Mr. Jones

Mr. Jones may refer to:

Music

Other media

Mr. Jones (1993 film)

Mr. Jones is a 1993 American romantic drama film starring Richard Gere, Lena Olin, Anne Bancroft, Tom Irwin and Delroy Lindo, and directed by Mike Figgis.

Plot

Mr. Jones (Gere) is a man suffering from bipolar disorder, a disease that affords him periods of intense emotional pleasure and expansiveness but which also results in periods of suicidal depression. In one of his manic periods he jumps up onto the stage during a concert performance of Beethoven's ninth and starts conducting, resulting in his arrest. Libbie Bowen (Olin), a doctor at a psychiatric hospital, takes an interest in his condition and falls for him, has sex with him, and has to resign from her position.

Cast

Reception

The film was released to mixed reviews; movie historian Leonard Maltin remarked that "Gere is fine, but his onscreen behavior turns this into The Jester of Tides." Indeed, Gere received praise for his performance as the troubled title character. Many critics noted that the film would've been better if the romance plot between Jones and Libbie was left out, since it appeared forced and contrived.

Mr. Jones (Counting Crows song)

"Mr. Jones" is a song by American alternative rock band Counting Crows. It was released in December 1993 as the lead single and third track from their debut album, August and Everything After (1993). It was the band's first radio hit and one of their most popular singles.

History

"Mr. Jones" entered the American Top 40 on February 19, 1994, and entered the Top 10 five weeks later. On April 23, "Mr. Jones" passed R. Kelly's "Bump n' Grind", taking the number-one position (which it surrendered, the following week, to Prince's "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World").

The band's surprise success happened to coincide with Kurt Cobain's death. These events took a significant toll on Adam Duritz, the lead vocalist and principal songwriter. Duritz said in an interview, "We heard that, that [Kurt] had shot himself. And it really scared the hell out of me because I thought, these things in my life are getting so out of control...". These events and feelings were the basis for "Catapult", the first track of Recovering the Satellites.

Al Downing (musician)

Al Downing (January 9, 1940 – July 4, 2005), later known as Big Al Downing, was an American entertainer, singer, songwriter, and pianist. He received the Billboard's New Artist of the Year and the Single of the Year Award in 1979. He was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and was a frequent performer at the Grand Ole Opry. Downing was nominated as Best New Artist by the Academy of Country Music and appeared on Hee Haw, Nashville Now, and Dick Clark's American Bandstand television programs.

Biography

Early career

Downing began his career doing piano and vocals in Bobby Poe and The Poe Kats, who were an early backing band for country entertainer Wanda Jackson. His piano contributed to the single "Let’s Have A Party", which was released in 1960. The song reached #32 on the UK charts and made the Top 40 on the U.S. pop chart.

Downing reached the U.S. Hot 100 with "You’ll Never Miss the Water (Till the Well Runs Dry)", a duet with Little Esther Phillips. After the release of this single, he was signed by Warner Brothers. In 1974, Downing recorded the single, "I'll Be Holdin' On", which went to number one on the U.S. Disco charts for three weeks. In addition, "I'll Be Holding On" was a hit in Europe. On the other US charts, the single went to #31 on the soul chart and #85 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Al Downing

Al Downing may refer to:

Al Downing (baseball)

Alphonso Erwin "Al" Downing (born June 28, 1941) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was an All Star in 1967 and the NL Comeback Player of the Year in 1971. Downing is also famous for surrendering Hank Aaron's record breaking 715th home run on April 8, 1974.

Early life

Downing was born in Trenton, New Jersey. He attended Trenton Central High School, Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Rider College (now known as Rider University) in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.

New York Yankees

Downing signed with the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1961, and was already on the major league roster by July of that season. In his first full major league season, 1963, Downing went 13-5 with a 2.56 earned run average for a Yankee team that went 104-57, but were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1963 World Series. In 1964, he went 13-8 with a 3.47 earned run average, and led the league with 217 strikeouts.

Downing was 9-5 with a 2.66 ERA when he made his only All-Star team in 1967. He pitched two innings, giving up no earned runs while striking out two. On August 11, he struck out three batters (Tony Horton, Don Demeter and Duke Sims) on nine pitches in the second inning of a 5-3 win over the Cleveland Indians. Downing became the sixth American League pitcher and the 13th pitcher in Major League history to accomplish this feat.