British Folk Hero Wizz Jones Has Died – clashmusic.com

British folk great Wizz Jones has died.
The news was confirmed overnight (April 27th) in a statement on the songwriter’s social media channels, penned by his son, Simeon Jones. Wizz Jones had been in poor health for some time, and passed away in a hospice two days after his 86th birthday.
Born and brought up in Surrey, Wizz Jones became fascinated with the guitar following the impact of the skiffle movement. Drawn to American influences, he grew his hair long after seeing pictures of Woozy Guthrie and members of the Beat Generation – his mother gave him the long-standing nickname, inspired by Beano character Wizzy the Wuz.
A forward-thinking acoustic guitarist, Wizz Jones soon became a key fixture of the London folk scene, influencing those around him. Finally releasing his solo debut in 1969, he balanced a singular career with a long-standing passion for collaboration.
Writing, recording, and touring across the decades, the 21st century seemed to allow this perennially underrated figure to take a bit more of the limelight. Touring until the end, Wizz Jones played his final show at London’s Ivy House earlier this year.
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In the note from his family, son Simeon Jones writes:
With an extremely heavy heart, I’m letting you all know that my beloved father, the great Wizz Jones, passed away early this morning, two days after his 86th birthday.
His loss has left a huge hole in the lives of our family and has robbed the music world of one of its precious treasures.
His health declined rapidly this year and we thank Trinity Hospice for making his last few days as comfortable as possible.
Always a humble man, these were his closing words at the end of his last ever gig earlier this year, February 28th 2025:
“Thanks to all the people – all over the world in fact – that heard my songs and my guitar playing, and came to my gigs for all those years. Thank you very much.”
Here’s a song from that gig, written by his life-long dear friend Alan Tunbridge.
Wizz was worried about disappointing the audience with his now weak singing voice, but even more worried about letting them down by not showing up…
Spoiler alert – it’s a bit of a tear-jerker.
I hope his wonderful music will live on and continue to make the world a richer place.
Thank you for all the love you’ve given him through the years.
– Simeon
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