Canton Jones

Gospel R&B singer and producer Canton Jones grew up in a musical family in Deerfield Beach, a coastal town in southeast Florida. As early as the age of five, Jones joined a singing quartet his father formed, and by age 16, he was making beats for himself and for other local singers. After high school, Jones moved his home base to Atlanta, where he attended Morehouse College. It was there that the singer joined the school's popular glee club, which afforded him a chance to tour extensively and sing for Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder, Bobby Jones, and Ray Charles, among others. In the meantime, Jones also began attending Pastor Creflo Dollar's World Changers Church, where he began singing in the choir. During a solo performance in one of the megachurch's services, Jones caught the attention of the congregation's youth pastor, who asked him to help in the youth department. He did, and not long after, he signed an independent record deal with Arrow Records, a church-based label spearheaded by the pastor's wife, Taffi Dollar. His first album, 20 Years 3 Months & 12 Days, came out in 2003, and one year later he completed The Password. His breakthrough came in the summer of 2005 with the release of Love Jones, which made its debut on Billboard's Top Gospel Albums chart at number 11. Jones offered an even more popular follow-up, Kingdom Business, in 2008; the disc shot all the way to the number three slot of the same chart. ~ Andree Farias, All Music Guide