Biography
Who is Jean-Jacques Burnel?
Early life and education
Jean-Jacques Burnel was born in Notting Hill, United Kingdom, to French parents who operated a restaurant where his father worked as a chef. During his youth, his background as the son of French immigrants in Britain caused him to face bullying from his peers. This led him to adopt the name John to hide his origins. These early encounters with xenophobia eventually impacted his stage presence and temperament.
At the age of twelve, he relocated with his family to Godalming in Surrey. He attended the Royal Grammar School in Guildford and later studied history at the University of Bradford. These formative years helped shape the individual who would eventually become a prominent British musician.
Career with the Stranglers
Jean-Jacques Burnel has been a member of the Stranglers since the group started in 1974. He remains the only original member still with the band. Although he trained initially as a classical guitarist, he adopted the bass guitar as his primary instrument within the group. His playing is noted for melodic lines and an aggressive sound, particularly on early tracks produced by Martin Rushent such as Peaches and No More Heroes.
Jean-Jacques has provided lead vocals on nearly a third of the band's tracks. He and bandmate Hugh Cornwell often traded vocal duties depending on which voice suited a specific song best. His sound was famously created using a Fender Precision Bass with RotoSound strings, played near the bridge, and amplified through a damaged Marshall speaker cabinet for distortion. He has used Shuker JJ Burnel signature basses since 2006.
Solo work and production
Beyond his work with the Stranglers, Jean-Jacques Burnel has pursued numerous solo projects and production roles. He released his solo album Euroman Cometh in 1979 and Un Jour Parfait in 1988. He also collaborated with his bandmate Dave Greenfield on the 1983 album Fire and Water. His production work extends to various international artists, including the Japanese groups Lizard and ARB, as well as the Belgian act Polyphonic Size.
He produced the Taxi Girl album Seppuku in 1981 and worked on Laurent Sinclair's single Devant le Miroir. In the late 1980s, he formed the rhythm and blues cover band the Purple Helmets, which released two albums. Also, he composed and performed music for the anime series Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo, contributing themes like We Were Lovers.
Personal life and interests
Jean-Jacques Burnel is fluent in French and frequently writes lyrics in the language. He is a dedicated martial artist, holding a seventh-degree black belt, known as a nanadan, in Shidokan Karate. He serves as the head of Shidokan UK. Outside of music and karate, he is a motorcycle enthusiast and has owned a variety of Triumph motorbikes.
During his younger years, he faced a call-up for national service in France due to his French citizenship. He avoided this by arguing that his absence would negatively impact the careers of his bandmates. He expressed a belief that only the bourgeois would agree to serve in their country's military. He has cited various bassists as influences, including Jack Bruce, John Entwistle, and Paul Chambers.
Birthday and age
Jean-Jacques Burnel was born on February 21, 1952, which makes Jean-Jacques 74 years old today. That birthday falls under the Pisces sign. Jean-Jacques shares the date with 66 other famous people.
Explore more
