J. Renee is a Christian singer, songwriter, and author who is known for having a sweet, smooth, and powerful sound. Her musical influence comes from her family and is the foundation for her becoming a Christian Artist. J. Renee was born and raised in Gifford Florida to Bobbie Jones Sr. and the late Ida Jones. She has two brothers (Bobby Jr. and Ricky) and two sisters (Mona and Ashley) who are all musically and creatively gifted. J. Renee started singing with her siblings in their family group, “The Jones Family”, at the age of four. They would sing in churches, talent shows, weddings, fashion shows, plays, and community and social events in their home town and other neighboring cities. She still sings with her sisters in their group called Daughters of Royalty (DOR). Some of her most memorable moments are singing with her family and the “Angel Choir” of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church (Pastor Rev. Russell Holloway, Gifford, FL), and having “church at home” with her family. Her father would preach and pray; her mother would be his “hype man”; her brothers would be the deacons; she and her sisters would be the deaconesses; and they all sung in the choir.
She participated in chorus since seventh grade (Gifford Middle Seven School). In the eighth grade (Vero Beach Junior High School aka Freshman Learning Center), she was selected to be a part of an elite singing group, Sounds of Harmony, which competed and placed second nationally. A Broadway representative wanted her to come to Broadway after hearing her sing “Chestnuts Roasting” in their Christmas Extravaganza, but she turned down the offer. J. Renee sung with Brookins Community AME Church Choir (Inglewood CA – Bishop T. Larry Kirkland), New Life Church Choir (Decatur GA – Pastor Marlin D. Harris), and was Praise and Worship Leader for four years at Community Christian Church (Decatur GA – Pastor J. Charles Oggs).
She is also a writer. While attending Vero Beach Junior High School (known as the Freshmen Learning Center), she wrote a romantic love short story for a class assignment and surprisingly, her teacher entered it into a contest and it won. At the age of fifteen, she wrote and produced a play for NAACP Black History program called “Momma Why”. She authored two news columns in her high school’s newspaper (The Chieftain): “Dear Jess” and a sports column. Her friends frequently enlisted her to write poems for their parents and special events because they said she has such a way with words as if she is a storyteller or a painter who composes a masterpiece with words.
J. Renee is an intercessor. At age five, she traveled to Millen, Georgia with her father so she could pray for her grandmother who was in the hospital. Many years later, her grandmother said, “Renee, when you prayed for me, God healed me and when you got hit by that car, I prayed for you, and God healed you”. She is a miracle. At age 7, she was hit by a drunk driver and died. Her father pulled her from under the car’s tire, fell on his knees, called on the name of Jesus, and she began to breathe. Later she found out that while her dad was praying, her sister Mona was at home asking God to bring her back so she could have someone to play with and her brothers and mother were crying for mercy.
She wrote her first song, “I’m Holding On”, after experiencing the death of her mother, going through a rocky marriage which eventually led to a divorce, having health issue which God healed, and being mistreated and unfairly targeted on her job – multiple attacks at one time. Her life was in an uncertain paradigm; her purpose became blurred; and she was “undercover” angry with God. She had never written a song before and had admired her siblings for being able to compose songs and arrange vocals. J. Renee went on a fast for direction and answers, but God had to first deal with the hidden anger in her heart. She had to be honest with God about where she was in life, how her mother’s death affected her, and how she was deeply hurt during her marriage. As a result, songs were birth. She remembers a line from the movie, “The Five HeartBeats” which exclaimed, “Donald Matthews is going to be a great writer one day when he suffers more…” Undoubtedly, she can relate to this line because her sufferings fostered her writing, songwriting, and ignited her passion to sing for God.