Music’s much-loved Face

KENNEY Jones has been the heart-beat of some of rock and roll’s most important bands, starting in the 1960s with soulful rockers Small Faces, before forming the Faces with Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan, Sir Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, and later joining The Who following the death of Keith Moon.

- CASEY COOPER-FISKE PA Entertainment Reporter

With the Faces, drummer Jones, now 76, was part of one of the most raucous live acts ever, with listeners almost able to smell the scotch consumed during their good time rock and roll performances when playing classic albums such as A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... To A Blind Horse (1971) and Ooh La La (1973).

But with lead singer Sir Rod preparing to perform in the legends slot at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, the PA news agency asked Jones whether he and his former bandmate Wood would be joining the Faces frontman for a reunion.

Jones laughed: “I’m keeping that very quiet.”

It comes after the drummer has recently been correcting the Small Faces’ error-riddled The Autumn Stone compilation, almost 60 years after its initial release by former Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham’s record label Immediate, in an attempt to save it from financial ruin.

The record was released after Small Faces split into the Faces and Humble Pie, fronted by lead singer Steve Marriott, meaning the band, of which he is the last surviving original member, had no input.

Released in 1969, The Autumn Stone features songs which would have been on the band’s unreleased fourth studio album 1862, as well as a blistering set of live tracks recorded at Newcastle City Hall in 1968, with the vocals of legendary soul singer PP Arnold featuring on the performance of Tin Soldier.