Jimmy Jones (comedian)

Albert Simmonds (born 9 February 1938), better known by the stage name Jimmy Jones, is a British stand-up comedian, with a reputation for being "outspoken".^[1]

Jimmy Jones
Born	Albert Simmonds (1938-02-09) 9 February 1938 (age 87) Southampton, Hampshire, England
Nationality	British
Occupation	Comedian
Years active	1962-present

Life

Jones was born as Albert Simmonds, on 9 February 1938 in Southampton, England.^{[citation needed]} He grew up in Rainham, Essex, attending a Catholic school, and initially wanting to train as a priest.^[1]

Jones's autobiography, Now This is a Very True Story (ISBN 978-1843581963), written with the aid of Garry Bushell, was published in 2010.^[2]

Career

Jones first appeared on stage in 1962 at the Dagenham Working Men's Club, on the same bill as Max Bygraves.^[3] Granada Television discovered Jones in a Walthamstow pub in 1970, recruiting him for their popular Saturday night show, The Comedians.^[4]

Jones' catchphrase 'Kin' ell' was a play on words, derived from footballer George Kinnell.

In 1983, Jones was presented with what is reported to have been the first gold disc for a comedy album, after his Live from the Talk of East Anglia (1981) achieved 100,000 sales.^[5] He was the first stand-up comedian to release a video of his live shows, and in the early 1980s had three videos in the UK top ten.^[3] In 1994, The Independent reported that Jones was then "alleged to be the highest-paid stand-up comedian in Britain".^[4]

Celebrating fifty-six years in show business in 2018, Jones announced new tour dates.^[6]