Born Kevin Jones in Flint Michigan on January 25, 1962, Kipper Jones is an R&B and soul singer, songwriter, entertainer, and educator. He grew up in Los Angeles, California and, at the age of 15, trained to be a session singer under the wings of Berry Gordy (Motown Records founder) and songwriters Marilyn McLeod and Pamela Sawyer. He also learned about soul song craft, production and performing by working with Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Quincy Jones, and Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds. Kipper Jones founded the R&B band 7th Heaven in 1977, changing the group’s name to Tease in 1979. The group released three albums - Tease (RCA, 1983), Tease (Epic, 1986) and Remember (1988) - before splitting up. Kipper Jones then turned to writing and producing for other artists including Vanessa Williams’ album The Right Stuff (1988). In 1990, he issued his debut solo album, Ordinary Story, which featured the single “Shockwave.” Kipper Jones then focused on his career as a songwriter, penning songs for R&B vocalist Brandy’s debut solo album - including the hit “Baby” - as well as writing songs for Kenny Lattimore and others. He also composed tracks for the 1991 motion picture The Five Heartbeats. Throughout his career, he worked with a variety of music icons including Anita Baker, Teddy Pendergrass, Darius Rucker, Teena Marie, Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill and Sly Stone. Settling in Atlanta, Georgia, Kipper Jones became an activist and - after completing his degree in Music Business at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music - an educator.
