Jon Pareles
Pareles in 2008
Born	1953 (age 71–72) Connecticut, U.S.
Alma mater	Yale University
Occupation	Journalist

Jon Pareles (born 1953^[1]) is an American journalist. He was chiefpopular music critic in the arts section ofThe New York Times from 1988 to 2025.

Pareles was born inConnecticut.^[1] He playedjazz flute and piano, and graduated fromYale University in 1974^[2] with a degree in music.^[3] While at Yale, he wrote on music for the newspaper, played theHarkness Tower carillon, and DJed for the radio station.^[2]

Pareles began working as a music critic in 1977.^[3] In the 1970s, he was an associate editor ofCrawdaddy!, where he published his first works (outside school publications);^[4] and in the 1980s, an associate editor atRolling Stone and the music editor atThe Village Voice. He started contributing toThe Times in 1982.^[3] He reviews popular music in the arts section ofThe Times,^[4] where from 1988 to 2025, he was chief pop music critic.^[5] In 2025,The Hollywood Reporter described him as "one of the most influential reviewers of the music business."^[6]

In 1994, Pareles married Mary Anne Cartelli, a lecturer in Chinese at Hunter College.^[7]

• Pareles, Jon; Romanowski, Patricia, eds. (1983).The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. London: Rolling Stone.ISBN 978-0-718-12400-7.

• Jon Pareles atThe New York Times
• Jon Pareles atIMDb

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