He may be known to you as the guitarist of "Tool", but he is much more than that. He's an animator, he's a sculptor, he's a costume designer, a set and special effects designer, and also a make-up artist.
(Photo: artofit.org)
Here are some interesting facts about Adam Jones, who is ranked 9th on "Guitar World" magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitarists in Metal:
1. He was born in Park Ridge, Illinois on January 15, 1965, to Adam Thomas Jones.
2. At an early age he started playing the violin and even excelled at it and was accepted into the Suzuki program for gifted musicians.
3. Other hobbies he had as a child were animation and sculpture.
4. In high school he had already moved on to play the contrabass and was accepted as the bass player of the school choirת which played mainly classical music.
5. At the same time he played bass in the band "Electric Sheep" which he formed together with his friend Tom Morello, who played the guitar and would later become one of the founders of "Rage Against the Machine". Morello's mother was Jones' high school teacher.
6. Despite his high musical skills, Adam has never taken guitar lessons and learned to play by ear.
7. After high school, Adam received a scholarship to study film, but he chose to move to Los Angeles and in 1983 began studying artistic make-up at an academy in Hollywood.
8. Later he became interested in sculpting characters and designing special effects for movies.
9. Upon graduation he began working as costume designer, make-up and effects designer on the set of several famous films such as: "Jurassic Park", "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and 5", "Terminator 2", "Demon Mowers 2", "Dancing with wolves" and more.
10. He met singer Maynard James Keenan in Los Angeles in the late 1980s.
11. In 1990 they formed "Tool" together with bassist Paul D'Amour, who was later replaced by Justin Chancellor, and with drummer Danny Carey whom Tom Morello introduced to them.
12. At this point Adam had to choose between a Hollywood career and a musical one, he made a good choice. Adam and Maynard will become the one who influence Tool's musical direction and its music videos.
13. In 1992, Adam, Maynard, and Tool released their first mini-album (Opiate), and soon after that they went on a tour with "Fishbone" and "Rage Against the Machine".
14. In 1993 they released their debut album "Undertow" which was a huge success.
15. In 1996 the band released their second album "Ænima". The album reached sales of a gold album within 10 weeks and won best metal performance in 1998.
(Photo: Fact Magazine)
16. After the release of "Ænima" the band found themselves in a legal battle with their record company. The legal proceedings led the band to take time off.
17. After a 5-year hiatus, "Tool" released their third album "Lateralus". The album jumped straight to number one on the Billboard 200, was a huge success, and received rave reviews from critics.
18. In 2006, "Tool" released their fourth album "10,000 Days". This album also jumped straight to number one on the Billboard 200, right in the first week of its release.
19. In 2019, after 13 years of hiatus, "Tool" released their fifth and excellent album "Fear Inoculum". It was the band's third consecutive album to reach number one on the Billboard charts.
20. Adam is a good friend of Buzz Osborne, guitarist, and singer of "Melvins". He appeared as the band's guest musician on the 2002 album "Hostile Ambient Takeover".
21. Jones uses his cinematic experience to produce clips for Tool songs such as: "Sober", "Prison Sex", "Stinkfist", "Ænema", "Schism", "Parabola" and more.
22. He also helped design the costumes and stage of the band "Green Jellÿ".
23. Jones is known for his heavy playing and often uses drop D tuning on his guitar. He is also known for having a unique sound, thanks in part to the increased use of Flanger and Daley effects.
24. Adam is ranked 75th on "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.
25. He is also ranked ninth on "Guitar World" magazine's list of the greatest guitarists in Metal.