Glenn “Dr. Gonzo” (now “Rev. Dr. Gonzo”) Jones was raised in the College Park area of Prince George’s County. Glenn’s interest in music started at the age of 11. He wanted to play the trumpet but was unable to do so because he wore braces. Glenn’s dad, Joe Jones, was a Big Band jazz drummer in the Washington, DC area. As such, Glenn’s first influences were all jazz cats—Gene Krupa, Gene Krupa, and Gene Krupa. Having watched his dad play his entire life, he became interested in the drums and learned to play on his dad’s 1941 Slingerland set with real calf skin heads (I now have that kit). Glenn’s first rock and roll influences were John Bonham, Mitch Mitchell and Ginger Baker.
The summer of ’69 was a pivotal year for Glenn as he earned his first $11 as a paid musician before shuffling off to Staunton Military Academy in Staunton, Virginia. While in the Staunton-Harrisonburg area, he played with a group named Mordor (named so for the love of Tolkien), playing at local nightclubs and having to lie about his age to do so. In 1973, after graduating from the Academy with honors, Glenn and the group moved to the Detroit area to play full-time. While working in Detroit,
Glenn discovered the phenomenal playing of Ian Paice, Tommy Aldridge, Phil Ehart, Carmine Appice and Carl Palmer. After being able to stay out of jail and feed himself as a professional musician for a year or so, he returned to the Washington area. For several years, he worked and practiced, discovering the great jazz/fusion artists such as BillyCobham, Lenny White and Tony Williams.
A chance meeting with a fellow cadet from the military academy he attended brought him in contact with an old friend and bass-playing wizard named Henry Farmer. This led to an audition with an up and coming local band, DC Star. Glenn got the job. The friendships, experiences and broadened understanding of how to survive as a professional musician gained through the ability of working with four excellent musicians who had a drive to write and play good, solid music were truly invaluable.DC Starwas fortunate enough to open for a number of national acts including Judas Priest, Journey, Blue Oyster Cult, Pat Travers, Guess Who, Humble Pie, Zebra, Quiet Riot, Armored Saint, Twisted Sister, Molly Hatchet, Blackfoot, and the Ramones. DC Star achieved some regional success and recorded and released three albums. The singles “Is it You” and “I Wanna Rock Tonight” received regional air play. The original tunes and a good, kick-ass show helped make DC Star a popular regional attraction.After the lead singer for DC Star, Ken Taylor, was injured in an automobile accident the original DC Star lineup was gone. Glenn left the band a year later.
Glenn has since been involved in a number of projects and continues to play. His current employer, Last Remains (lol), is four seasoned veterans of a lot of bars, clubs and shows who simply love to play and they’re good at what they do.
“My Favorite Cats”The Big Three: Gene Krupa, Tommy Aldridge and John Bonham. The endless Monsters—Neil Peart, Ian Paice, Keith Moon, Buddy Rich, Billy Cobham, Tony Williams, Stewart Copeland, Phil Collins, Cozy Powell, Steve Smith, Aynsly Dunbar, Louie Bellson, my Dad, oh yeah, and did I mention Gene Krupa. There are truly an endless number of guys whose playing kills me but there are too many to mention here. Anyone who sits down at a kit and makes the music feel good is good by me.
Glenn currently uses a number of kits depending on his mood and the job:
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Six-piece Tama Star Classic with Octabans;
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Five-piece 1965 vintage Slingerland Silver Sparkle;
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Four-piece custom made “On The Edge” maple kit in white marine pearl;
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11 Zildjian or 11 Paistesymbals depending on if the month has an “R” in it—just kidding;
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Zildjian sticks, Pearl hi-hat and bass drum pedal, Remo heads and Gibraltar hardware.
