Jones, of Welsh ancestry, was born in Old Forge, Pennsylvania and raised in Scranton Pennsylvania where he graduated from Central High School. His father and grandfather were coal miners, and he worked in coal mines early in his adult life. He left that occupation to study voice at New York University. In an interview in 1973, Jones recalled that his father and grandfather were musically talented: "My father had a beautiful tenor voice. So did my grandfather...Grandfather taught violin, voice and piano when he could. My father sang every chance he could get and realized his ambition through me."
Stage
Jones appeared on Broadway a few times, including 1933's Roberta and the short-lived 1934 revival of Bitter Sweet after debuting in Boccacio in 1931.
Film
Jones starred in many film musicals during the 1930s and 1940s. The best-known of these were Show Boat, and The Firefly in which he sang what would become his signature song: "The Donkey Serenade". He is probably best remembered today as the romantic lead opposite Kitty Carlisle and Maureen O'Sullivan respectively, in the first two films the Marx Brothers starred in for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer: A Night at the Opera and A Dayat the Races, filling a straight-man role opened by the departure of Zeppo Marx from the team. His appearance in A Night at the Opera, was well received, and as a result, he won the coveted role of Gaylord Ravenal in the 1936 film version of Show Boat over such screen musical favorites as Nelson Eddy and John Boles. It would be Jones's most distinguished screen portrayal in which, under the direction of James Whale, he displayed fine dramatic acting ability, as well as his obvious singing talent. Jones made a brief appearance in the 1936 Nelson Eddy–Jeanette MacDonald film Rose Marie, singing music from Charles Gounod's Romeo et Juliette and Giacomo Puccini's Tosca, but according to Merchant of Dreams, Charles Higham's biography of Louis B. Mayer, Eddy, who apparently considered Jones a rival and a potential threat, asked that most of Jones's footage in Rose Marie be cut, including his rendition of the great Puccini aria E lucevan le stelle – and MGM agreed to Eddy's demand. Jones's final film for MGM was Everybody Sing opposite Judy Garland and Fanny Brice. In 1940, Jones moved to Universal Pictures for two musicals: The Boys from Syracuse, with the stage score by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, and One Night in the Tropics with a score by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields, was also the screen debut of Abbott and Costello. After these two films, he slipped to leads in several "B" musicals, at Paramount, and Universal, including a reunion with his A Night At The Opera co-star Kitty Carlisle in Larceny with Music. The same year he made a guest appearance, as himself, in the Olsen and Johnson musical Crazy House, where he again performed "The Donkey Serenade".
Recordings
Jones recorded prodigiously throughout his career, primarily for RCA Victor. His 1938 recording of The Donkey Serenade ranks third among all-time sales of single records by RCA Victor.
Radio
In the mid-1940s, Jones and pianist Frankie Carle starred in the Old Gold Show on CBS radio.
Later years
Jones continued performing until the 1980s, starring in stage productions of Man of La Mancha, Paint Your Wagon, Guys and Dolls and Carousel. In 1980, he appeared on the TV showThe Love Boat with his son as Jack's estranged father. He also bred and raised race horses on his ranch in California.
Personal life
Jones was married four times. His wives included Hervey, Maria Villavincie, and Mary Florsheim. He was married to actress Irene Hervey from 1936 to 1957. American pop singer Jack Jones is their son.
