The Ultimate Band

Steve Jones

While Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious definitely grabbed all the headlines, it was actually guitarist Steve Jones who provided the musical backbone for the Sex Pistols. Growing up in the UK, Jones picked up the guitar in the early '70s, drawing inspiration from legends like the Faces and the New York Dolls. Because money was tight back then, he actually managed to snag various pieces of gear by borrowing—or rather, lifting—them from other musicians, including some equipment from David Bowie’s touring band during their big farewell shows in Los Angeles back in '73. Around that same period, he teamed up with drummer Paul Cook, and the two started jamming on cover songs in a local garage. By 1975, they were hanging out at a trendy boutique in London run by Malcolm McLaren, a guy who had previously worked with the New York Dolls and always had a knack for stirring up trouble.
McLaren eventually stepped in to manage them on the condition that they formed a real band, which brought bassist Glen Matlock and vocalist Johnny Rotten into the fold. That same year, the Sex Pistols officially launched, serving as the gritty, unapologetic alternative to the massive, overproduced prog-rock giants of the era; alongside American icons like the Ramones, they helped ignite the punk movement. Most of the songs the group wrote during those early days turned into absolute punk classics, though it wasn't easy, especially since Jones was still finding his footing as a songwriter, often building his own riffs by playing along to existing records. The band became a lightning rod for controversy due to their wild behavior, which caught the attention of several labels, though they often found themselves dropped before they could even finish a full album. Matlock left the group just as they were preparing to record their debut with Warner Bros., and he was replaced by Sid Vicious, a close friend of Rotten's.

Their sole official studio album, 1977's *Never Mind the Bollocks... Here's the Sex Pistols*, is widely regarded as a masterpiece of the genre. It gave us timeless anthems like "Anarchy in the U.K." and "God Save the Queen," all powered by those unmistakable guitar riffs from Jones that thousands of aspiring players have tried to replicate over the decades. However, despite the fame, a messy combination of substance abuse, clashing egos, and questionable management caused things to boil over, and the band broke up in early 1978 right after finishing a tour across the States.

Following the split, Jones and Cook stayed close, even contributing to the 1978 solo album by former New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders. They also recorded a few tracks without Rotten for a documentary about the band, where Jones even got a chance to step up to the mic for a few songs. By the end of the year, Jones produced an EP for the San Francisco punk group the Avengers, and he and Cook briefly collaborated with members of Thin Lizzy on a side project called the Greedy Bastards.

In early 1979, Jones and Cook played backup on several tracks for Joan Jett's debut album, *Bad Reputation*, and they even recorded an early version of her smash hit "I Love Rock N' Roll." After a few failed attempts to start new projects with members of Sham 69, the duo moved forward with a different lineup. By 1980, they appeared in a film alongside members of The Clash, and Jones even lent his guitar skills to Siouxsie and the Banshees. That summer, their new group, The Professionals, signed with Virgin Records and released a self-titled debut. Though the lineup shifted again shortly after, they released a second album in 1981, but a major car accident during a U.S. tour cut their momentum short, leading to the band's end the following year.

Even though Jones was battling some pretty intense substance abuse issues during this era, he still managed to pull together the new wave supergroup Chequered Past in late 1982, featuring former Silverhead and Detective vocalist Michael Des Barres alongside Blondie alumni Clem Burke, Nigel Harrison, and Frank Infante—though Infante was eventually swapped out for former Iggy Pop bassist Tony Sales. Much like his time with the Professionals, however, Chequered Past didn't stick around long, dissolving shortly after dropping their one and only self-titled album in 1984. By the time the late '80s rolled around, Jones had mostly gotten his life back on track and found himself co-writing tracks for Andy Taylor’s 1987 solo debut *Thunder* and for Iggy Pop on *Blah Blah Blah* and *Instinct*. He also dipped his toes into a solo career during this period, releasing two hard-rock leaning projects: 1987's *Mercy* and 1989's *Fire and Gasoline*, the latter of which boasted collaborations with Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe and Ian Astbury of The Cult, along with cameos from Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose and The Cult's Billy Duffy.

Jones kept his momentum going through the '80s and '90s by collaborating with everyone from Bob Dylan to Don Johnson, and even joined a short-lived side project with Johnny Depp and Gibby Haynes. In the '90s, he jumped back into the supergroup fray with the Neurotic Outsiders, a lineup that brought together Guns N' Roses veterans Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum with former Duran Duran bassist John Taylor. As you might have guessed, the group's run was brief, leaving behind just a single self-titled debut in 1996. His session work remained prolific, ranging from Mike Muir of Suicidal Tendencies to an Alice Cooper tribute project and even Insane Clown Posse, and he even co-produced Buckcherry's massive 1999 debut. Meanwhile, the original Sex Pistols pulled off a massive reunion tour and live album, *Filthy Lucre Live*, in 1996 before parting ways again, and Jones and his old bandmates were all featured in the acclaimed 2000 biopic *The Filth and the Fury*. ~ Greg Prato