Love Jones on The Tonight Show

Love Jones commemorated the 25th anniversary of their classic album Here’s to the Losers in 2018. The celebration has continued into the new year, however, as the Kentucky outfit revived the “Cocktail Nation” wave of the early ’90s with a special appearance on last night’s The Tonight Show.

It was a fitting venue for the commemorative performance, as Jimmy Fallon has been a fan since college. The late night host rediscovered Love Jones last fall, after the group granted his wife a unique request. “The favor was to record a birthday song for his birthday so she could give it to him on his birthday,” lead guitarist Todd Johnson told Louisville’s WAVE 3 News. “After it happened, it reignited his interest in having us become part of the show.”



Known for their fusion of pop, blues, and jazz lounge, the band took the Tonight Show stage with a classy and stylish rendition of “Here’s to the Losers”, the album’s title track. As a bonus, the group also played “Ohio River”, and even had diehard fan Fallon provide additional vocals.

Catch both replays below.

Along with Here’s to the Losers, Love Jones are well known for their contribution to the 1996 hit film Swingers. As the story goes, Love Jones were tapped for the project after director Jon Favreau and lead actor Vince Vaughn caught a number of their shows. The band’s bassist, Barry Thomas, also ended up serving as a music consultant on Swingers.