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John J

 

Singer, songwriter, dancer, producer, entertainer. Born John E. Farrow Jr., to Rev. John and Rosa Farrow in Ft. Benning, Georgia, Johnae Jones aka John J has emerged as a rising star in the music industry.

Early Life

Jones has had the luxury of being immersed in music his entire life. Growing up, every Sunday, Johnae would go to church and watch from the pews as his older brothers sang in the choir at the Nazareth Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia. At the age of five, he would finally get the chance to join his brothers in the choir. On that day, Jones decided to pursue a career in music and never looked back.
With his father being a Reverend, Jones would rarely have the opportunity to hear any music that would not be sung in a church. But his mother’s taste for smooth R&B, and her ability to sneak the tunes into the house, would give Johnae his first glimpse into the R&B world. Growing up listening to artist such as The Temptations, Stylistics, Sam Cooke, and Little Anthony & The Imperials, Jones would learn the meaning of soul and passion; which he incorporates heavily in his music today. These artist would help to refine Johnae’s own style which incorporates lots of acapella, harmony, and soul.

Music Career

Jones officially began his pursuit of a music career in the early 90’s with entries in local and school talent shows. In 1991, Johnae would start his first singing group, Full Effect. The quartet would soon dissolve, but Jones would not be deterred. By 1996, Jones had gathered enough singers to form the trio, Style, with his older brother Zack, and friend Eric. However, he would soon find himself in need of more members after the other two members graduated school. Jones would soon reunite with two of his former band mates, Jose and Tony, and add two new members, Michael and Kenneth, to the group. The “ae” was added to the end of his name to be in uniform with the other group members: Jose (Ho-zay), Tonae (Toe-nay), Mikae (Mic-ay), Kenae (Kin-ay), and Johnae (Jon-ay). The quintet would enter the Harmony Sweepstakes at Georgia State University where they would fall short of 1st place, but take the title of 1st runner up.
Johnae would continue to have success with the group. In 2001 the quintet attracted the attention of the Atlanta based management group, Big Ben Entertainment. For the next two years, Johnae would hone his skills as a writer and producer, composing songs for the group. After two years of touring with the group, an album had yet to be released and there was no major record deal in sight. Soon after, Style slowly faded into the background and Johnae would try his hand as a solo artist, rapping. In 2003 he would create his own record lable under the moniker G.O.S.Y.P. (Giving the Opportunity to Succeed in Your Plans) Entertainment. Also In 2003, Johnae would begin to work with another one of his former partners, Gary “W-I-Z” Magel, co-founder of IBIS Entertainment, an up and coming Miami based entertainment company. Over the next few years, Johnae would be featured on many local Miami artists mixtapes, such as Speaque Laveski and Devan On The Beat. The IBIS Entertainment group would show Jones a whole new aspect of the entertainment world, videos. Regina Bennett, also co-founder of the Miami based entertainment group, would introduce Johnae to the art of professional video shoots through their work with artist on the Miami music scene, such as, Trick Daddy, Trina, J Shin, and an up and coming DJ, DJ Khaled. He would also record the theme music for the short film “One Small Thing”. From 2003 to 2007 he would continue to enter local talent shows, as a solo artist, developing his skills as a writer and producer for other local Columbus acts. During this time Johnae would complete his stage name, adding “Jones” to the end (Derived from a neighbor stating his name, but sounding more like “Jone” than John). Jones would also go on to win nineteen 1st place and seven 2nd place titles in local talent shows, along with Best Soloist in the Georgia Harmony Showcase.
In 2008 Jones would begin work on his first R&B project as a solo artist, entitled Lost In Love. But due to personal hardships, the album would never come to fruition and Jones would be forced to put his music career on hold. By 2010, Jones had all but faded into the background in the music scene, but was determined to make a comeback. He picked back up where he left off on his Lost In Love project, only to be continually deterred by more personal hardships. It wasn’t until April of 2010 that an acquaintance, Harry Mims, would give Jones the spark he needed to continue his project. Jones and Mims planned to release a sample cd composed of nineteen original sample tracks to reintroduce Jones into the music scene. While the sample tracks were giving Jones a much need buzz, Mims and Jones were working vigorously to complete the Lost In Love album for release in October 2010. However, the deadline would be missed, and the album was pushed back yet again for and early 2011 release. The album would soon evolve into a much more romantic/sexual album and the entire tracklist was overhauled. Jones and Mims, now more determined than ever, worked for Johnae’s first release under G.O.S.Y.P. Entertainment, but did not want a rushed product. To keep fans involved until the album was released, the lables official website,www.gosypentertainment.com, was created. It was not until November 1st, 2011 that Jones would release his debut album, Sex Show, for download on iTunes and Amazon. The album was officially released on November 16th, 2011. Johnae continues to tour, promoting the album and its first single, Do It (All Night).

Aspirations

Jones likes to think of himself as an innovator on the R&B scene, drawing inspiration from the greats such as The Temptations, Little Anthony & The Imperials, and his favorites, the legend Sam Cooke, and Jamie Foxx. Although Johnae has plans to make himself one of the best R&B singers of this generation, he also has always wanted to give back to the community. The moniker G.O.S.Y.P. (Giving the Opportunity to Succeed in Your Plans) is not just hype. Jones wants the opportunity to give a hand to the other aspiring artist in the Columbus, Georgia area through his own record label. “There’s a lot of talent down here. We just need someone to put it out there” Jones stated about the music in his local area.

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