The Loop Newspaper - Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide

Gary Jones, (born in Duncan, Oklahoma, 1955), is a professional musician, songwriter and sound and recording engineer. He attended Sound Masters Recording Engineering Schools in North Hollywood where he received a degree in Recording Engineering in 1983. His mentor and teacher , Brian Inglesby, encouraged him to also attend San Fernando Valley College where he continued his studies in electronics. After receiving his recording degree, Gary worked as a Recording Engineer at Amigo Studios in North Hollywood. These experiences inspired him to begin accumulating music and sound equipment in addition to the many guitars and musical instruments that he had been collecting all his life. Gary has amassed a 28,000 Watt public address system that he has been using for live sound management, which he employs for his work at the Mountain Festival.

Beginning at the early age of seven, Gary has been playing guitar for 56 years. He was greatly influenced in his early years by many of his family members who were avid musicians and singers, several of which were recording artists. When Gary was two years old, following terrifying tornados that almost took his family while visiting relatives in nearby Ponca City, Oklahoma, his family packed up and moved to California. After his parents divorced in 1965, at the age of ten, Gary moved back to Oklahoma to live with his stepfather. Later, Gary moved to California once again to live with his mother and attended Redlands High School where he participated in sports, winning awards in track and football.

Gary has played in numerous bands during his lifetime including in 1980, playing bass guitar for the popular band, Question Mark and the Mysterians in Bakersfield, California. This was following his move to Bakersfield from Redlands, California with the group Hott Lixx. During this time Gary met Wayne Charvel, the founder and builder of Charvel Guitars. Mr. Charvel recruited Gary to market and sell his custom guitars. This experience led Gary to connect with many prominent individuals in the music industry. One of these was the drummer, Pat Mastalotto, who currently plays drums for the legendary band, King Crimson. Pat and Gary worked on projects together and Pat ended up laying down the drum tracks on one of Gary's original songs called "I'm Still In Love With You". Most recently, Gary has played with the local band Rock Cowboy.

Pleased to once again be a part of the Tehachapi Mountain Festival, this will be Gary's ninth year as the Master of Ceremonies and Live Sound Engineer for this years' festival. When he is not performing at the Festival, he works full time for CalTrans as a Heavy Machinery Operator. Prior to that, Gary had his own business as a Licensed General Contractor for thirty-two years, where he used his many talents in welding, building, plumbing, electrical and woodworking. He is also a Master Flooring Specialist and has worked for numerous celebrities and entertainers, embellishing and improving their beautiful homes.

Gary currently lives in Tehachapi and is happily married to his wife, Cindy Iles-Nelson Jones, a nationally and internationally exhibited artist and educator. They enjoy cooking, gardening, working on their home and traveling together. He likes to spend time reading, connecting with friends, caring for his beautiful German Sheppard dogs and his cat, learning classical music theory and playing guitar. He thoroughly loves working with the Mountain Festival of Tehachapi not only because of all the talented people he is honored to be involved with, but also for the opportunity to employ his gift of storytelling and relating jokes that were inspired in him by his loving "Grandpa" back in Oklahoma!

Your Complete Guide to Mountain Festival 2017 is online: http://www.theloopnewspaper.com/page/your-complete-guide-to-mountain-festival-2017/3761.html