Jones was born in
Littlefield, Texas, on February 17, 1928. He was raised in
Coleman, Texas, the son of a turkey farmer (his father William) and a homemaker (his mother Jessie).[1] During his adolescence, he worked as an usher in a movie theater and attended the
University of Texas at Austin, where he was involved in its theatre department. He attained a master's degree from the university in 1951.[1] All of Jones's major musicals were written with
Harvey Schmidt, whom he met at the university.[1]
Jones acted in a New York City revival of The Fantasticks, which he also directed.[3] He played the part of the Old Actor, from when the musical opened in 1960, and from April 26, 2010, to June 6, 2010. He was credited as an actor in the show as Thomas Bruce.[4]
Jones was also the author of Making Musicals: An Informal Introduction to the World of Musical Theater,[5] about which Elyse Sommer wrote on January 15, 1998 in CurtainUp:
Extremely well organized and packed with interesting information, the first half of the book deals in broad and general terms with the growth and development of the American musical. The second half focuses on the practical "how-to" of putting together a musical, using Jones's own career and shows he's worked on as a springboard ... Since only half the book falls within the category of how-to I'm glad to report that this advice is stick-to-the-ribs solid. No hyperbole. No gratuitous name dropping.[6]
Personal life and death
Jones was first married to Eleanor Wright; the two later divorced.[1] Jones went on to marry choreographer Janet Watson. The couple had two children, Michael and Sam Jones. Watson died in 2016.[7]
Jones died from cancer on August 11, 2023, at the age of 95.[8]