Sonia Jones was born in Wales in 1955 into a family with a deep singing tradition — her father was one of ten siblings, all of whom sang, and music filled every family occasion. She joined a choir at nine, and by fourteen had moved to London, turning professional as a singer at just sixteen against her family's wishes.
Her voice became one of the most in-demand in the British session scene. She sang the title vocal on Monty Python's 'Life of Brian' theme aged only sixteen, took the lead in the Broadway production Dreamtime, and appeared on the TV show Let's Rock. She toured with The Who, Spandau Ballet, Mike Oldfield and James Last, and recorded with acts including The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Simple Minds and Peter Gabriel, also performing alongside David Gilmour, Annie Lennox and David Byrne.
Session singing of the kind that built her career has largely disappeared from the industry, and today Sonia works extensively as a vocal coach, training well-known singers for record companies, alongside touring with bands and contributing to film scores.
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Sang the title vocal on Monty Python's 'Life of Brian' theme song, aged just sixteen.
Sonia Jones
Session singer, backing vocalist and vocal coach
Born and raised in Wales before leaving as a teenager to pursue a singing career in London; her hometown is recorded locally as Llanelli.
Sonia Jones's career sits behind some of the biggest names in music — as a session and backing vocalist she has lent her voice to records and tours across four decades, and now passes that experience on as a vocal coach for record companies and touring artists. Her story is documented in the Session Stories oral history archive and in interviews describing how she left Wales determined to build a singing career against her family's wishes.
Career Highlights
Sang the theme song for Monty Python's Life of Brian, aged 16
Toured with The Who, Spandau Ballet, Mike Oldfield and James Last
Recorded with The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Simple Minds and Peter Gabriel
ℹ️ Born in 1955 in Wales, into a large family with a strong singing tradition.
Born and raised in Wales before leaving as a teenager to pursue a singing career in London; her hometown is recorded locally as Llanelli.