Donell Jones, age 38, is your ultimate lover-boy. With ultra-romantic soft and soulful tunes that he often pens himself, Donell has successfully caused the ladies to drool as they listen to his love songs.
After a troubled early start, where he was involved in a gang in Chicago, Donell managed to shed the machismo after a brush with death and began exclusively speaking the language of love through music.
When he was only 12 years, the singer wrote his first song. Recognising his natural talent, his mother bought him a guitar two years later and let the God-given gift play out.
In 1996, he released his debut album, My Heart, which did not resonate that well with the masses. This did not stop him though. Even while working on his own music, Donell wrote hit songs for the likes of Usher Raymond, Brownstone, Silk and girl-band 702 – songs which propelled the other artists to success. It wasn’t until 1999, with his second album Where I Wanna Be, that Donell went platinum.
Hits like Shorty and U Know What’s Up were listed it in, pushing the album and keeping it at the top of the charts. To top off the string of successes, tracks done on the side like Do What I Gotta Do earned the musician an American Music Award in 2001.
According to his official website, his subsequent albums such as Life Goes On in 2002 peaked at number 2 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-hop Chart, while Journey of a Gemini in 2006 debuted at number 1 on the same chart.
Passionate about writing and producing, Donell now has his own label, Candyman Records, working with new artists Trina B and Breese. He was previously with LaFace Records.
And now, fans are enjoying tracks from his latest album Lyrics, with songs such as Love Like This.
Donell however can’t stop writing, and tweeted last week that: “It’s almost about that time to drop another baby making album and if you ain’t trying to make a baby ain’t nothing wrong with practicing…”
He is rarely on Facebook, but describes his love for music on Twitter by saying: “Music is in my heart, my soul & my mind. I can’t live without it!”
Donell Jones arrives in Kenya next week for a concert at the Nairobi National Park on December 9. It will an exclusive gathering sponsored by EABL’s latest arrival Tusker Lite.
