Songwriter, producer, vocalist, and instrumentalist Jon B. brings a distinctive focus on smooth melodies to contemporary R&B. Proficient on keyboards, guitar, bass, and drums, he wrote and produced songs for such rap music legends as Toni Braxton, After 7, and Color Me Badd. Born in Rhode Island and raised in California, Jon B. was the son of a professor of music and a concert pianist. Influenced by music found in his grandparents' record store, he began combining '70s soul with '90s hip-hop on his 1995 debut album, Bonafide. It sold more than one million copies and went gold.