Bradley F Jones

JONES, WRITER

Posted By: Pat Frette (email)
Date: 4/1/2009 at 13:03:32

Bradley Forrest (Buster B.) Jones, age 49, of Junction City, Oregon and formerly of Ames, Iowa, died February 2, 2009, in Junction City. His body has been cremated and a Memorial service will be Saturday, March 14, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Boone with Rev. Steve Brodersen officiating. Following the service, a time of fellowship and lunch will be held in the Sacred Heart Parish Center.
Brad was born in Ames, Iowa, on August 24, 1959, the son of Clarence "Buster" and Allene (Willhour) Jones. He was born with a guitar in his hands, and he learned to play at a very young age, his musical talent coming from his parents and older brother, Ron. He had great teachers and with three sisters and three brothers, he had a large audience.
Graduating from Ames High School in 1978, he then served with the United States Air Force. Afterwards, with his guitars in the car, he traveled to the East Coast eventually ending up in Roanoke, Virginia. With the great talent that he was born with, it was his destiny to become a performer traveling all over the world. His stage name was Buster B. Jones and he performed throughout the United States and Canada and overseas in France, Germany, England, Australia, Japan, Italy, Ireland, and more. Buster B was considered one of the Top 10 Fingerpickers in the United States.
He teamed up with his friend Thom Bresh, who is the son of legendary Merle Travis and the two were ideally suited to perform together and the dynamic duo always left the crowds wanting more. Brad (Buster B.) and Thom were both bestowed the title of Wine Lords by the World Wine Council in Bordeaux, France. They are well known to their fans there and Brad (Buster B.) was dubbed "Le Machine Gun" by his fans.
In 1988, he won Guitar Player Magazines International Guitar Contest, winning him his first Gold Record. In 1992, Buster won the National Finger Style contest in Winfield, Kansas. He blew the fans away with his unique Finger Pickin Style. Brad(Buster B.) has produced 10 teaching videos for Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop that are considered essential for anyone interested in learning his great style. His accomplishments are many, but true happiness came to him by making people sit back, relax, and just enjoy the music.
Brad is preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by a large and very loving family which includes his beloved companion Nancy Writer of Junction City, Oregon; two daughters, Jennifer Hodges and Jessica Lee both of Roanoke, Virginia; two granddaughters, Marisa Hodges and Kiley Whittaker of Roanoke, Virginia; and his former wife and very good friend Cindy Jones Thomas. Also surviving are three brothers: Ron (Becky) Jones of Anamosa, Roger (Janel) Jones of Ankeny, and Gary (Diann) Jones of Stanberry, Missouri; three sisters: Colleen Jones (Lyle) McGlynn of Boone, Darlene Jones (Jose) Sanchez of Dallas, Texas, and Kay Jones (Curtis) Anderson of Ames; nephews: Chad, Brett, Chris, Matthew, Brayton, Jaron and Cavin Jones, Ryan Vulgamott, Eric, Malach, Brian, and Tim McGlynn; nieces: Lisa, Kally, Sierra, Rachel and Shaylen Jones, Melissa Anderson, and Jaeden McGlynn.
A memorial service will be held in Nashville, Tennessee during the Chet Atkins Appreciation Festival in July of 2009, where Brad had become a yearly performer.
Schroeder Memorial Chapel at Sixth and Marshall is handling local arrangements. Online condolences and a guestbook are available at www.schroedermemorialchapel.com. Boone News Republican