American RNB artiste Donell Jones will be performing inNairobi’s National Park for the Tusker Lite Experience concert this Friday.
Born May 22, 1973 in Chicago, IL, Donell started singing atthe age of 8, wrote his first song at the age of 12 and at the age of 14 hereceived an electric guitar as a gift from his mother. With his roots in musicfirmly planted, Jones overcame the southside streets of Chicago’s gang life topursue his dream.
While at a music conference in Washington, DC in 1993, Donellcaught the attention of music producer Eddie F. At the time Jones was amember of a group. The group had high aspirations for their talentshowcase at the conference, however, no one showed up.
Determined to getnoticed, Jones and the group started singing for anyone who listened. Eddie F saw great potential in the group that day. Shortly after that meetingthe group was signed to Untouchables/LaFace and recorded a single but theirdream was never realized because the group disbanded.
Not willing to give up on the music business, Donell provedhis skills as a writer and producer. Donell wrote one of Usher’s firsttop ten hits, “Think of You.” He wrote and produced for several other artistsincluding 702, Silk, Brownstone, Madonna. In 1996, with LaFace’s long awaitedapproval, Jones released his debut album, My Heart. It included a cover ofStevie Wonders’ song; “Knocks Me Off My Feet,” that quickly gained Jones aloyal following.
But it wasn’t until his second album “Where I Wanna Be,”released in 1999 and certified platinum, that Donell was recognized as a trueforce in R&B. With a number one hit that featured TLC's Lisa"Left-Eye” Lopes, “U Know What’s Up” others began to see what LaFaceRecords already knew.
His third album, “Life Goes On,” was released in 2002 andpeaked at number 2 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart.
After a 4 year hiatus, in 2006 Jones released his fourthalbum “Journey of a Gemini,” which debuted at number 1 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hopchart, his first album to achieve that feat.
Jones released his fifth studio album, Lyrics, on Sept 28,2010 on his own label, Candyman Records. Jones is also working with new artistsTrina B and Breese, plans to release their debut albums are forthcoming.
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