Happy 70th birthday today to Mick Jones of The Clash and Big Audio Dynamite (born 6/26/55). With his recognizable stage presence, toothy grin, and genre-filled musical recipe book, Jones is one of rock’s most influential artists. Jones played a crucial role in expanding punk beyond its raw, three-chord roots into a diverse sonic landscape. genre blender. He pushed the Clash into reggae (“Police & Thieves”), dub, funk, and eventually hip hop and early sampling, which he explored more in his 80s band Big Audio Dynamite. Watch the video for Big Audio Dynamite’s C’mon Every Beatbox,” where Jones found his true groove
