About
Who Is Renny J & Where Did He Come From?
My name is actually Reunald C. P. Jones III, but I go by Renny J! I keep reading that I’m suppose to be one of the premier accomplished bass players of recent years. My grandfather & father (Reunald Sr. & Jr. respectively) were well known & accomplished trumpet players. Reunald Sr. (Jonesy) was one of the “Jones Boys“, a recording group which also included Quincy Jones & Eddie Jones, and played with Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Buddy Guy (who he spoke of often), Nat King Cole, where he was featured on BBC television special, “An Evening With Nat King Cole” in London & Count Basie, who he played with for many years. He played with Count Basie when Basie won 2 Grammys in 1958 (the very first). I just recently acquired 2 Grammys for Jonesy for that time (pictures inside). That in itself took 2 years to fight for and win! I also just recently found out that “Jonesy” was credited as the person who discovered the great jazz singer, “Joe Williams”. You can read this in the Count Basie Autobiography, “Good Morning Blues“.
Renny J’s Dad &
A Little Bit More On Renny J
Reunald Jr. (Bo) also played w/ Quincy Jones, as well as with James Brown, Sammy Davis Jr., The 5th Dimension, Diana Ross, Micheal Jackson, Motown & other well-known artists. You can hear his trumpet playing every time you hear the theme songs to the television shows “Sanford & Son” and “Ironside”, as well as Chaka Khan & Rufus’ song, “At Midnight”. Both my dad & grandfather have passed away, but their legacy lives on through my playing. I’m told that I have a unique playing style, and I recorded w/ Parliament, Donna Summer, Billy Ocean, Joe Public & Toni Braxton, as well as a host of other artists.
Renny J Grew Up Where & Did What?
I was raised in the Williamsburg/Bed Stuy section of Brooklyn, NY (Lindsay Park Co ops baby!), where I grew up looking for something different in life. I never tried smoking, drinking or drugs, and I eventually moved to California to pursue my musical aspirations. I subsequently learned to play drums, keyboard & guitar to accompany my bass playing skills. After the record company I played with went out of business, I wound up going to Paramedic school where I subsequently worked in this field for about 5 years, and then on to work in the field of Radiology. Afterward, I eventually returned to and finished college with an AA degree in Administration of Justice and even had my own Private Investigation business called “California State Investigation & Loss Prevention“. While attending college, I played collegiate basketball there as a Point Guard and played semi-pro football with my long-time friend Royal Gardner.
Now What…
I continued on with my dream to record music and subsequently through years of writing & playing, and with the assistance of world class producer, Dave Waterbury, (formerly of the recording group “Spirit” & “The Boxtops”), and my closest friend, Guitarist Tony Chauncey (of w/ Sly & the Family Stone), who ironically also sort of grew up in Lindsay Park, I eventually recorded my debut CD, “Lindsay Park Presents…”. I’m currently working and collaborating on a Music Project with my boy, Jason “Kursewerd” Varner, who’s a Pittsburgh based producer since late 2001. Jason incorporates lots of styles into his production; emotional pieces, club/dirty south beats, underground and mainstream vibes alike, just to name some. He primarily produces with Blackburg Records/ Jams Avenue, Diamond-Light Entertainment Group, War Room Studios and Wishmasta Entertainment. Jason is quickly moving up to be the next Top Music Producer! Hopefully you’ll get the opportunity to enjoy the diversified musical taste on my next CD, currently available on iTunes called “Club Play… All Day!”, featuring Kursewerd.
Renny J’s Accomplishments To Date…
I was nominated for 2 I.E. Music Awards (January 2008, Best R&B and Best Blues), as well as having been nominated for an Orange County Music Award for Best Out Of County Song. I was chosen for the last 3 years by Vantage Records to add my music to their annual compilation CD, “L.A. Music Scene”(since 1991), and the most recent one is currently being released with the newest single called “Brooklyn Hop”. I also have some music recently added to an upcoming television series episode. I’m continually working on different projects with different people, and I’m always writing & recording new material. I’ve also done quite a bit of acting on the screen, for shows such as… “7 Days”, “X-Files”, “Any Day Now”, “Judging Amy”, “Vegas”, “Resurrection Boulevard”, “Popular”, & “Beverly Hills 90210″!
Renny J’s Equipment…
I play several different bass guitars and other instruments, so here’s a short list of the equipment I use…
J.K. Lado (Solo) 4 String Long Scale Electric Bass Guitar (Natural Color)… This is the bass I used when I played with the Funk Band Parliament/Funkadelic. At the time it gave me that great “Tube Amp” bass sound that you hear on the album, “Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein”
Cozart 4 String Long Scale Custom Electric Bass Guitar (White Color)… Gives a great bass sound & is perfect for being able to play nice lows, but can deliver on some highs whenever called for since I do slap & pop it! I usually play this when I’m in the studio.
Diplomat 4 String Long Scale Electric Bass Guitar (Natural Color)… This bass gives me great highs for slappin’ & poppin’, in & out the studio. I use this bass when I need lots of highs to accentuate the slaps.
Fender Stratocaster 6 String Electric Guitar (Blue Color)
[Photo Coming Soon]
Acoustic B100 Bass Amp… This amp has a 15″ bass driver that kicks out 100 watts RMS of powerful Bass Sound. It allows me the option to play through active or passive inputs (some bass guitars have a pre-amp on it via a battery & would go into the “Active” input, and those w/o would go into the “Passive” input). This is able to give me a tube-like sound w/ a four-band EQ., w/ a Low, Low Mid, Low High, and High Controls.
Gallien Krueger 100w Studio Bass Amp… This small amp has a Chorus Feature that makes me sound just like the group “Yes” or Geddy Lee of “Rush”. It uses a 12″ Heavy Duty Bass Woofer and has an additional input for a Dual Speaker Cabinet, which when connected gives me a total of 200 watts. Excellent for studio work or small sessions. In addition, when I connect it to my Yorkville 200B, it acts as a Pre-Amp to give me the most amazing & fullest electric bass guitar sound you ever heard for live performances.
Yorkville 200B Bass Amp… This amp has incredible 200 watt thumping sound w/ its 15″ sub woofer & horn. It has inputs for any effects as well as a Contour Button that spices up my Poppin’ & Slappin’ (which I love to do). This amp is built like a tank… and I usually connect my Gallien Krueger to it as a Pre-Amp in order to get the most amazing live sound from it you ever heard!!
Boss FX 508 Overdrive Plus Effect… I use this when I want my Bass Guitar to sound like an electric lead guitar and/or play guitar lead breaks or solos on my bass.
Hartke Bass Attack Pedal VXL… I use this when I need to change my effects and/or sounds during a performance when playing different songs.
Tascam CDBT1 MK II Portable Bass Trainer… I use this in order to practice. When I travel ANYWHERE… I am rarely w/o this! This allows me to play to CD’s or my iPod, honing my chops & refining my skill, practicing on different songs (especially since I play lots of Covers). I can control every aspect of the music I’m playing to, i.e., the speed, the tone, any effects, etc.
I Record On Pro-Tools II… Garage Band… FL Studio 8 Producer Edition…
Where Does Renny J Play?
I don’t play different venues like I used to back in the day, but you can catch me playing around at different places, such as AMP Rehearsal Studios, REV Rehearsal Studios in Chino, or Waterbury Studios in Valley Village, but my home studio is Garage Studios in Riverside. I’m always asked to play at various places, and you’ll have to stay tuned to this site to see where I’ll be next.
