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Morgan
"Thunderclap" Jones was a piano player active on
the British rock'n'roll circuit in the late '50s
and early '60s. He was notorious for his live
shows during which he would do a striptease. Off
would come his jacket and bow tie; his shirt
would be unbuttoned; and then he'd remove his
shoes. It's worth noting that he weighed over 17
and a half stone.
I've seen one photograph of him in which he is
standing at his keyboard sweat-drenched, his
luxuriant quiff unravelling, with his exposed
corpulent belly spilling over his trousers. It's
quite a sight.
Jones originally hailed from Capel Isaf,
Llanelli. A grammar school boy, he once won a
music prize at the Llangollen International
Eisteddfod. He spent a couple of years at
Trinity College Carmarthen and went on to become
a school teacher before giving it up to pursue
his musical dreams.
In 1956 he
secured a 3 year deal with Oriole
Records and released his debut single
Hurricane Boogie. With its
hybrid of jazz and rock'n'roll styles it
was dubbed: "the zaniest disc of the
year" and Jones bizarrely labelled: "the
Johnny Ray of the keyboards". He was
also more accurately known as: "the Wild
Welshman of the Keyboards". Appearances
on television and further record
releases followed.
In 1961 he co-wrote So What for
Johnny Kidd and the Pirates which is
regarded as one of the few genuinely
great songs to come out of the British
rock'n'roll scene during its heyday.
Jones' thrilling piano solo on the
record is its most distinctive feature.
A trawl of the internet reveals that
Thunderclap was living above a guitar
shop in Denmark Street, Soho, in the
1980s but after that he trail goes cold.
Any additional information on the
intriguing Morgan Jones would be much
appreciated.
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