CHRIS JONES
From Gippsland in Victoria, Chris first began performing at the age of 16 with local Gunai band "Black Satin". In 1979 he began playing as a professional musician with Aboriginal band "No Fixed Address". Chris spent 7 years performing in this band which was formed in Adelaide at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM). During those years the band toured Australia and overseas and starred in the road movie "Wrong Side of the Road" which won the 1981 AFI Jury Prize for Best Feature Film.
One of the earlier performances of "No Fixed Address†was at the Country and Western Festival in Taperoo, South Australia during 1979. In 1980 the band were invited on a tour of the eastern coast of NSW with the teenage road show. These shows sharpened up the band and expanded their repertoire which gave the band an edge on other performers as they were playing non-stop for over four weeks
In 1981 the band released songs on the soundtrack album to the movie "Wrong Side of the Road" and were nominated at the AFI awards for best soundtrack. The album featured two of Chris's original songs Vision and Get a Grip. In 1982 "No Fixed Address†were contracted to Rough Diamond Records, a subsidiary of Polygram Records and released their debut mini album "From My Eyes". The album was launched at the Hilton Hotel by PM Bob Hawke. "From My Eyes" was re-released in 1995 through Mushroom Music and features two of Chris's songs - Stand Up and Pigs.
In 1986 "No Fixed Address" disbanded and Chris took up studies at the University of South Australia where he completed an Associate Diploma in Aboriginal Community Administration. During that period he performed in Aboriginal bands Weeamara and Slaves to an Image.
After a three year break from music Chris performed locally in Gippsland with "Bunjil Nerook" with Ian Johnson and Phil Solomon in 1993-1994. In 1995 he moved to Melbourne where he performed part-time with Bloodlines and also as a session bass guitarist with Blackfire during their tour with Carlos Santana.
During 1996 Chris rejoined "No Fixed Address" on tour for their reformation performances on the east coast. This was the first time that the band had performed together as the original unit since 1982. At the completion of the tour Chris performed with Dreaming People during NAIDOC week in east Gippsland. It was after this period that Chris left to pursue other interests.
Chris moved to Brisbane in January 2000 and has recorded an album of his original songs. The album Lake Victoria, just released on the CAAMA Music Label, features 10 of Chris's original songs including some of those from the "No Fixed Address" albums "Wrong Side of the Road" and "From My Eyes". The album features Bart Willoughby (ex-Mixed Relations/No Fixed Address), Barry Cavey (ex-Matt Finish) and Phil Solomon (ex-Bunjil Nerook).
