Short answers, pulled from the story.
Jon Pareles is an American journalist and music critic born in 1953. He served as chief popular music critic at The New York Times from 1988 to 2025. In 2025, The Hollywood Reporter described him as one of the most influential reviewers of the music business.
Pareles attended Yale University, graduating in 1974 with a degree in music. While at Yale, he wrote music criticism for the student newspaper, played the Harkness Tower carillon, and DJed for the campus radio station.
Pareles began contributing to The New York Times in 1982. He became chief popular music critic in 1988 and held the position until 2025, a tenure of thirty-seven years.
Before The New York Times, Pareles worked as an associate editor at Crawdaddy! in the 1970s, then as an associate editor at Rolling Stone and music editor at The Village Voice in the 1980s.
Pareles played jazz flute and piano. He also played the Harkness Tower carillon at Yale University.
Jon Pareles married Mary Anne Cartelli in 1994. Cartelli is a lecturer in Chinese at Hunter College.