JD Fox
Born April 1, 1957, in Ghent, Belgium, as Jan De Vos, JD Fox served as drummer for The Machines, Belgium's number one pop band, from the late 1970s through the early 1980s. The group recorded three albums. Their first, A World of Machines, was cut at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London, England. In 1989, he joined Derek & The Dirt, a heavy rock outfit which recorded four albums before his departure. In 1991, he became a singer-guitarist, combining American roots music with French lyrics, recording one album with the band Paris Texas and three solo records. Then came 2007, and he thought he’d had enough of the music business.
Shortly after, JD Fox got in touch with Spooner Oldham, writer of 'Genie in the Jug', a song he had previously recorded in French, and hooked up with the Sunset Travelers, Holland’s finest roots band. Together, they recorded The Roadmaster, a tribute to Oldham with songs that speak for themselves—no sophisticated arrangements, no big production, no vocal acrobatics. That's how JD Fox likes it. And so does Spooner Oldham!
In 2016, JD Fox released My Friend, his homage to another Muscle Shoals legend: Donnie Fritts. This time, he decided to even go further back to his roots. With some friends from Belgium, he formed The Velvet Street Band (the name refers to the address of the home studio where the album was recorded), an outfit that primarily plays acoustic instruments. The album is also JD Fox's debut as a producer.
2022 is the year of The River That Sings, the third and final part of JD Fox’ salute to the music that came out of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in the 1960s and 70s. To round off the project, JD chose not to pay tribute to a specific songwriter but to make his personal selection of tracks cut at different studios in the Shoals by true soul, pop and rock greats: Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart… To record these 14 songs, he could rely on the help of The Handymen, a collective of fine musicians from Belgium and The Netherlands.
Shortly after, JD Fox got in touch with Spooner Oldham, writer of 'Genie in the Jug', a song he had previously recorded in French, and hooked up with the Sunset Travelers, Holland’s finest roots band. Together, they recorded The Roadmaster, a tribute to Oldham with songs that speak for themselves—no sophisticated arrangements, no big production, no vocal acrobatics. That's how JD Fox likes it. And so does Spooner Oldham!
"It was a pleasure to hear the songs Jan did on this album. He sings from the heart. He is a soulful person."
Spooner Oldham
In 2016, JD Fox released My Friend, his homage to another Muscle Shoals legend: Donnie Fritts. This time, he decided to even go further back to his roots. With some friends from Belgium, he formed The Velvet Street Band (the name refers to the address of the home studio where the album was recorded), an outfit that primarily plays acoustic instruments. The album is also JD Fox's debut as a producer.
“I am so proud to have an entire album of my songs. Jan did a wonderful job on each track. Very heartfelt. Thank you so very much!”
Donnie Fritts
2022 is the year of The River That Sings, the third and final part of JD Fox’ salute to the music that came out of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in the 1960s and 70s. To round off the project, JD chose not to pay tribute to a specific songwriter but to make his personal selection of tracks cut at different studios in the Shoals by true soul, pop and rock greats: Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart… To record these 14 songs, he could rely on the help of The Handymen, a collective of fine musicians from Belgium and The Netherlands.
