A MUSICIAN’S MUSICIAN Hubert “Rabbit” Jones (1932-2024)

By Doris Fields

Hubert “Rabbit” Jones was what one might call, “a musician’s musician.” He was self-taught but that, in no way, impeded his many musical accomplishments which included being the first African-American to have a W.Va. Symphony chair named in his honor. He was a mentor to many young players who were trying to break into the Charleston jazz scene back in the 50’s and 60’s. He wore many hats in the community. He was a  business owner, state revenue agent and auditor, insurance company administrator, C&P Telephone Company manager, board member, advisor, music union member, fraternity brother, and so much more.

Rabbit was a cheerleader for musicians and performers throughout West Virginia and beyond and his concern and mentorship crossed the boundaries of color and age. I can personally attest to the effect of performing and seeing Rabbit there in the audience. By the time he and I became friends, he was already in his late seventies and wasn’t going out much. So, if you were lucky enough to have Rabbit in your audience, you could feel honored that he had made the effort to be in attendance.

Rabbit was also what I called, “the unofficial historian of West Virginia Black music history.” He could remember the names of hundreds of musicians from around the state and the instruments they played. He always had a personal story attached to each name and could usually give you their town of origin, their day job and the name of at least one other family member. Speaking of which, Rabbit would tell me stories about my own family that I had never heard.

Being from the coalfields of Cabin Creek, like so many musicians were back in the forties and fifties; Rabbit painted a different picture of the place where I was born and piqued my curiosity and pride to the point where I needed to know more. I always loved history and learning about West Virginia’s black history was of particular importance to me. In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, I decided to ask Rabbit if he would share some of his historical data with me in regular sessions. Since in-person meetings were inadvisable, we agreed that I would email him questions and then we would talk on the phone every Thursday and he would regale me with stories about the hundreds of black-owned businesses that had been in Charleston and the surrounding areas (before the interstate). He would talk about the many black nightclubs and the musicians that would regularly make appearances there. Imagine the likes of Count Basie and Lionel Hampton frequently making stops in Charleston because coal miners were their biggest fans. These well-known players would often hit the after-hours clubs following a show at one of the larger Charleston venues and then, maybe even follow a patron home to Cabin Creek to continue the jam into the early morning hours.

Yes, Rabbit was an overflowing fountain of information, cherished memory and knowledge and he was always willing to share with anyone who had a genuine desire to hear. I will be forever grateful to him for sitting down in person and allowing me to interview him on film for my video series “Those Who Came Before.” He was the perfect subject who never left dead air. Ask him the first question and he would answer with continuous connections of the people he was recalling. The stories would all come together like a well-written book. Luckily, Rabbit was able to see the finished product of this interview before his passing. I know that Rabbit really enjoyed talking about the past and the people whom he had met and musicians with whom he’d played. I always tried to honor and acknowledge him for the space he held in the community as a whole but especially in the black community. He may not have truly known how well respected and loved he was. He was a source of pride for everyone who knew him and Charleston has definitely been left better for him having made his home there. Rabbit was “old school” and there will not be another like him, but there are quite a few musicians still here carrying on and conducting themselves in the style that their mentor taught them.