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past members

vitals Born: July 15, 1971
Bass
Played 1999-2007

albums
>J Tull Dot Com
>Living with the Past CD
>Christmas Album

Latest Update
Jonathan plays on a new DVD with Rick Wakeman as well as several other DVDs and CDs. Get details. (Oct '09)

Visit Jonathan's MySpace page.
Jonathan Noyce

Jonathan Noyce

Jonathan Noyce was born in Sutton Coldfield, in the Midlands of England, on the 15th July, 1971, three months after the release of Jethro Tull's "Aqualung" album.
Jonathan NoyceHis father, Peter, was Assistant Organist and Choirmaster at Lichfield Cathedral, and his mother, Jane, a town planner. Jon grew up surrounded by the sounds of choirs, organs and the orchestral music which formed the basis of his parents' small record collection.

The family moved to various different homes in the south of England during the seventies including, for a time, living in the grounds of Rochester Cathedral where Jon was offered a place as a chorister. However, the family relocated to Hertfordshire and Jon's musical ambitions were instead to be nurtured, not as a result of his dulcet vocal tones, but through the acquisition of a drum kit.

Jonathan began to savour the delights of a number of other instruments including piano, guitar and trumpet before finding his true vocation as a result of purchasing a cheap copy of a Fender Precision bass guitar.

The call of the big city and the prospect of a life as a working musician brought Jon to London in 1990 to enroll at The Royal Academy Of Music, where he passed his entry examination by playing classical percussion!

Jonathan NoyceHowever, once accepted, he switched to a four year course in the study of bass guitar in the context of jazz and commercial music. During his academic period, he played with many varied musical outfits including appearances with David Palmer who had been the orchestral arranger for Jethro Tull and, during the latter half of the seventies, a full-time member of the group. With David, Jonathan visited Estonia and Venezuela, playing bass in the travelling core rock band line-up which underpinned the orchestral splendour of David Palmer's international concerts. These adventurous shows blended the Symphony Orchestra with the work of progressive rock groups such as Tull, Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd etc.

In 1995, Jon was introduced to Tull guitarist Martin Barre, who was soon to begin work on his second solo album, "The Meeting". Following the recording of this record, Jon was then recommended by Martin to Ian Anderson as a potential player on the concert dates which supported the release of Ian's solo album "Divinities". Claiming to play the "stand-up" or "double" bass, Jon turned up for rehearsals with a borrowed instrument and fingers tightly crossed. He got the job, complete with wage, expenses and a growing taste for regular concert touring.

Jonathan NoyceWhen Tull bassist Dave Pegg announced his retirement from the band in 1995 to concentrate on his original and first love, Fairport Convention, Jonathan was the natural choice as successor. He began a series of tours which was to last through the next three years, travelling most of the world and performing to hundreds of thousands of people with Tull's eclectic and varied music which seems designed to keep any bass player forever on his toes!

Between the tours with Jethro Tull, Jonathan has featured on many records as a session bassist , as well as live performances with a variety of artists. He is even to be found on some recorded music by the ultimate "boy band", Take That. He particularly enjoys Soul and Tamla music of the sixties and seventies, and plays regularly, in that vein, with a local London band.

Jonathan Noyce currently resides in London, England.

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