Donell Jones biography
Date of birth : 1973-05-22
Date of death : -
Birthplace : Chicago, Illinois
Nationality : American
Category : Arts and Entertainment
Last modified : 2010-04-22
Credited as : American R&B singer, My Heart,
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After Donell Jones escaped the gang-infested streets of South side Chicago in the early 1990’s, he was determined to take the music world by storm. To help him accomplish this dream, Donnell’s mom bought him an electric guitar when he was 14. According to the singer, the musical instrument pulled him away from the streets.
A Family of Musicians
Donell Jones did not stumble upon music; it was inscribed on his genes. His father was a little known gospel vocalist. And as Jones put it: “My father sang but he never really did it professionally, so I think he has a chance to appreciate what I’m doing.” Donell Jones writes, produces, and arranges the drums and keyboards on his albums.
Discovered By Eddie Farrell
Eddie Farrell (co-founder of now-defunct Hip-Hop group Heavy D & the Boyz) discovered Jones at a Washington D.C. talent show hosted by Black Radio Exclusive (now Black Renaissance Entertainment) in 1993. After being swept away by the melody in Jones’ voice, the Untouchables Entertainment President, Eddie signed, sealed, and delivered Donell Jones to the music industry.
By penning hits for Usher, 702, Silk and others, Donell helped inspire a league of songwriters which now includes the likes of Trey Songz and Ne-Yo. While honing his skills and waiting for his turn to shine on his own, he was making contributions to Madonna’s Bedtime Stories album. Jones’ songwriting abilities earned him comparisons to greats like Babyface and Stevie Wonder.
Jones’ debut disc My Heart was slept on by critics. It was his 1999 crossover album Where I Wanna Be that highlighted Jones’ career. Powered by the single “U Know What’s Up” and a remix/video featuring the late Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes of TLC, Jones knew that the top of the pop chart was exactly where he wanted to be. “U Know What’s Up” sat on the Billboard chart for eight weeks, and the singer would go on to win an American Music Award for Best New R&B Artist.
