Jon B.

Songwriter, producer, vocalist, and instrumentalist Jon B. infused contemporary R&B with an emphasis on fluid, melodic phrasing. Born in Providence, Rhode Island and raised in Pasadena, California, the artist—full name Jonathan Buck—grew up as the child of a music professor and a concert pianist. Early exposure to recordings stocked in his grandparents’ store prompted him to fuse the essence of 1970s soul with beats rooted in hip-hop on his debut release, the 1995 album Bonafide. The project reached number 24 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart, propelled by the Top Ten R&B single “Someone to Love,” a collaboration with his key influence Babyface, and earned gold status.

His follow-up, 1997’s Cool Relax, sustained the hip-hop-soul direction and showcased two of his most prominent tracks, “They Don't Know” and the 2Pac-assisted “Are U Still Down.” The album surpassed one million units sold and received platinum certification. Over the next ten years Jon B. issued three additional projects—Pleasures U Like in 2001, Stronger Everyday in 2004, and Helpless Romantic in 2008—that came close to, yet never quite entered, the R&B Top Ten.

He resurfaced in 2011 with Comfortable Swagg, which included a guest spot by DJ Quik in return for Jon B.’s earlier contributions to Quik’s The Book of David, released the same year. Beyond performing, he has written songs for Maxi Priest, For Real, After 7, Spice Girls, Az Yet, and Toni Braxton.