Irwin Thomas

Australian singer, guitarist

Irwin Thomas (born Irwin Thomas Whittridge; 6 January 1971) is an American born Australian singer songwriter and guitarist. He performs professionally using the stage name Jack Jones from when he was the lead vocalist guitarist in the band Southern Sons (1990–1996). His other bands collaborations include Electric Mary, She Said Yes and Ahmet Zappa. He is known for his collaborations with John Farnham and Rick Price. He released his debut solo album, The Evolution of Irwin Thomas, in 2002.

Irwin Thomas Whittridge was born in 1971 in Manhattan, New York City. His father Pvt. Irwin Thomas Whittridge Snr (born, June 1908 – June 1971), who went under the stage name of Jack Goode, was a Broadway performer. His mother, Renalda Whittridge (née Green), was an Australian born folk singer and dancer; she returned to Australia in 1980, with her son. He was later known as Jack Thomas Whittridge Jones.

While at a secondary school in the city of Traralgon, in the mid 1980s, Thomas was a member of rock groups Get off the Cat and then Survival. In the late 1980s, he was a member of Hans Valen, which covered material by United States heavy rocker, Van Halen; and then he was in Gnomes of Zurich. He was considered too young for that group. Southern Sons' debut self titled album was released on 1 June 1990, which peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Jones and Buckle toured Australia and Europe as members of Farnham's backing band to promote Chain Reaction. and six of eleven tracks for their third album, Zone (1995). The latter album was co produced by the band with former member, Bowman. Debra Byrne's Sleeping Child (July 1994), Phil and Tommy Emmanuel's Terra Firma (April 1995), Bachelor Girl's Waiting for the Day (November 1998), and Farnham's Live at the Regent Theatre 1st July 1999 (1999) as well as touring in Farnham's backing band for the I Can't Believe He's 50 Tour. Late in the next year Thomas and Donati joined Tina Arena's backing band for her national tour in support of her third solo studio album, In Deep (August 1997). Thomas covered the tracks "Are You Old Enough", "Voodoo Chile" and "Both of Me", he also performed a duet with Tommy Emmanuel on "Nothing to Lose".

Jones was married to New Zealand born Australian actress Rebecca Gibney from 1992 to 1995, which ended in divorce. In December 1994, Gibney promoted her recent romantic comedy film, Lucky Break; she described her differences from her character, to The Canberra Times David Bongiorno: "She's so unlike any other character I've played before. She's a woman you love to hate And there's a part of me in there, because I know I wouldn't let my husband (Jack Jones of Southern Sons) go easily at all!"