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Jah Wobble
Jahwobbleplaying.jpg
Wobble in 2005
Background information
Birth name John Joseph Wardle
Born (1958-08-11) 11 August 1958 (age 66)
Stepney, London, England
Genres Post-punk, dub, world, experimental rock, electronic
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Bass guitar, vocals, keyboards, drums
Years active 1978–1984, 1986–present
Labels 30 Hertz, Island
Associated acts Public Image Ltd, The Human Condition, Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart, The Damage Manual, Chinese Dub Orchestra

John Joseph Wardle (born 11 August 1958), known as Jah Wobble, is an English musician. He is famous as the first bass player for the band Public Image Ltd (PiL). He played with them in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He left PiL after they released two albums.

After leaving PiL, he started his own music career. In 2012, he worked again with Keith Levene, another guitarist from PiL. They made albums like Metal Box in Dub and Yin & Yang. Since 2013, he has been a guest on a radio show called Up All Night on BBC Radio 5 Live. He talks about music on the show. He also wrote a book about his life called Memoirs of a Geezer in 2009.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

John Joseph Wardle was born in Stepney, East London, on August 11, 1958. His father was a postman and his mother worked as a secretary. Wobble grew up in Whitechapel, a part of London's East End.

He became good friends with John Lydon (also known as Johnny Rotten) in the 1970s. They met at Kingsway College in London. They were part of a group of four friends called "The Four Johns." The other two were John Grey and John Simon Ritchie, who later became Sid Vicious.

Wobble tried playing the guitar first. But he found that playing the bass guitar felt more natural to him. He was inspired by Aston "Family Man" Barrett, the bass player for Bob Marley and The Wailers. Wobble thought his friend Sid Vicious was not a good bass player. So, Wobble often played bass in practice sessions with John Lydon.

Musical Journey

Starting a Solo Career

After leaving PiL, Wobble formed a band called The Human Condition. He played with guitarist Dave "Animal" Maltby and PiL's first drummer, Jim Walker. The Human Condition toured in the UK, Europe, and the US in 1981. They released two live albums on cassette.

In these early years, Wobble also worked with members of the band Can, Holger Czukay and Jaki Liebezeit. They made several albums together. In 1983, Wobble also worked on an album called Snake Charmer. He was a co-leader on this album with The Edge from the band U2.

Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart

Jah Wobble started his band, Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart, in 1982. The first members included Ollie Marland on keyboards and Annie Whitehead on trombone. Other musicians like trumpeter Harry Beckett also played with the group.

For a while, Wobble worked other jobs while still making music. He even worked for the London Underground train system. There's a famous story that he once used the public address system at Tower Hill tube station to announce, "I used to be somebody. I repeat, I used to be somebody."

In 1987, his friend Neville Murray convinced him to bring back The Invaders of the Heart. Wobble recorded a live concert in 1988. He took this recording to New York City in 1989 to find a record deal. He got a deal with a small European record label. The live album, Without Judgement, came out in 1989.

After this, Wobble worked with many other musicians, like Brian Eno. He explored different types of music, including world music, before it became very popular. His album Rising Above Bedlam in 1991 was very successful. It included a song called "Visions of You" with Sinéad O'Connor, which became a top-40 hit. His 1994 album Take Me To God also featured many artists from different cultures. These included Baaba Maal and Dolores O'Riordan. This album was also very popular.

Later Career and Collaborations

Since the mid-1990s, Wobble has released a lot of music. He now has his own record label called 30 Hertz Records. He often tours the UK and Europe with his band, Jah Wobble & The Invaders of the Heart.

His music has explored many styles, like ambient music and dance music. In 2203, he even reworked old English folk songs.

Wobble was part of a "supergroup" called The Damage Manual in 2000. This band included Wobble on bass, Martin Atkins on drums, Geordie Walker on guitar, and Chris Connelly singing. He played on their first album, but later left the group.

He also worked with his wife, Zi Lan Liao, who plays a Chinese instrument called the guzheng. Their album was called Chinese Dub. In 2009, Jah Wobble and the Chinese Dub Orchestra won an award for their album Chinese Dub.

In 2009, John Lydon reformed PiL, but Jah Wobble did not join. He felt the pay was not enough. In 2010, Wobble played with former PiL guitarist Keith Levene again. They played more shows together in 2012. They released an album called Yin & Yang that year.

Wobble also worked with the British ambient group Marconi Union. Their album, Anomic, came out in 2013. In the same year, he released a book of his poetry with a CD.

In 2015, a large six-CD collection of Wobble's music called Redux was released. It covered almost forty years of his work. Jah Wobble & The Invaders of the Heart went on a long UK tour in 2015. They released the album The Usual Suspects in 2017.

Other Activities

Jah Wobble also went to Birkbeck, University of London part-time for four years. He earned a degree in humanities in 2000.

His autobiography, Memoirs of a Geezer: Music, Life, Mayhem, was published in 2009. It was well-liked by critics. He also writes book reviews for The Independent newspaper sometimes.

Personal Life

Wobble has four children. His daughter, Natalie Wardle, is a music producer. He has two sons with his second wife, Zi Lan Liao, who is a Chinese guzheng player and harpist. Wobble was raised as a Roman Catholic. Later, he became a follower of Mahayana Buddhism.

List of Collaborators

Jah Wobble has worked with many musicians, including

Images for kids

  • Jahwobbleplaying

    Wobble in 2005

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