig like playing guitar in someone's band over someone else who couldn't maybe sing a bit. But as it turned out, as fate would have it, you know, I ended up being the singer in that band and getting to play a lot of guitar as well. That was just a very, very intense time. It just hit very hard and then just kept going.

Cheryl Lee 9:45

Because you were very busy. I mean, apart from your own work, you also, as you mentioned, a session musician and worked with Lisa Edwards and Deborah Byrne and the Emmanuel Brothers and Bachelor Girl, and of course, the big one that we all remember is Farnham.

Jack Jones 10:01

Of course. Yeah, well, look, that was it was pretty much all downhill from there, really, wasn't it? Like when you think about it. Starting at 19 in John's band and opening for him with Southern Sons, and having Brown on that tour as well was a was an absolute, that was just wonderful. It's beautiful. It was just a magical time. I can't really call it anything other than that. It was just a, it really, really, really was. It was just something that's in quite indescribable. That was the chain reaction to ur. Then he asked me to join him again. Oh, they can't believe it. I'm 50 Tour. I can't believe I'm 55. You know, it's amazing. It's been longer since that happened than before it happened.

Cheryl Lee 10:46

Or you also was in Tina Arena's band as well. So you've been a busy boy.

Leaving Caprettos To Build

Jack Jones 10:51

I've always enjoyed, look, that was originally what I wanted to do. That was actually my dream to be like the musical director for Lionel Ritchie, or you know, that was, I think, when I saw Carlos Rios play with Lionel Ritchie, I was like on a live scale, that was that was really appealed to me. And I've always, yeah, enjoyed going out with other people, you know. I the good fortune of doing a run with Richard Marx, which was great, and Daniel Bedingfield in the UK. And, you know, the the fabulous Tina. I mean, she's just I just adore her. She's amazing. So any opportunity I get to do things like that, I usually try and if they if they feel right, I usually try and take them. Because the thing about that too is that you there's this really intense time of learning the music and then getting ready for the tour. But by the end of the tour, you're ready to do your own thing again. You're you're not sick of it, but you're kind of really inspired and you've got all these ideas and you've been putting all this stuff on well, then it was cassette players. Yeah. Micro, micro cassette recorders, but you know, this today in this age, it's your phone. But basically, you know, by the end of that, you've got all this sort of creative food. Yeah, that's right. You're ready to do something for you. So yeah, I don't do that as much anymore, obviously because there's just not as much of that kind of happening. And more so we're, you know, we're doing our own tours these days. So that takes a lot of legwork as well.

Cheryl Lee 12:13

Because you know, last time we sat down and did this, Jack, was in 2021. This time, 2021. Oh, yeah. Five years ago.

Jack Jones 12:23

Yeah, goes quick, doesn't it?

unknown 12:25

Yeah.

Cheryl Lee 12:25

And we were talking about because I think uh you've just joined the fabulous caprettos at that stage, and we were talking, yeah, we were chatting about that. So let's not leave it five years till we chat again next time.

Jack Jones 12:37

Good idea.

Cheryl Lee 12:38

Yeah. So I guess is that why you've left the Fabulous Caprettos? Because I mean the Southern Sons got back together in 2019 for the one electric day concert, and then you're toured last year and touring again this year. I guess you can't do everything, can you?

Jack Jones 12:54

You can't. And I and I think, you know, sometimes you've got to know when to leave the party. And when I say I leave the party, it doesn't mean I'll never play with the Caprettos again. I absolutely loved uh have enjoyed doing that gig, but I think sometimes you need to create a clearing and a space for something else to arrive into. And if you just fill your life up all the time with the same things, then there's no space for anything else to occur. And as much as I love doing that gig, I I really do enjoy it. It's we've all been familiar with each other, uh, all the principles, whether it's Daryl, Russ, Dave, Rai, Wendy now, Joe Camillari, you know, like there's there's been a bit of a revolving door, even though Rai and I have been there from the start. Was originally it was Daryl, Russell, Rai, and my and myself. I guess sometimes you just gotta give something have a little break.

Cheryl Lee 13:41

Yeah. It's time. It was time. Yeah.

Jack Jones 13:45

I've got I've got I've got a recording studio to build, I've got records to make and new sort of things to to take on. And they're all big projects.

Cheryl Lee 13:54

Yeah.

Tour Dates And New Show Plans

Jack Jones 13:54

Really, really substantial projects. And I'm not getting any younger. So you've got to make some choices that that seem at the time just from the outside don't seem like they're choices that you should be making. But when you, you know, when you've got a close look on across everything, you realise that something sometimes certain things have to give, you know.

Cheryl Lee 14:12

You are pretty busy all of through April and half of May.

Jack Jones 14:17

We're starting Warragul on Saturday night. That's going to be exciting because that's a little, it's kind of like a hometown gig. So I'm very excited about that. Looking forward to that.

Cheryl Lee 14:25

So you're in Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, back to Victoria, WA, and then for the Adelaideans, May the 2nd at the Gov, get onto the Googleometer onto the southern sons.com.au backslash dates to book your tickets. Then you're back to New South Wales and back to Queensland. You're everywhere, man.

Jack Jones 14:44

Yeah, we're doing a few, we're we're hitting a few places a couple of times, but it's great. Look, I'm super excited about this tour. We have some some new additions in the band, which has breathed a whole lot of new life and enthusiasm and inspiration into the group, and it's sounding amazing. We had a rehearsal early in the week, and I was just absolutely blown away. The band is sounding really good. We've done all new video stuff for this tour, which is that's been a big undertaking, but um I'm so happy with how it's uh I think we just keep going from strength to strength. So and you know, it takes a lot to keep this thing going, let me tell you. You know, if it wasn't for Reggie and um and Didi, Darren, our you know, my manager, I'd I may have given it a rest earlier. You know, it's just it's a very exciting time. And yeah, we I can't wait to get out there on the room. And we're gonna hear this again.

Cheryl Lee 15:34

Like the old good old favourites, heart in danger, always you know, the hold me in your arms, waiting to try, you know, all those, and um some newies as well.

Playing Hits Without Overhauls

Jack Jones 15:43

Yes, I do a little acoustic sort of intimate part of the show, I guess you could call it, where I just sit down with acoustic guitar, Reggie floats in and out. We play some of those old hits that you mentioned there. Well, hold the hold me in their arms kind of hits there. And I'm playing a couple of new souls as well. Just to keep things, just to keep the wheels turning. We're not trying to reinvent the wheel, we're not trying to do some, you know, jazz odyssey version of the sons like a lot of bands kind of do, like blues exploration. It's not that. We're trying to stay very true to because, you know, it's uh there's an element of nostalgia with this now, now that we're 30 plus years down the track. Uh, you know, I think there's a there's an uh an element of nostalgia there. But me as a as a fan of music, like when I go to see a band or an artist, a favorite artist of mine.

Cheryl Lee 16:31

So, you know, the nostalgia factor is very, very strong. And as a punter, we don't like you messing with those classics too much. You can fiddle around a little bit, but don't get too fancy on it.

Jack Jones 16:44

I hear you. it's funny because there's a part of me that absolutely loves just sort of tearing down a version of a song and then rebuilding it another way, but also there's a part of me that's a fan of music, and I'm a punter too. If I want to hear that, I'll go and hear an artist that I know, you know, which is why I'm fortunate enough to have two identities. And one of those identities gets to do whatever the hell he wants whenever he wants, and that's Irwin Thomas. And you know, Jack Jones kind of has to toe the line a bit sometimes. I know it sounds it might sound weird to people hearing me speak of myself in the third person and all that sort of business, but I think as contextually speaking, I like hearing this band sounding like this band.

Cheryl Lee 17:25

Yeah.

Jack Jones 17:26

I don't like hearing this band sounding like it's trying to be something other than what it is. Yeah, it should just be fully committed to that, uh, I think. Because I think that's where it's not our bread and butter, but it's our relationship with the people who have supported us doing what we do. They're all welcome to get on the internet and say, we want to hear Southern Sons sounding like a different band. And you know what? If enough of them say that, I might entertain it. But really, I just love what we do and how we do it. I've never seen any any real reason to try and push it too far anyway either way, you know?

Quickfire Questions And Hard Lessons

Cheryl Lee 18:00

I think our time is almost up. I've got a quick six, but I might just have to cut it down to a quick three. Are you ready?

Jack Jones 18:06

I'm ready.

Cheryl Lee 18:06

Alive or dead? Who would you most like to collaborate with? Jack?

Jack Jones 18:10

God, I am a big Bowie fan, but I'm also a big Lennon fan. I also loved Hendrix. It's that's so we could start with with Lennon and see how we went for them. I don't know. I might maybe I'd say, let's try Bowie, because I think if I you never know with someone like Lennon, because you may end up you may end up not liking them after you meet them, you're not sure. You know what I mean? They could be pretty spicy, some of those guys. Yeah. But in a perfect world, you know, yeah, there's a there's a bunch of them that you that you'd give you left arm to. You know, yeah, that's a good start.

Cheryl Lee 18:39

They say sometimes don't meet your heroes, don't they?

Jack Jones 18:41

They do. They do. And look, I've had my own experience with that. Sometimes it's been great, other times diabolical. So not so much. But you know what? You gotta just I'm a firm believer in just putting yourself out there. Just go for it.

Cheryl Lee 18:53

A song that you wish more people heard of yours?

Jack Jones 18:57

Well, I've got a song that hasn't been released yet, but we've played it a lot. But I'll be playing it on the tour, so I won't really talk too much about that. But that's a great question. Look, a lot of the evolution of Irwin Thomas, to be honest with you. That album was a labor of love. Took four years from inception to completion, and it's some of my still some of my proudest work to date. Uh, there's a particular song on that record called Consequence that I think should have really had a bigger audience, a bigger life. But it is what it is. But I I love that song.

Cheryl Lee 19:26

When you heard of people, get on to the evolution of Irwin Thomas and a piece of advice that you've received from somebody that was invaluable to you.

Jack Jones 19:37

John Farnham said to me once, he saw a picture of me. I'd say it might have been after I was rock 90. He goes, mate, lose the watch.

Cheryl Lee 19:44

That's invaluable advice.

Jack Jones 19:46

He was right.

Cheryl Lee 19:49

Was it the look?

Jack Jones 19:52

I didn't know. I think it was more the look. And I get it.

Cheryl Lee 19:56

Yeah.

Jack Jones 19:56

I totally get it.

Cheryl Lee 19:58

You're a rock star, you don't need to know what time it is.

Jack Jones 20:00

That's what someone else does for you.

Cheryl Lee 20:02

Yeah, exactly. You've got people for that.

Jack Jones 20:05

I just thought it was been a pleasure.

Service Gig, Song Pick, Closing

Cheryl Lee 20:07

So one other quick thing. In 99, I just found this out doing my research. You played the on the Tour of Duty concert for the troops in East Timor, and I just wanted to say, well done. Good, good on you on the Peacekeeper tour. Well done.

Jack Jones 20:22

Thank you. Well, you know what? Look, I've got a lot of my family that are in the in the like various levels of the police force. I've got family and friends who uh serve our country. And you know, whether I agree or disagree in some of the how that some of those things are handled, at the end of the day, these people are heroes and they deserve to be acknowledged. And any opportunity I get to show support with what I do, I'm always happy to throw my hat in the ring.

Cheryl Lee 20:48

Well, well done. Thank you for giving back.

Jack Jones 20:50

Really good people.

Cheryl Lee 20:51

Jack, thank you so much for sitting down with us. We wish you all the best on the tour, and we look forward to seeing you down the front here May 2nd at the Gov.

Jack Jones 21:00

See you at the Gov.

Cheryl Lee 21:01

Oh, I'll be the blonde dancing up and down. Thank you. Bye for now.

Jack Jones 21:05

Au revoir. Ciao. You are listening to Still Rockin' It, the podcast with Cheryl Lee.

Cheryl Lee 21:13

I think I shall leave you with Consequences from the evolution of Irwin Thomas. And a fun fact, this song was co-written by Jack and Rusty Brown, singer of Electric Mary. Thank you so much for joining me on the Still tRocking I podcast. Hope to catch you again next time. Get out when you can, support Aussie Music, and I'll see you down the front.