Donell Jones
Encyclopedia
Donell Jones is an American
R&B
singer, songwriter
and record producer
.
He is most notable for the hits
"U Know What's Up
," "Where I Wanna Be," and his cover
of Stevie Wonder
's "Knocks Me Off My Feet". Jones rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album, Where I Wanna Be
.
legend Bobby Jones
. However, his father, Roy Jones (not the famous boxer) is a minister --- just not the Reverend Bobby Jones. Jones' upbringing was rough. He struggled between wanting to be a musician and a member of the Gangster Disciples
, a street gang . After a brush with death, Jones left the gang and focused on a music career forming the group Porscha . However, Jones was gaining notice as a writer penning songs for established R&B acts such as Usher
(he produced the singer's 1995 hit "Think of You
") and 702 (band)
's "Get It Together". Jones also wrote for groups such as Brownstone
and Silk
.
He has five daughters and one son .
and released his debut album, My Heart
, which included the hit cover of Stevie Wonder's 1976 ballad "Knocks Me Off My Feet".
It wasn't until 1999, however, that Jones began to establish himself as a true R&B hit maker with his second album, Where I Wanna Be
. The album yielded number-one hits such as "U Know What's Up
", which featured TLC
member Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes and the title track. Other hits included "Shorty Got Her Eyes on Me" and "This Luv". The album went on to sell over one million copies.
In 2000, Jones recorded the song "I'll Go" for the Love and Basketball soundtrack
.
Jones released his third album in 2002, the gold-selling Life Goes On
album. It featured the hits, "You Know That I Love You" (#16 R&b), "Don't Leave" featuring G-Wise and "Put Me Down" featuring Styles P..
Four years later in 2006 Jones released his fourth album, Journey of a Gemini
which included the Tim & Bob
produced song "I'm Gonna Be". It had moderate success reaching #40 on Urban AC. "Spend The Night" also received notable airplay.
Donell Jones' new album, Lyrics
, was released on September 28, 2010 under E1 Music.
Highest note
Highest Full Voice Note
Lowest note
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
.
He is most notable for the hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
"U Know What's Up
U Know What's Up
"U Know What's Up" is a 1999 hit song by singer-songwriter-producer Donell Jones' second studio album, Where I Wanna Be. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart on November 13, 1999, and stayed at number one for eight consecutive weeks...
," "Where I Wanna Be," and his cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
's "Knocks Me Off My Feet". Jones rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album, Where I Wanna Be
Where I Wanna Be (Donell Jones album)
Where I Wanna Be is the second studio album by R&B singer Donell Jones, It was released on October 12, 1999 So far, Where I Wanna Be has been his most successful album to date going platinum. The album is the follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut album, My Heart...
.
Biography
Contrary to persistent Internet rumours, Donell Jones is not the son of gospel musicGospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
legend Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones (singer)
Bobby Jones is a Grammy Award–winning Gospel music singer and television host from Nashville, Tennessee and the host and executive producer of several cable television's gospel music program including Bobby Jones Gospel.-Career:Jones has produced programs for BET since 1980...
. However, his father, Roy Jones (not the famous boxer) is a minister --- just not the Reverend Bobby Jones. Jones' upbringing was rough. He struggled between wanting to be a musician and a member of the Gangster Disciples
Gangster Disciples
The Black Gangster Disciple Nation is a gang which was formed on the South-side of Chicago in the late 1960s, by David Barksdale, leader of the Black Disciples, and Larry Hoover, leader of the Supreme Gangsters. The two groups united to form the Black Gangster Disciple Nation .The gang has made...
, a street gang . After a brush with death, Jones left the gang and focused on a music career forming the group Porscha . However, Jones was gaining notice as a writer penning songs for established R&B acts such as Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
(he produced the singer's 1995 hit "Think of You
Think of You
"Think of You" is the second single from Usher's 1994 album Usher. It was co-written by Usher alongside labelmate Donell Jones and Faith Evans, and samples jazz musician Ronnie Laws' song "Tidal Wave" off of the album Pressure Sensitive....
") and 702 (band)
702 (band)
702 , named after the area code of their hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, is an American platinum-selling R&B trio. Originally a quartet, the group became a trio, which includes sisters Irish , and LeMisha 'Misha' Grinstead, and lead singer Kameelah 'Meelah' Williams...
's "Get It Together". Jones also wrote for groups such as Brownstone
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
and Silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
.
He has five daughters and one son .
Music career
In 1996, Donell Jones signed with LaFace RecordsLaFace Records
LaFace Records is an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment.-Company history:LaFace was formed in 1989 as a joint venture between the producing duo Antonio "L.A." Reid & Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and Arista Records. The combined nicknames of the duo's successful...
and released his debut album, My Heart
My Heart (Donell Jones album)
My Heart is the debut album by R&B singer Donell Jones, released on June 4, 1996. The album featured two singles, "In the Hood" and "Knocks Me Off My Feet".-Track listing:#"In the Hood" [Playas Version]#"Knocks Me Off My Feet"#"No Interruptions"...
, which included the hit cover of Stevie Wonder's 1976 ballad "Knocks Me Off My Feet".
It wasn't until 1999, however, that Jones began to establish himself as a true R&B hit maker with his second album, Where I Wanna Be
Where I Wanna Be (Donell Jones album)
Where I Wanna Be is the second studio album by R&B singer Donell Jones, It was released on October 12, 1999 So far, Where I Wanna Be has been his most successful album to date going platinum. The album is the follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut album, My Heart...
. The album yielded number-one hits such as "U Know What's Up
U Know What's Up
"U Know What's Up" is a 1999 hit song by singer-songwriter-producer Donell Jones' second studio album, Where I Wanna Be. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart on November 13, 1999, and stayed at number one for eight consecutive weeks...
", which featured TLC
TLC (band)
TLC is an American musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats...
member Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes and the title track. Other hits included "Shorty Got Her Eyes on Me" and "This Luv". The album went on to sell over one million copies.
In 2000, Jones recorded the song "I'll Go" for the Love and Basketball soundtrack
Love & Basketball (soundtrack)
Love & Basketball is the original soundtrack to the 2000 film, Love & Basketball. It was released on April 18, 2000 through New Line Records and mostly consisted of contemporary R&B, with some hip hop...
.
Jones released his third album in 2002, the gold-selling Life Goes On
Life Goes On (Donell Jones album)
Life Goes On is the third studio album by R&B singer Donell Jones. Jones was picking up where he left off in 1999 with 'Where I Wanna Be'. A mix of hip hop inspired dance songs, soulful ballads, and uptempo club-friendly tracks. A fusion of R&B, soul and hip hop, with influences of Michael Jackson,...
album. It featured the hits, "You Know That I Love You" (#16 R&b), "Don't Leave" featuring G-Wise and "Put Me Down" featuring Styles P..
Four years later in 2006 Jones released his fourth album, Journey of a Gemini
Journey of a Gemini
Samples* "Cry" samples "Sara Smile" by Hall & Oates* "Feelin' You" samples "Experience" by Daedelus* "Can't Wait" contains a sample from "Masquerade" by Ab.* "Lust or Love" contains a portion of the composition entitled "Inside My Love" by Minnie Riperton...
which included the Tim & Bob
Tim & Bob
Tim & Bob aka Funktwons, are Grammy Award-winning songwriting musicians and a Hip-hop/R&B pop production duo. Tim & Bob have discovered and or worked on some of the biggest artists in the music industry and has helped develop the Atlanta music scene as it is widely known for today...
produced song "I'm Gonna Be". It had moderate success reaching #40 on Urban AC. "Spend The Night" also received notable airplay.
Donell Jones' new album, Lyrics
Lyrics (album)
Lyrics is the sixth studio album by R&B singer-songwriter Donell Jones. It was released on September 28, 2010 through E1 Music. The lead single from the album is "Love Like This", which has peaked at #25 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart...
, was released on September 28, 2010 under E1 Music.
Voice
Voice- Spinto Tenor
Highest note
- E#5 in "Special Girl"
Highest Full Voice Note
- C5 in "Wish You Were Here"
Lowest note
- B2 in "Comeback"
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions | RIAA Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
U.S. R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
|||
| 1996 | My Heart My Heart (Donell Jones album) My Heart is the debut album by R&B singer Donell Jones, released on June 4, 1996. The album featured two singles, "In the Hood" and "Knocks Me Off My Feet".-Track listing:#"In the Hood" [Playas Version]#"Knocks Me Off My Feet"#"No Interruptions"...
|
180 | 30 | |
| 1999 | Where I Wanna Be Where I Wanna Be (Donell Jones album) Where I Wanna Be is the second studio album by R&B singer Donell Jones, It was released on October 12, 1999 So far, Where I Wanna Be has been his most successful album to date going platinum. The album is the follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut album, My Heart... |
35 | 6 | Platinum |
| 2002 | Life Goes On Life Goes On (Donell Jones album) Life Goes On is the third studio album by R&B singer Donell Jones. Jones was picking up where he left off in 1999 with 'Where I Wanna Be'. A mix of hip hop inspired dance songs, soulful ballads, and uptempo club-friendly tracks. A fusion of R&B, soul and hip hop, with influences of Michael Jackson,... |
3 | 2 | Gold |
| 2006 | Journey of a Gemini Journey of a Gemini Samples* "Cry" samples "Sara Smile" by Hall & Oates* "Feelin' You" samples "Experience" by Daedelus* "Can't Wait" contains a sample from "Masquerade" by Ab.* "Lust or Love" contains a portion of the composition entitled "Inside My Love" by Minnie Riperton... |
15 | 1 | |
| 2009 | The Lost Files The Lost Files (Donell Jones album) The Lost Files is the fifth studio album by R&B singer Donell Jones. It was released on November 24, 2009 through Candyman Music Inc and TuneCore.-Track listing:#"Free" - 2:13#"Superman" - 4:37#"Badboy" - 3:15#"Marry Me" - 2:46#"Forever" - 5:50... |
— | — | |
| 2010 | Lyrics Lyrics (album) Lyrics is the sixth studio album by R&B singer-songwriter Donell Jones. It was released on September 28, 2010 through E1 Music. The lead single from the album is "Love Like This", which has peaked at #25 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart... |
22 | 9 | |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
U.S. R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
|||
| 1996 | "In the Hood" | 79 | 21 | My Heart My Heart (Donell Jones album) My Heart is the debut album by R&B singer Donell Jones, released on June 4, 1996. The album featured two singles, "In the Hood" and "Knocks Me Off My Feet".-Track listing:#"In the Hood" [Playas Version]#"Knocks Me Off My Feet"#"No Interruptions"... |
| "Knocks Me Off My Feet Songs in the Key of Life Songs in the Key of Life is the 13th album by American recording artist Stevie Wonder, released September 28, 1976, on Motown Records. It was the culmination of his "classic period" albums. An ambitious double LP with a 4-song bonus EP, Songs in the Key of Life became among the best-selling and... " |
49 | 14 | ||
| "You Should Know" | — | — | ||
| 1999 | "U Know What's Up U Know What's Up "U Know What's Up" is a 1999 hit song by singer-songwriter-producer Donell Jones' second studio album, Where I Wanna Be. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart on November 13, 1999, and stayed at number one for eight consecutive weeks... " (featuring Lisa Lopes Lisa Lopes Lisa Nicole Lopes better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper, singer, dancer, actress, television host, and songwriter... ) |
7 | 1 | Where I Wanna Be Where I Wanna Be (Donell Jones album) Where I Wanna Be is the second studio album by R&B singer Donell Jones, It was released on October 12, 1999 So far, Where I Wanna Be has been his most successful album to date going platinum. The album is the follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut album, My Heart... |
| "Shorty (Got Her Eyes On Me)" | — | 80 | ||
| 2000 | "This Luv" | — | 48 | |
| "Where I Wanna Be" | 29 | 2 | ||
| "Do What I Gotta Do" | — | 102 | Shaft Soundtrack | |
| 2002 | "You Know That I Love You" | 54 | 16 | Life Goes On Life Goes On (Donell Jones album) Life Goes On is the third studio album by R&B singer Donell Jones. Jones was picking up where he left off in 1999 with 'Where I Wanna Be'. A mix of hip hop inspired dance songs, soulful ballads, and uptempo club-friendly tracks. A fusion of R&B, soul and hip hop, with influences of Michael Jackson,... |
| "Put Me Down" (featuring Styles P Styles P David Styles better known by his stage name, Styles P, is an American rapper, author, and entrepreneur. He is prominently known as a member of Hip Hop group The LOX and is also a part of the Ruff Ryders hip-hop group, and in addition has released multiple albums and mixtapes as a solo... ) |
98 | 49 | ||
| "Where You Are (Is Where I Wanna Be) Part 2" | — | — | ||
| 2003 | "Do U Wanna" | — | — | |
| 2006 | "Better Start Talking" (featuring Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :... ) |
— | 72 | Journey of a Gemini Journey of a Gemini Samples* "Cry" samples "Sara Smile" by Hall & Oates* "Feelin' You" samples "Experience" by Daedelus* "Can't Wait" contains a sample from "Masquerade" by Ab.* "Lust or Love" contains a portion of the composition entitled "Inside My Love" by Minnie Riperton... |
| "I'm Gonna Be" (featuring Clipse Clipse Clipse is a Virginia Beach, Virginia-based hip hop duo. Formed in 1992 by brothers Malice and Pusha T , the group is heavily affiliated with production team The Neptunes and signed to Star Trak Entertainment.- Exclusive Audio Footage :The Thornton brothers were born in The Bronx, New... ) |
— | 41 | ||
| "Special Girl" | — | — | ||
| 2007 | "Ooh Na Na" | — | 63 | |
| "Spend the Night" | — | 74 | ||
| 2010 | "Love Like This" | — | 25 | Lyrics Lyrics (album) Lyrics is the sixth studio album by R&B singer-songwriter Donell Jones. It was released on September 28, 2010 through E1 Music. The lead single from the album is "Love Like This", which has peaked at #25 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart... |
| 2011 | "All About the Sex" | — | 58 | |
External links
- Donell Jones Music Videos
- Donell Jones 2011 Audio Interview at Soulinterviews.com
- French group dedicated to Donell Jones (Videography, discography, news, forums, etc.)