An accomplished jazz trumpeter at an early age, Gabriel Jones grew up in New York City, spending his youth playing at his uncle Bill's jazz club in upper Manhattan . Winning local acclaim, Jones was exceptionally lucky in receiving coaching in trumpet playing from the legendary Louis Armstrong himself. Jones also gained another teacher in Danny "Drummer" Bellaman, a Harlem-born jazz musician, playing drums. The pair became fast friends, playing nightclubs gigs. Army Intelligence took note of both men joining the war effort. Jones' interest in music gained the attention of the top brass and the Army sent him to a high specialty school where he became an expert in German classical music.

Despite segregation in the armed forces, Jones found himself hand picked by Captain "Happy" Sam Sawyer to enlist in the First Attack Squad, aka the famous Howling Commandos lead by Nick Fury. Jones distinguished himself both with the music of machine guns and his handy trumpet, which he used to jazz countless Howler parties in the barracks and to unusual and effective use in battle.

With the Howlers, Jones faced some of the Nazi's worst menaces, including Baron Zemo, Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker, and Colonel Klaue. Such were the Howling Commandos feared by the Third Reich, a counter squad of elite fighters, the Blitzkrieg Squad was formed, and among their number, the flute playing machine gunner, Otto, was designated Gabe Jones' nemesis.

Jones was reunited with his old band mate, Danny Bellaman near the end of the war under less then happy circumstances; selected to find his old friend who was holding a Nazi virus. Held as a POW, Bellerman escaped with the virus but rather then let either side take it, Bellerman swallowed the formula and when Jones found him was already dying.

Jones was engaged to marry Carla Williams, whom he had met during World War II when she was performing as a nightclub singer under the name Carla Swain. Jones was assigned to rescue her from Nazi-occupied Paris, and he and the Howlers saved her life from a Nazi officer.

Following World War II Jones presumably continued his career as a jazz musician until he reenlisted for the Korean War, once again seeing combat as a Howling Commando with his former team mates.

After the Korean War, its unclear what Jones was doing just prior to joining SHIELD, however once he was in, Jones became one of Fury's closest aides, assisting him in running the entire organization and acting as an operative on major missions. Jones's most celebrated solo assignment was his infiltration of the first subversive organization known as the Secret Empire, which he succeeded in defeating, from within. Jones served at the front lines of many of SHIELD's early battles with the likes of HYDRA, A.I.M., the Maggia, the villainous duo of Mentallo and the Fixer and many other foes. Jones also came to know many of the world's heroes, including the Fantastic Four, Iron Man and of course Captain America, whom he first met during World War II.

For a time Jones was also romantically involved with Peggy Carter, a former member of the French Resistance. Meeting during the war, Carter and Jones were reunited when both served a SHIELD agents in the 1970s. As the decade wore on, Jones was placed on special assignment with Dum Dum and Jimmy Woo aboard the helicarrier Behemoth IV to retrieve and capture the creature known as Godzilla. Jones was second-in-command of the task force, named 'Godzilla Strike Force', a job he performed with considerable reluctance as he personally felt a less aggressive strategy was needed to stop the giant creature. Jones was pleased to see Godzilla return to the sea unharmed.

In 1988 as SHIELD self destructed as a result of the Deltite Affair, Jones was one of the few agents who escaped unscathed and together with Dum Dum tried to investigate the goings-on that lead to their commander to go on the run. After the Deltite Affair, Jones retired and went into business running paint ball games in New England.  

He rejoined SHIELD in 1990 in order to help train the new crop of recruits as a favor to Nick Fury. While SHIELD operated for a time as a small strike force, Jones acted as personnel officer, selecting hundreds of new recruits from the various covert US government organizations. Jones personally trained these new agents himself.

Sadly, the first graduating class of 1,500 agents were massacred by HYDRA, a surprise attack Jones witnessed from the helicarrier. Jones then stayed on through the final battle with Strucker in Iceland afterwards settling into retirement yet again.

Gabe Jones was among those present at Fury's 'funeral' along with former SHIELD and Howling Commando teammates.