Rob Jones (musician)

Rob "The Bass Thing" Jones (1964 – 31 July 1993) was an English musician. He was a founder member and original bassist for The Wonder Stuff, based in Stourbridge (West Midlands, England).

The Wonder Stuff

Jones was born in Kingswinford, near Dudley, United Kingdom in 1964. He had followed From Eden, an earlier band featuring fellow future Wonder Stuff members Miles Hunt and Malcolm Treece. Following the split of From Eden he left the Midlands for London in 1984 to play in a number of thrash/death metal bands and even roadie for a support band on one of The Pogues' tours. Hearing that Jones had returned to the Midlands in March 1986, Miles contacted him with a view to becoming the group's new bassist. The first time they played together, along with drummer Martin Gilks in March 1986, they sat in the kitchen and wrote "A Wonderful Day" and "Red Berry Joy Town" which, respectively, became the first Wonder Stuff single and the first track on the debut album.

Jones played on the debut album The Eight Legged Groove Machine and the follow-up Hup. Following being endlessly disrespected and and bullied on a daily basis since day one, by both Miles, and Miles's "yes man" Malcolm Treese, The Bass Thing was finally left with a choice: Either leave the band, or put up with being treated "like the tea boy" by Miles and Malcolm, and at the same time, try to bite his tongue hard enough that he did't get arrested for multiple homicide. Needless to say, Jones left Miles and Malcolm to their own devices in December 1989, and went to his fiance in New York City, the morning following the last of a 3 night, sell out gig at Birmingham's Aston Villa Leisure Centre.

Later career and death

After the move to New York, he married Jessica Ronson-Jones, and he formed another band, The Bridge & Tunnel Crew, singing vocals and playing rhythm guitar.

His new band was doing well, playing in clubs around Manhattan, and went into the studio to complete a demo for Polygram in 1993. But things were not going well at home, and his wife, Jessica Ronson-Jones left, with The Bass Thing telling her, "If you're leaving, then I am dead. If I can't have you, I have nothing to live for." And so he went on what his wife called "self-destruct." He had never used heroin previously, but by July 31st, 1993, he had passed away of an overdose of heroin, cocaine and alcohol. He was 29 years old just like Hank Williams, his idol.

His death was not determined a suicide by the coroner, but an "accidental overdose."  So Ms. Ronson-Jones got both his life insurance policies, and his record royalties (even today, which would KILL Miles to know, because he hated her! -- Every penny made from a song that Rob wrote or performed with the Wonder Stuff, Ms. Ronson-Jones makes royalties. Rob would love that little last "F-you" to Miles!).

After he passed away, his mother (who The Bass Thing was estranged from, because she was so abusive to him for most of his life), and the Wonder Stuff held a phony "memorial service" with an urn that they pretended was full of Jones's ashes. It was empty, because Jessica Ronson-Jones had her attorney tell his mother his body would not be returned to England. But the attendence of the "memorial service" had no idea they were being duped.

In 2007 Jessica commented: "In life, he told me he never wanted to return to the UK, because he had no fond memories of the way anyone treated him there, especially Miles, and everyone with the Wonder Stuff management, and his mother. So I had his body cremated, and put his ashes in various places...The pink sands of the Sahara desert in Morocco...Across from the Parachute drop in Coney Island...Tammy Wynette's poolside garden (when I was there for a party when she was alive)... Hudson Park across from the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island... (and) the French Quarter in New Orleans." .

It was said as recently as December 14, 2008, that Miles "speaks very fondly of The Bass Thing now". To which someone close to the Bass Thing replied, "Miles never had a single nice thing to say to Rob in life, so why be so phony in his death?"

If Miles and company were more respectful when Jones was alive and working with The Wonder Stuff, instead of treating him like "The tea boy" as he described it, then The Bass Thing would never have left that band.

Miles never had a single pleasant or respectful thing to say to Jones when he was alive, because Jones had the stage presence and charisma, and Miles was just flat out jealous of that, because he didn't have the same kind of power to command attention. So maybe Miles is making up for it now, in doubletime, trying to "speak so well" of Rob. But thankfully, The Bass Thing doesn't have to hear Miles anymore.