Jonathan David Buck (born November 11, 1974) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. His debut album, ''

Bonafide In human interactions, good faith ( la, bona fides) is a sincere intention to be fair, open, and honest, regardless of the outcome of the interaction. Some Latin phrases have lost their literal meaning over centuries, but that is not the case ...

'' (1995), went

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

Early life

Born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, United States and raised in

Altadena, California Altadena () ("Alta", Spanish for "Upper", and "dena" from Pasadena) is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in the Verdugo Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, approximately 14 miles (23 km) from the downtown ...

, Buck comes from a musical family; with his father David, a professor of music, his mother Linda, a concert pianist and his siblings Deborah, a violinist and his brother Kevin, a cellist. His mother is Jewish and his father is Puerto Rican. In 1992, Jon B. was shopping demos when he caught the attention of

Tracey Edmonds Tracey Elaine Edmonds (née McQuarn; born February 18, 1967) is an American businesswoman, television producer and personality. She is the CEO of Edmonds Entertainment Group Inc and Alrightnow.com and is a former host of the television show '' E ...

, then-president and CEO of Yab-Yum Records.

Career

Jon B's early influences as a musician include:

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...

INXS INXS (a word play, phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian Rock music, rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band's founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboar ...

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

, and

Sade Sade may refer to: People * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine * Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band * Sade Baderinwa (born 1969), WAB ...

. He spent the summer after high school writing, producing and recording 40 songs and began making his rounds to all major record labels.

1994–97: ''Bonafide'' and ''Cool Relax''

Jon B., before his rise to fame, used to be a songwriter and wrote songs for After 7,

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. ...

Color Me Badd ''Color'' Me Badd is an American contemporary R&B group that was formed in 1985 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by lead singer Bryan Abrams (born November 16, 1969), tenor Mark Calderon (born September 27, 1970), second tenor Sam Watters (born July 23 ...

, the

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and Vict ...

and others. Jon B.'s popularity began in the mid-1990s, he released his debut studio album in 1995 titled ''

''; the album spawned the popular hit and Grammy-nominated single " Someone to Love", which featured the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

-winning artist

. The album was a commercial success as it went

, selling over 1 million copies. He released his second studio album ''

Cool Relax ''Cool Relax'' is the second studio album by Jon B. It was released by Tracey Edmonds' label Yab Yum Records and distributed by Epic Records subsidiary 550 M ...

'' in 1997, the album spawned the top 10 single " They Don't Know" and two other top 20 hits, including

Are U Still Down "Are U Still Down" is a song co-written and performed by American contemporary R&B singer Jon B, issued as a single from his second studio album ''Cool Relax''. It was commissioned as a double single with " They Don't Know" in some markets, incl ...

featuring

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the Li ...

. ''Cool Relax'' received generally positive reviews from music critics, and it is his most successful album commercially; it has been certified as double platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. Jon B also co-wrote the Brownstone hit "5 Miles to Empty" in 1997. While on tour promoting ''Cool Relax'', he formed a group with two of his back-up singers, Dominiquinn and Silky Deluxe, named Jack Herrera collectively. A full album, titled ''Retro Futuristo'', was put together, but never officially released.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations

*1999: ''Love Hurts'' *2002: ''Are U Still Down: Greatest Hits'' *2013: ''B-Sides Collection''

Mixtapes

*2013: ''Digital Dynasty R&B 3''

Singles

Billboard.com – Artist Chart History – Jon B. Retrieved November 6, 2007. allmusic ( Jon B. > Discography > Singles & EPs ) Retrieved November 6, 2007.

Notes

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jon B. 1974 births 550 Music artists American contemporary R&B singers American male singer-songwriters American male pop singers Record producers from Rhode Island American people of Dutch descent Jewish American musicians Living people Musicians from Providence, Rhode Island Songwriters from Rhode Island 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers MNRK Music Group artists Sanctuary Records artists Epic Records artists 21st-century American Jews