Bruce Foxton
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox musical artist
Bruce Douglas Foxton (born 1 September 1955) is an English singer, songwriter and musician.
Foxton's music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as bassist and backing vocalist of mod revival band the Jam. He occasionally performed the lead vocals, such as on the songs "Carnaby Street", "News of the World", "David Watts" and "Smithers-Jones". After the band's break-up, he pursued a brief solo career releasing one studio album, Touch Sensitive, in 1984. The album's single "Freak" became a UK Top 20 hit in 1983. He played in several bands, including Sharp with former Jam member Rick Buckler, before joining Stiff Little Fingers in 1990. After leaving SLF in 2007, Foxton joined Rick Buckler and members of his tribute band, the Gift, to tour under the name From the Jam until the end of his guitar playing career in 2025.
Early life and education
Bruce Douglas Foxton was born the youngest of three boys on 1 September 1955, in Woking, Surrey, to parents Henry and Helen.<ref name="Reed2009">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Davis2012">Template:Cite book</ref> He grew up at 126 Albert Drive, Sheerwater where he was born, and attended Sheerwater Secondary School, in Woking,<ref name="worc">Template:Cite web</ref> where he showed great skill in football and technical drawing, but more importantly, where he met future bandmates Paul Weller and Rick Buckler.<ref name="worc"/> In 1972, he left school to work with his brother Derek at a printing firm.<ref name="Reed2009"/> While there, he formed a band with his colleagues at work but he abandoned the project out of frustration due to lack of progress,<ref name="Reed2009"/> and instead chose to join the Jam, formed by his old schoolmates, Weller and Buckler.<ref name="worc"/>
The Jam
The Jam emerged at the same time as punk rock bands such as the Clash, the Damned, and the Sex Pistols.
The Jam's first single, "In the City", took them into the UK Top 40 in May 1977.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1979, the group released "The Eton Rifles" and first broke into the Top 10, hitting the No. 3 spot in November.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The increasing popularity of their blend of Weller's barbed lyrics with pop melodies eventually led to their first number one single, "Going Underground", in March 1980.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Jam became the first band since the Beatles to perform both sides of the same single ("Town Called Malice" and "Precious") on one edition of Top of the Pops.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They also had two singles, "That's Entertainment" (1981) and "Just Who Is the 5 O'Clock Hero?" (1982), reach No. 21 and No. 8 respectively in the UK singles chart<ref name=":8">Template:Cite web</ref> despite not being released as singles in the UK—on the strength of import sales of the German single releases.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite book</ref> At that time, "That's Entertainment" was the best-selling import-only single to date in the UK charts.<ref name=":3" />
Drummer Rick Buckler and Bruce were the rhythm section of the Jam, which was fronted by singer, guitarist and songwriter Paul Weller.<ref name="chilfest"/> Foxton initially joined the band as lead guitarist (Weller played bass), but the pair switched roles following the departure of guitarist Steve Brookes. During his time with the band Foxton performed lead vocals on several tracks, most notably the singles "David Watts",<ref name="chilfest"/> a cover of a Kinks track, and "News of the World",<ref name="chilfest"/> which was his own composition.<ref name="chilfest">Template:Cite web</ref>
Foxton also penned a number of other tracks, the most notable being "Smithers-Jones",<ref name="chilfest"/> done as a straightforward rock take for the B-side of "When You're Young" and later reworked with strings for the Setting Sons album. After Foxton joined Stiff Little Fingers in 1990 the band would regularly perform the song live.<ref name="chilfest"/> Whilst in the Jam, Foxton discovered the new wave band the Vapors and offered them two appearances on the May 1979 tour of the Jam. The band was managed by John Weller, Paul's father.<ref name="Inc.1980">Template:Cite book</ref>
Later career
After the Jam broke up in 1982,<ref name="bfp">Template:Cite web</ref> Foxton pursued a brief solo career and released his debut studio album Touch Sensitive in 1984.<ref name="bfp"/> The album's single "Freak" became a UK Top 20 hit in 1983.<ref name="bfp"/> He had other minor UK hits in 1983 and 1984 with the singles "This Is the Way" and "It Makes Me Wonder",<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> and played in several bands, including Sharp with former Jam member Rick Buckler, before joining Stiff Little Fingers.<ref name="chilfest"/>
He stayed with Stiff Little Fingers for 15 years, during which time they recorded five albums, namely, Flags and Emblems, Get a Life, Tinderbox, Hope Street and Guitar and Drum. During his time with the band, he wrote and co-wrote several tracks, along with lead singer Jake Burns.<ref name="chilfest"/>
In 1994, Foxton and Buckler collaborated on Our Story, a biography of their years in the Jam.<ref name="story">Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2006, Foxton toured with Bruce Watson, Mark Brzezicki and Simon Townshend as the Casbah Club. When this band supported the Who in the UK, Foxton encountered Paul Weller backstage for the first time in nearly 25 years.<ref name="bfp"/>
In February 2007, Foxton and Buckler announced they would be touring together again as From The Jam, with members of Buckler's Jam tribute band the Gift.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In March 2008, they toured Australia<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and New Zealand – a first for Foxton and Buckler. A complete concert (recorded at the London Astoria in December 2007) was released on DVD in 2008 through the London-based indie label Invisible Hands Music.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On 5 May 2009, Foxton attended the funeral of Paul Weller's father John, who had been instrumental in the Jam's success.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Foxton played bass and contributed backing vocals on the songs "Fast Car/Slow Traffic" and "She Speaks" included on Weller's solo album, Wake Up the Nation, released in April 2010. On 25 May 2010, at the Royal Albert Hall, Foxton joined Weller onstage for the first time in 28 years,<ref name="bfp"/> to perform three songs, "Fast Car/Slow Traffic", "The Eton Rifles" and "The Butterfly Collector".<ref name="bfp"/>
On 1 October 2012, Foxton released Back in the Room, his first album in 30 years. It was funded by fans through PledgeMusic and released on Absolute via Universal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Co-written with From The Jam singer Russell Hastings and featuring drummer Mark Brzezicki, guest musicians included Paul Weller. Weller performed on three tracks, the single "Number Six", "Window Shopping" and "Coming on Strong".<ref name="bfp"/>
In November 2016, Smash the Clock, a second collaboration with Russell Hastings, was released on Absolute to generally favourable reviews.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Once again it featured a number of well known guest musicians, including Paul Weller. "Get Ready to Rock" online magazine/blog in their review wrote "Foxton and Hastings may not thank me for saying it, but this is probably the best album Paul Weller never made"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In December 2017, Foxton released the album From The Jam Live! with Hastings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2020, Foxton and Hastings celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Jam's fourth album, Setting Sons, with a From the Jam tour that involved the Vapors as the original support act on the Jam's 1979 Setting Sons tour. Because of the COVID pandemic, the tour was eventually postponed to 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In October 2022, The Butterfly Effect, Foxton's third collaboration with Hastings, was released on Absolute.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In January 2025, From The Jam announced that that due to ongoing health issues the final dates of the forthcoming Setting Sons tour would be Foxton's last performances with the group.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
In early 2009, Foxton's wife of 25 years Pat, who had worked in public relations for United Artists and CBS, died of breast cancer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Bruce is now married to Kate Foxton (née Farrow).<ref name="bfp"/>
Discography
With the Jam
Solo
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Label | UK Albums Chart<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">Template:Cite book</ref> |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Touch Sensitive | Arista | 68 |
| 2012 | Back in the Room | Absolute | – |
| 2016 | Smash the Clock | 31 | |
| 2017 | From the Jam Live! | Absolute | – |
| 2022 | The Butterfly Effect | Absolute | 34 |
Singles
| Year | Title | B-side | Album | UK Singles Chart<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "Freak" | "Writing's on the Wall" | Touch Sensitive | 23 |
| 1983 | "This Is the Way" | "Sign of the Times" | Touch Sensitive | 56 |
| 1984 | "It Makes Me Wonder" | "Trying to Forget You (Instrumental Mix)" | Touch Sensitive | 74 |
| 1984 | "S.O.S. My Imagination" | "25 or 6 to 4" | Touch Sensitive | – |
| 1986 | "Play This Game to Win" | "Welcome to the Hero" | Non-album single | – |
| 2012 | "Don't Waste My Time" [Promo-only] (With special guest Steve Cropper) |
– | Back in the Room | – |
| 2012 | "Number Six" [Promo-only] (Featuring Paul Weller) |
– | Back in the Room | – |
References
External links
Template:The Jam Template:Stiff Little Fingers Template:Casbah Club
- Pages with broken file links
- Living people
- 1955 births
- 20th-century English male singers
- 21st-century English male singers
- 20th-century English bass guitarists
- 21st-century English bass guitarists
- Arista Records artists
- Casbah Club members
- English male bass guitarists
- English male new wave singers
- English male songwriters
- English new wave singers
- English rock bass guitarists
- English rock musicians
- Mod revival musicians
- People from Woking
- Stiff Little Fingers members
- The Jam members