JOE Young Singer Brings Back Romance - Joe Thomas - Brief Article - Interview

Ebony, Oct, 2000 by Joy Bennett Kinnon

He's not your average cup of Joe. At barely age 25, he has already mastered the secret of relationships: He asks, and women answer.

"I feel like if you have a queen, you should treat her like a queen," he says. "I feel she doesn't deserve anything less than that. If you make a promise for forever, you should keep it and hold up to it." He writes and sings about relationships because he believes they are very important. "I try to incorporate the sensitive, low-key, laid-back side that I know I have with a sense of confidence," says the writer, singer and producer.

While the "take-out" generation likes java and relationships on the fly, Joe takes his time and wines and dines. "I want to bring out more romance in R&B," he says. "I love writing songs with sweet melodies; songs that are going to be sketched into a person's mind in pure feelings. His third CD, My Name Is Joe, has been hovering near the top of the music charts since its release early this year. The album is "platinum-plus and on its way to double platinum," says James (Jazzy) Jordan, vice president of Black Music marketing for Jive Records.

The success of his red-hot album is still a surprise to the man who was born Joe Thomas in Cuthbert, Ga., and grew up in Columbus, Ga. "I just didn't know it would take off in such a manner," he says.

The album shipped gold following the success of his hit "I Wanna Know." Not originally scheduled for release as a single, public demand pushed not only the release of that song, but an earlier release date for his CD. "That song is definitely for the ladies," Joe says. "I think that's what guys felt and they couldn't really find the words to say--sometimes we're so macho we probably think we know what it is [ladies want]. But to actually ask the question says a whole lot."

One of five children, Joe grew up in an environment filled with gospel music. Both his parents are ministers, he says, and he feels at some point he will return to the gospel music that started his career. "I think this [R&B] is my ministry right now," he says.

As a child, he was inspired by the greats of contemporary gospel as well as the legends like Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. "I admire Stevie a lot, especially for his ability to write so many incredible melodies," says the multitalented performer who considers Sammy Davis Jr. as one of the greatest performers ever.

Thanks to strong musical influences, Joe began his career early and was always doing something musical, whether it was singing, playing the guitar or directing the choir at his family's Pentecostal church. By high school he was playing in a local band. After high school, he worked a variety of odd jobs until one day he stepped out on faith and bought a one-way ticket to New Jersey, where he knew people who knew people who were in the music industry. He recorded a demo that led to a publishing deal with Zomba and soon after contributed the hit "All The Things (Your Man Won't Do)" to the Don't Be A Menace soundtrack. Joe recorded "Faded Pictures," a duet with Case for the Rush Hour soundtrack and appeared on the remix tracks of Chico DeBarge's "No Guarantee" and the late Big Pun's "I'm Not A Player." In 1998 he recorded his debut All That I Am, which eventually went platinum and helped establish Joe as a force, both in front of and behind the scenes.

Joe credits his parents and his solid upbringing for influencing not only how he writes but also who he is. "It makes me feel good to make my parents proud of me,'" he says. "I love to hear my Dad say, `That's my boy.'" And he gives his mother credit for his attitude toward women. "She's a very strong, powerful woman, and I think if it wasn't for her, the family wouldn't be together, very strong and very close. She was the one who really kept it together."

Joe's parents obviously influenced him and shaped his personality because the one characteristic that comes across when you meet him is his lack of ego. He is grounded, not requiring the "big star" treatment and credits his success to a strong work ethic. Jordan of Jive Records says he wishes he could "clone" the artist. "He's a pleasure to be around and he works tremendously hard." How does he do it? "I stay positive and upbeat, and I surround myself with positive people," Joe says. "I don't have anybody around me who will disrespect a woman." His follow-up release to "I Wanna Know" is aptly titled, "Treat Her Like A Lady."

Ironically, the man who writes the songs that makes the ladies melt isn't seeing anyone special right now, he says, a fact he considers "a shame." To maintain a relationship, he says, "takes a lot of attention," and right now, he doesn't have time. He's much in demand as a writer and producer he produced The Temptations new hit, "I'm Here," and wrote and produced a track for Babyface's new CD. He has also been signed to work with Usher on his next project. Then he plans an overseas tour to Japan and Australia. "I'm just really in love with creating music, from every conceivable angle--writing, singing, producing," he says. "This is my life. I just want to make music forever." That means his own lifetime duet will have to wait. The shy guy who didn't attend his own high school prom now has lots of offers and no time to pursue them. But according to rumors, he knows what he's singing about and there's a "One Life Stand" in his future.