Joe | |
|---|---|
 Joe performing in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joseph Lewis Thomas[1] |
| Born | (1973-07-05)July 5, 1973 (age 51)[1] Columbus, Georgia, U.S. |
| Origin | Opelika, Alabama, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | |
Joseph Lewis Thomas (born July 5, 1973), known mononymously asJoe, is an AmericanR&B singer. He signed toPolygram Records in 1992, and rose to prominence after releasing his debut albumEverything the following year. He followed it with a series of successful albums underJive Records, includingAll That I Am (1997), the international bestsellerMy Name Is Joe (2000) as well as the multi-certified albumsBetter Days (2001) andAnd Then... (2003). Several songs from these albums became hit singles on the pop and R&B record charts, including the number-one hit "Stutter", the top-ten entries "All the Things (Your Man Won't Do)", "Don't Wanna Be a Player", and "I Wanna Know" as well as his collaborations "Faded Pictures" and "Thank God I Found You", the latter of which he performed alongside Mariah Carey, also a number-one hit, and "Still Not a Player".
Since his departure from Jive, Joe has released most of his projects independently through ventures withKedar Massenburg and Plaid Takeover Entertainment. In 2016, his twelfth albumMy Name Is Joe Thomas became his eleventh album to score a top five-placing onBillboard'sTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, while lead single "So I Can Have You Back" became his fourth number-one hit on theAdult R&B Songs chart over the span of three consecutive decades (1990s, 2000s, and 2010s).[2] In 2010,Billboard listed Joe at 48th on its list of the Top 50 R&B and Hip Hop Artists of the past 25 years.[3] AnASCAP Award recipient for his song "I Wanna Know", Joe is a seven-timeGrammy Award nominee and has been nominated for numerous other awards and accolades, including aBET Award, anNAACP Image Award, and fourSoul Train Music Awards.
Joe was born July 5, 1973, in Columbus, Georgia,[1] and was the child of evangelist preachers.[4] He moved to Opelika, Alabama during his formative years and graduated from Opelika High School in 1991.[5]
After his graduation from Opelika High School, Joe continued to sing and write music while working at occasional temporary jobs.[6] InNew Jersey, while working at a gospel record store and continuing his music education through a local church, he met producerVincent Herbert and recorded a three-songdemo tape.[citation needed] In 1992, he signed toPolyGram Records and released his debut albumEverything the next year. Produced by Joe along with Keith Mille, J. Dibbs, andDave "Jam" Hall, it peaked at number 105 on the USBillboard 200 and number 16 onBillboard'sTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.Everything spawned three singles, includingI'm in Luv" and "The One for Me" the former of which became a top ten hit on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and peaked at number 22 on theUK Singles Chart. The following year, Joe appeared in the groupBlack Men United, along with then-label mateBrian McKnight,Gerald Levert,Aaron Hall,Tevin Campbell and other male singers for the single "U Will Know" for thesoundtrack to the romantic drama film,Jason's Lyric.
In 1996, Joe contributed the song "All the Things (Your Man Won't Do)" to thesoundtrack to the crime comedy parody filmDon't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996). Released as a single, it reached number 11 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and was later included as the opening track on his second studio albumAll That I Am (1997) after signing withJive Records. Marking his commercial breakthrough, the album reached number 13 on the USBillboard 200 and number 4 onBillboardTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Another hit single from the album "Don't Wanna Be a Player", was also featured on theBooty Call soundtrack.All That I Am eventually went platinum in the US.
A songwriter and producer, Joe became a frequent collaborator on other artist's projects in the mid-1990s. He remixed a duet byBarry White andTina Turner called "In Your Wildest Dreams" as well as a remix of Turner's single "Something Beautiful Remains" from Turner's albumWildest Dreams (1996) and wrote and produced on albums by R&B groupsIdeal,Xscape andHi-Five. In addition, Joe sang on the remix ofBig Punisher's "Still Not a Player", produced byKnobody, which interpolated his own song "Don't Wanna Be a Player" and appeared as a backing vocalist onBrandy's track "Angel in Disguise" from her second album,Never Say Never (1998). In 1999, singerMariah Carey asked him to sing on her track "Thank God I Found You" which appeared on her albumRainbow (1999).[7] Released as the album's second single, it became Joe's first number-one single on the USBillboard Hot 100 and was later certifiedGold by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Aside from its peak of number two in Canada, the song achieved moderate international charting, reaching the top ten in the United Kingdom and peaking within the top thirty in Australia, Belgium (Wallonia), France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.[8]
In April 2000, Joe released his third album,My Name Is Joe. Produced by Joe and several other record producers such asKevin "She'kspere" Briggs,Teddy Riley andTim & Bob, it received favorable reviews from critics and peaked at number two on theBillboard 200, while topping theTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[9] It charted internationally as well, peaking within the top 10 inNetherlands andCanada.My Name Is Joe produced three singles, including "I Wanna Know", "Treat Her Like a Lady", and "Stutter", the first and last of which reached the top five of the USBillboard Hot 100. The biggest seller of his discography,My Name Is Joe was certifiedtriple-platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and earned platinum and silver certifications fromMusic Canada,Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP), and theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI). In 2001, the album and "I Wanna Know" receivedGrammy Award nominations in theBest R&B Album andBest Male R&B Vocal Performance categories.
The following year,Better Days, Joe's fourth album, was released. Significantly less successful, it reached number 32 on theBillboard 200 but peaked at number four on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, reaching gold status in the US. The album spawned two singles, "Let's Stay Home Tonight", which reached number 18 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and theAdult R&B Songs chart-topper "What If a Woman". A critical success,Better Days became his second album to receive a Grammy nomination in the Best R&B Album category, while "Let's Stay Home Tonight" was nominated forBest Male R&B Vocal Performance. In 2002, Joe did another collaboration withMariah Carey on the remix version of "Through the Rain", the first single from her albumCharmbracelet (2002).[10]
Joe recruited a diverse roster of high-profile musicians to work with him on his fifth studio album, includingCarvin & Ivan,Dre & Vidal,R. Kelly, andThe Underdogs. Released in late 2003,And Then... reached number 26 on the USBillboard 200. While Kelly-penned lead single "More & More" became a top 20 R&B in the US, it was released ondouble A-side with "Ride Wit U", a collaboration with rap groupG-Unit, elsewhere. A moderate success, the single entered Australia's top 40 in July 2004, and peaked at number 12 on theUK Singles Chart, becoming one if his biggest hits there.[11] A steady seller,And Then... was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Joe's sixth albumAin't Nothin' Like Me, released in April 2007, was produced byStargate,Tank,Cool & Dre,Bryan-Michael Cox, andSean Garrett and featured guest appearances by rappersNas,Fabolous,Papoose,Young Buck andTony Yayo. It received generally positive reviews from music critics and debuted at number two on the USBillboard 200 and on top of theTop R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, selling about 98,000 copies in its first week, while marking his highest-charting album sinceMy Name Is Joe. While lead single "Where You At" charted in the United Kingdom only, follow-up "If I Was Your Man" reached number three onBillboard'sAdult R&B Songs.Ain't Nothin' Like Me marked Joe's final album with Jive Records following a fallout with label surrounding rumors of his dissatisfaction with the promotion of his material.[12] Also in 2007, Joe performed acover version of "Before He Cheats", aCarrie Underwood hit, as aPepsi Smash exclusive onYahoo! Music.[13]
Following his departure from Jive Records, Joe released his seventh albumJoe Thomas, New Man independently on record label executiveKedar Massenburg'sKedar Entertainment company in September 2008. Production on the album was helmed byBryan-Michael Cox,Stereotypes, andD'Mile among others.[14] Upon release, it debuted at number eight on the USBillboard 200, selling 56,733 copies in its first week. Lead single "E.R. (Emergency Room)" became the only single to reach the top forty onBillboard'sHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[15] Only ten months later,Signature, his second album with Kedar, was released.[16] An album composed of ballads written, produced, and arranged by Joe, it debuted at number seven on theBillboard 200 and number two on theTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[17] The same year, Joe released the holidays EPMake Sure You're Home for Christmas, which was released exclusively throughTarget and features two original songs and four cover versions ofChristmas standards andcarols. A top twenty success on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, the standalone EP was worked into a full-length album, entitledHome Is the Essence of Christmas, released the following year.[18]
In 2010, Joe collaborated with label mateKeith Sweat on the song "Test Drive", written for Sweat's albumRidin' Solo. Also in 2010, he released his ninth studioThe Good, the Bad, the Sexy. The singer worked with Brandon "B.A.M." Alexander, Gragston, The Ambassadorz, and Gerald Issac on most of the record which debuted at number eight on theBillboard 200 and number two on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop albums chart.[19] Following a short hiatus, Joe's next effort, his tenth studio albumDoubleback: Evolution of R&B, was released in July 2013, marking his first release on Massenburg's newly formed company Massenburg Media after the dissolution of his Kedar Entertainment.[20] It debuted at number six on theBillboard 200 and number one on the R&B/Hip Hop chart, selling 31,500 copies in its first week.[21] The singer worked with a small group of musicians on the album, includingSan Francisco-based producer D.O.A., who contributed "I'd Rather Have a Love" and theduet "Love & Sex", featuring singerFantasia.[22] RapperToo Short also appears on the album.[23]
In March 2014, Joe signed a distribution deal withBMG Rights Management.[24] His eleventh album,Bridges, marked his first album under Plaid Takeover Entertainment, a venture of regular co-executive producer Gerald Isaac, after severing business ties with Massenburg.[25] After a decade of consecutive top ten entries on theBillboard 200, it debuted and peaked at number 17, with first-week sales of 15,126 copies in the United States.[26] The first single released from the album was "Love & Sex, Pt. 2", a duet with singerKelly Rowland serving as sequel to his 2013 collaboration with Fantasia. It became a top five hit on theAdult R&B Songs chart.[27] In November 2015, Joe recorded and released a cover to the critically acclaimed songHello by artistAdele,[28] which received mostly positive reviews. Joe's twelfth album,My Name Is Joe Thomas, an homage to his third effortMy Name Is Joe (2000), was released on November 11, 2016. The album debuted at number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with 17,000 copies sold the first week, and spawned the single "So I Can Have You Back", his fourth number-one hit on the Adult R&B Songs chart.[2] In support of the album, Joe co-headlined a European concert tour alongsideAshanti from February to March 2017.[29]
Studio albums
| Award | Year | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result[citation needed] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASCAP Awards | 2001 | Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures | "I Wanna Know" | Won |
| BET Awards | 2001 | Best R&B Male Artist | Joe | Nominated |
| Grammy Awards | 2001 | Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals | "Thank God I Found You" | Nominated |
| Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | "I Wanna Know" | Nominated | ||
| Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | "Coming Home" | Nominated | ||
| Best R&B Album | My Name Is Joe | Nominated | ||
| 2003 | Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | "Let's Stay Home Tonight" | Nominated | |
| Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | "More Than a Woman" | Nominated | ||
| Best R&B Album | Better Days | Nominated | ||
| NAACP Image Awards | 2001 | Outstanding Album | My Name Is Joe | Nominated |
| Soul Train Music Awards | 1997 | Best R&B/Soul Single – Male | "All the Things (Your Man Won't Do)" | Nominated |
| 1998 | Best R&B/Soul Album – Male | All That I Am | Nominated | |
| Best R&B/Soul Single – Male | "Don't Wanna Be a Player" | Nominated | ||
| 1999 | Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video | "Still Not a Player" | Nominated |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
