Early life[edit]
Jones was born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Harlem, New York City, New York.[3][2]
He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1981.
Career[edit]
Military career[edit]
Jones served as a sniper officer in the Marine Corps before becoming a musician.[4]
Music career[edit]
Jones was the first musician signed to OBR Records, a subsidiary of Def Jam (which is now part of Universal Music Group).[5][3]
His song "The Rain" became a hit in 1986, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.[6] It ranks him on VH1's top 100 One Hit Wonders of the '80s.[7] He followed it with "How to Love Again," a duet with labelmate Alyson Williams.[3] Jones received a Grammy nomination for "The Rain", with Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male.[8]
Jones released two more albums, but these did not achieve significant success. He collaborated twice with pornographic actress and singer Midori. In 1997 they record a duet of "Let's Stay Together" for his album Player's Call[9] and Jones appeared on Midori's single "5,10,15,20" on the Porn to Rock compilation album released in 1999.[10]