Donell Jones is a successful R&B singer from the ’90s and early 2000s. Despite a promising career with tons of hits, Jones has mostly been off the radar for the last decade. He resurfaced early this week with a scary revelation for fans, following a car accident. What happened to Jones, and what has he been up to?
Donell Jones is a Chicago native. Born to gospel singer Roy Jones, Donell got discovered by DJ Eddie F of Heavy D & The Boyz. Eddie signed him to Untouchable Records and began Jones as a promising songwriter for the likes of Usher and 702. From there, Donell transitioned into a proper solo star. Under LaFace Records, he issued his debut album in 1996. My Heart featured his cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Knocks Me Off My Feet.”
By 1999, Jones was on to his sophomore set. Where I Wanna Be featured the title track as well as the singles “U Know What’s Up” featuring Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. The track was a global success and a signature record for both him and Lopes. The album would go platinum and become his biggest success to date.
In the years since, Donell Jones has continued to release music, with albums in 2006, 2010, and mostly recently in 2021. Jones has benefitted from the nostalgia boom that has allowed several artists from the early 2000s to tour together with newer acts. This has included shows with Ginuwine, Adina Howard, Case, Eric Benet, RL, and more.
Usher recently brought Donell Jones out during a show of his Vegas residency. He posted a photo of them together, thanking Usher for including him in his ongoing celebration of R&B legends which also included Anita Baker and Tevin Campbell, to name a few. “I love my brother @usher you always been the one from day one, and I’m glad to be a part of your history.” Usher returned the love on his own profile, saying, “Thank you, bro…an honor to share the stage with you last night.”
Outside of music, Jones recently dipped his toe in acting. He did a guest spot on the series HBOMax Southside. In a post featuring a clip from the show, he said, “zuri_luv broke my acting virginity, and it was all that..😍😍😍this was absolutely fun and hilarious to shoot.. The last episodes of @southsidechi are available now on @hbomax !🎥🎬🍿🎞️.”
His IG profile is a mix of inspirational quotes and tour moments, but yesterday Jones took a moment to let people in on a recent car accident he had. “I fell asleep while driving yesterday and ended up in a ditch.. I walked away with no injuries, but I learned a valuable lesson, That if you’re tired, just park the car ’cause this could’ve been bad.” He shared an image of the car, which was wedged into a ditch.
He concluded his caption with, “I know that I am truly protected, but I needed this experience…. Thank you, God, for wrapping your arms around me as you have always done… My love and loyalty is to you.. 🙏🏾👌🏾” Fans were happy to know he survived, saying, “Thank GOD you alright!”
