Bobby Jones (singer)

Bobby Jones (born September 18, 1938) is an American gospel singer, television host, and radio broadcaster from Nashville, Tennessee. He is best known as the host and executive producer of several cable television programs, most notably Bobby Jones Gospel, which premiered on Black Entertainment Television (BET) in 1980 and became one of the longest-running original series in cable television history.^[1] NPR referred to him as the Ed Sullivan of gospel music,^[2] for his role in launching the careers of many gospel stars.^[3]

On radio, Jones hosts The Bobby Jones Radio Show, a daily one-hour music program distributed by American Urban Radio Networks.^[4] He won a Grammy Award for best soul gospel performance by a duo or group for "I’m So Glad I’m Standing Here Today", a duet with country singer Barbara Mandrell, and received the 2025 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.^[5] He has also been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame^[6] and the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

Jones was born September 18, 1938, in Henry, Tennessee, to Augusta Tharpe Jones and Jim Jones. He graduated with a B.S. in elementary education from Tennessee State University, an Ed.D. degree from Vanderbilt University and a Th.D. from Payne's Theological Seminary. Jones is a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. Prior to embarking on his career as a musician, he taught in the St. Louis Public School system from 1959 to 1965; the Nashville Metropolitan Schools from 1966 to 1968; then subsequently became a textbook consultant for McGraw Hill and worked as an instructor at Tennessee State University from 1974 to 1986.^[7]

Jones began his television career in 1976, when Nashville station WSM-TV (now WSMV) gave him a slot on the Sunday morning schedule with Nashville Gospel. That show continued for some 25 years, with a number of hosts. Jones launched his variety program, Bobby Jones Gospel, on BET in 1980.^[8] His shows figure prominently in the channel's Sunday lineup, consistently ranking in the Top 5 of overall BET weekly programming. In addition to his work for BET, Jones produced and hosted a similar half-hour program for WDCN-TV (now WNPT), Nashville's public television outlet, during the early 1980s. The show was seen early Saturday evenings.^[9]

Bobby Jones Gospel lays claim to offering the first prime exposure to several Gospel music solo artists and groups including Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary, Yolanda Adams, and Smokie Norful. Other artists featured have included Albertina Walker, Patti LaBelle, Dorothy Norwood, and Helen Baylor.^[3]

Jones also hosts shows for other television networks including Bobby Jones' Next Generation on the Gospel Music Channel and Bobby Jones Presents for The Word Network. On radio, he hosts The Bobby Jones Radio Show, a daily one-hour music program distributed by American Urban Radio Networks. Jones previously hosted the weekly The Bobby Jones Gospel Countdown which ran for more than a decade on AURN. Jones also oversees the Nashville Super Choir.^[7]

Jones has authored two books. In 2000, his memoir, Make A Joyful Noise (St. Martins Press) included chapters about his tiff with the Winans family and his personal conversations with the Rev. James Cleveland. Both topics were controversial and caused some friction with Gospel's first family and Cleveland's music organization, the Gospel Music Workshop of America. In 1999, Jones released Touched By God (Simon & Schuster), a collection of stories by Gospel artists about how God has changed their lives.^[10]

Jones has a wife, Ethel, and they have a daughter, Sonnetta.^[10]

• The Bobby Jones Radio Show, on AURN.com and AURNInspirational.com
• Bobby Jones Gospel Countdown