About Jon B.
Jonathan David Buck is an American R&B singer, songwriter and record producer. His debut album Bonafide spawned the hit singles "Pretty Girl" and "Someone to Love" , the latter of which reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated at the Grammys Awards for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. The following year, he co-wrote the single "Say You'll Be There" for the Spice Girls. His second album Cool Relax , was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America . Cool Relax included the hit singles "Are U Still Down" and "They Don't Know". His third album, Pleasures U Like reached the top ten on the Billboard 200 chart.
Born in Providence, Rhode Island, United States and raised in Altadena, California, Buck comes from a musical family—his father, David, was a professor of music; his mother, Linda, was a concert pianist; his sister Deborah was a violinist; and his brother Kevin was a cellist. His mother is Jewish and his father is of Dutch descent. In 1992, Jon B. was shopping demos when he caught the attention of Tracey Edmonds, then-president and CEO of Yab-Yum Records.
In the late 1990s, Buck noted that he was inspired by the neo soul movement, stating "There's a wave of music now that's crossing racial and cultural barriers--like Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, and D'Angelo-that's bringing back the classic soul sound." while adding "That's the sound that has influenced me the most in my life."
Before his rise to fame, Buck pursued a songwriting career, and wrote songs for After 7, Toni Braxton, Michael Jackson, Color Me Badd, the Spice Girls and others. His debut studio album in 1995 titled Bonafide spawned the popular hit and Grammy-nominated single "Someone to Love", which featured Babyface. The album was a commercial success, selling over one million copies and being certified platinum.
He released his second studio album, Cool Relax, in 1997; the album spawned the top-10 single "They Don't Know" and two other top-20 hits, including "Are U Still Down" featuring Tupac Shakur. 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. Buck would also co-write the Brownstone hit "5 Miles to Empty" in 1997.
While on tour promoting Cool Relax, he formed a group with two of his backup singers, Dominiquinn and Silky Deluxe, collectively named Jack Herrera. A full album, titled Retro Futuristo, was put together but never officially released.
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