Mama Bakes the Cake and I Serve It | Preorder the Buford Jones Memoir
Pink Floyd David Bowie Eric Clapton Prince Linda Ronstadt James Taylor Jackson Browne Stevie Wonder George Harrison ZZ Top Lynyrd Skynyrd The Kinks Faith Hill Don Henley Three Dog Night The Carpenters Jeff Beck Bad Company Uriah Heep Eric Burdon The Guess Who It's a Beautiful Day Pat Benatar Al Jarreau Julio Iglesias Shakira Jewel Corey Hart Travis Tritt Clint Black SHeDAISY Counting Crows Iggy Pop Kindred The New Barbarians Randy Meisner 50 Years Behind the Console Lifetime Achievement Award Parnelli Audio Innovator 2024 TEC Award 1980 The First MTV Unplugged Belmont University
Front cover of Mama Bakes the Cake and I Serve It by Buford Jones: a stadium stage at dusk with the mixing console in the crowd

Now taking preorders

Mama Bakes
the Cake
And I Serve It

Fifty Years Behind the Console with Rock and Roll's Greatest Artists

The artist gets the marquee. The lights get the stage. He gets the dark.

For fifty years, Buford Jones stood where almost no one looked: behind the console in the middle of the crowd, carrying the music of Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Prince, and many more to the audience whole. This is his story, told firsthand.

More at bufordjones.com
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Inside the book

The artist gets the marquee. The lights get the stage. He gets the dark.

For fifty years, Buford Jones stood where almost no one looked: behind the console in the middle of the crowd. He mixed front of house for Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Prince, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Stevie Wonder, George Harrison, and many others.

From a carless garage in Port Arthur to stadiums, television studios, filled passports, and a classroom at Belmont University, he built a life around one promise: carry the artist's work to the audience whole.

Mama Bakes the Cake and I Serve It is a firsthand memoir about music, trust, precision, the road, and an art form that vanishes when the last note fades, but lives on in the people who serve there.

Front of house for

The artists he served

Thirty two multi platinum artists, and a great many more besides.

Pink FloydDavid BowieEric ClaptonPrince
Linda RonstadtJames TaylorJackson BrowneStevie WonderGeorge Harrison
  • ZZ Top
  • Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • The Kinks
  • Faith Hill
  • Don Henley
  • Three Dog Night
  • The Carpenters
  • Jeff Beck
  • Bad Company
  • Uriah Heep
  • Eric Burdon
  • The Guess Who
  • It's a Beautiful Day
  • Pat Benatar
  • Al Jarreau
  • Julio Iglesias
  • Shakira
  • Jewel
  • Corey Hart
  • Travis Tritt
  • Clint Black
  • SHeDAISY
  • Counting Crows
  • Iggy Pop
  • Kindred
  • The New Barbarians
  • Randy Meisner

Led Zeppelin sits outside this list on purpose. Buford supplied additional PA and assisted the band's mixer on multiple Showco shows. He did not mix the band, and he has never claimed otherwise.

The first MTV Unplugged

Mixed and edited the sound for the very first MTV Unplugged, featuring Eric Clapton.

Delicate Sound of Thunder

Engineering and mixing credits on Pink Floyd's 1988 live album and concert film.

Stereo, quad, and surround

Helped pioneer new approaches to stereo, quadraphonic, and surround sound for the concert stage.

From the archive

Fifty years, in pictures

Buford Jones's first touring briefcase, covered in backstage passes and tour stickers, 1970
First touring briefcase, 1970
Buford Jones with David Gilmour of Pink Floyd
With David Gilmour of Pink Floyd
Buford Jones's 1980 TEC Award
TEC Award, 1980
Buford Jones at the front of house console in an arena, 1980s
Front of house, 1980s
Buford Jones with Jackson Browne
With Jackson Browne
Buford Jones seated at a modern digital mixing console in his studio
At the console today
Buford Jones smiling in his studio beside a microphone and a reel-to-reel tape machine

About the author

Buford Jones

Buford Jones is a front of house engineer, live sound innovator, and educator whose career spans more than fifty years. He helped pioneer new approaches to stereo, quadraphonic, and surround concert sound, and later taught Advanced Live Sound Mixing at Belmont University.

  • Lifetime Achievement AwardCowtown Society of Western Music
  • Parnelli Audio Innovator Award2024
  • TEC Award1980
  • NAMM Oral HistoryFeatured interview
  • Belmont UniversityAdvanced Live Sound Mixing

Launch event

Details coming soon Early 2027

The book launch is being planned for early 2027. The date, the place, and how to be there will be announced first at bufordjones.com. Reserve your copy now, then watch for the announcement.

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Bring the whole story home.

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