Donell Jones
(born May 22 1973, Chicago, Illinois) 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".
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DONELL JONES TICKETS
| EVENT | DATE | AVAILABILITY |
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| R&B Music Experience: Ashanti, Lil Kim, 112, Mya & Donell Jones Tickets 6/20 | Jun 20, 2025
Fri, 8:00 PM |  | | R&B Music Experience: Ashanti, Tank, Lil Kim, 112, Mya & Donell Jones Tickets 6/29 | Jun 29, 2025
Sun, 7:00 PM | | | R&B Nights: Joe, Donell Jones & Changing Faces Tickets 7/12 | Jul 12, 2025
Sat, 7:00 PM | |
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Biography
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 producing 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 four daughters with his former girlfriend. Jones is the cousin of fellow labelmate R&B singer
Usher.
Music Career
In 1996, Donell Jones signed with
LaFace Records 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 on the title track. Other hits included "Shorty Got Her Eyes on Me" and "All This Love". 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) 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.
A new Donell Jones album is expected for a late 2009, early 2010 release.
Voice
Voice
Highest note
Highest Full Voice Note
- C5 in "Wish You Were Here"
Lowest note
Discography
Albums
- 1996: My Heart
#180 US
- 1999: Where I Wanna Be
#35 US
- 2002: Life Goes On
#3 US
- 2006: Journey of a Gemini
#15 US, #112 UK
- 2007: The Best Of Donell Jones
- 2009/2010: Untitled TBA
Singles
| Year
| Title
| Chart Positions
| Album
|
| U.S.
| U.S. R&B
|
| 1996
| "In The Hood"
| 79
| 21
| My Heart
|
| "Knocks Me Off My Feet"
| 49
| 14
|
| "You Should Know"
| -
| -
|
| 1999
| "U Know What's Up" (featuring Lisa Lopes)
| 7
| 1
| Where I Wanna Be
|
| "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
|
| "Put Me Down" (featuring Styles P)
| 98
| 49
|
| "Where You Are (Is Where I Wanna Be) Part 2"
| -
| -
|
| 2003
| "Do U Wanna"
| -
| -
|
| 2006
| "Better Start Talking" (featuring Jermaine Dupri)
| -
| 72
| Journey of a Gemini
|
| "I'm Gonna Be" (featuring Clipse)
| -
| 41
|
| "Special Girl"
| -
| -
|
| 2007
| "Ooh Na Na"
| -
| 63
|
| "Spend The Night"
| -
| 74
|