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Donell Jones
Donell Jones
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Beginning with his 1996 album My Heart, singer/songwriter/producer Donell Jones recorded a jazzy and soulful style of urban pop for La Face Records and scored a few modest singles in the process. His first two singles -- "In the Hood" and "Knocks Me Off My Feet" -- established his reputation within the competitive urban market. In particular, the latter song, originally a Stevie Wonder song from Songs in the Key of Life (1976), became a substantial hit for Jones, climbing to the upper reaches of the Billboard R&B chart and driving the album up the charts as well. In addition to his own music, he also wrote songs for other urban artists such as Usher ("Think of You") and 702 ("Get It Together"), among others.

Born the son of a gospel singer, Jones immersed himself in music at a young age. Later, he began to fall victim to the temptations of Chicago's south side, where he grew up. At one point, after involving himself with gang culture, he decided to dedicate himself to music rather than the streets. He met Edward "Eddie F" Ferrell (former Heavy D & the Boyz member turned Untouchables Entertainment president), and the two formed a partnership with La Face. Following the success of Usher's "Think of You" in 1994 (number eight R&B), a song written by Jones, La Face executives L.A. Reid and Babyface gave the blossoming artist the go-ahead to begin work on his solo debut. Executive produced by Ferrell, Reid, and Babyface, My Heart peaked at number 30 on Billboard's R&B chart in 1996, propelled primarily by the success of "Knocks Me Off My Feet" as well as two other singles: "In the Hood" and "You Should Know."

When Jones returned three years later in 1999 with his second album, Where I Wanna Be, he had become known as an accomplished songwriter. He penned songs for 702 ("Get It Together," 1997) and Drea ("Not Gonna Letcha," 1998) and was well regarded within the industry as a result. Unsurprisingly then, Jones attained impressive success with Where I Wanna Be and its singles: "U Know What's Up" and "Shorty (Got Her Eyes on Me)." Shortly after the album's release, he contributed a song to the Shaft soundtrack ("Do What I Gotta Do") and to Guru's Streetsoul album ("Hustlin' Daze," which he also contributed vocals to). Following some time off in 2001, Jones returned in 2002 with his third album, Life Goes On. The album peaked at number three on the album chart, but he wasn't able to follow it up until 2006's Journey of a Gemini. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music GuideMore

Most Popular Music Videos (4)

Where I Wanna Be
(Duration: 4:15)
Jun 28th, 11:43pm
You Know That I Love You
(Duration: 4:18)
Jun 19th, 10:52pm
Shorty Got Her Eyes On Me
(Duration: 3:16)
Jun 23rd, 10:44pm
In The Hood
(Duration: 4:26)
Jun 19th, 10:52pm
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Fan Comments

Oct 17th, 8:41pm
This man is a blessing to the music industry! Much Love!
Oct 15th, 5:50am
"I hope that it's you" . . . that's my jam
Jul 16th, 12:36am
Donell Jones is my idol. Even though Stevie Wonder is the musical genius, but Donell is the one who gave me the inspiration to start singing in the first place. Without him, singing would be just a hobby not a dream of mine.
Jun 23rd, 3:57am
donell u hottie!!...
Mar 16th, 9:31pm
You Know What's Up is the best song ever! Left Eye ROCKS!! :) :D :) :D :)
Oct 22nd, 7:11am
Where I wanna Be is still hot, its a classic u kno i luv u Donell