Jesse Powell (September 12, 1970 – September 13, 2022) was an American R&B and soul singer. Discovered by Louil Silas Jr., Powell was best known for his hit "

You In Modern English, the word "''you''" is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from ...

", which peaked at No. 2 on the R&B chart and No. 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Powell released four albums and was the older brother of fellow contemporary R&B singers Trina & Tamara. Powell was credited with a four-octave vocal range. He was a

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

nominee.

Life and career

Powell was born in

Gary, Indiana Gary ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 69,093 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it Indiana's List of municipalities in Indiana, eleventh-most populous city. The city has been historical ...

, and raised with his siblings Trina, Tamara and Jacob. The family performed in local talent shows; and, in 1993, he attracted the attention of producer Carl Roland in Kansas City. Following an artist showcase, Louil Silas signed him to his

Silas Records Silas Records was an American record label owned by Universal Music Group; founded in 1991 by Louil Silas Jr. and operated as an imprint of MCA Records, where Silas had been a senior VP. The label achieved minor success throughout the 1990s. It ...

imprint. Three years later, he completed work on his debut album. His first single, " All I Need", was written by Powell,

Sam Salter Samuel Salter (February 16, 1975 – August 27, 2021) was an American R&B singer. Career Beginnings, LaFace Records and ''It's On Tonight'' Growing up as the second of seven children, Salter sang gospel music at Faithful Church of God in ...

and

Laney Stewart Laney Stewart (born January 10, 1966) is an American songwriter, music producer, musician, music publisher, music executive, manager and youth mentor. He has written, produced and published hits for some of the biggest names in R&B, hip hop and ...

and was released in March 1996, peaking at #20 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart. His self-titled album was released on March 12, 1996, opening at #35 on the ''Billboard'' R&B and #32 on the ''Billboard''

Heatseekers Infrared homing is a passive weapon guidance system which uses the infrared (IR) light emission from a target to track and follow it seamlessly. Missiles which use infrared seeking are often referred to as "heat-seekers" since infrared is ra ...

chart. The follow-up single, a remake of the 1976 Enchantment song " Gloria", reached #51 R&B. Powell then began work on his second album, debuting the lead single " I Wasn't with It" in 1998, which became his first single to chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (#85 US, #25 R&B). Bolstered by the success of the single, his second album '' 'Bout It'' was released on September 8, 1998, topping the Heatseekers chart. The album's second single, "

", was released in February 1999 and became his biggest hit, peaking at #2 on the ''Billboard''

Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...

chart and #10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The record was certified gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

, peaking at #15 on R&B and #63 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Following

' merge into

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

, Powell's first release on the label was the single "If I" in 2000, which peaked at No. 58 on the R&B chart. His third studio album, '' JP'', was released on March 27, 2001, opening at #18 on the R&B chart and #71 on the ''Billboard'' 200. A second single, "Something in the Past" (#67 R&B), followed, in addition to Powell doing some promotion for the release. In 2002, he left the label and signed with Riviera Records. His fourth studio album, ''

Jesse Jesse may refer to: People * Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible * Jesse (given name), including a list of people * Jesse (surname), a list of people Music * ''Jesse'' (album), a 2003 album by Jesse Powell * "Jesse" (s ...

'', was released on October 14, 2003, and was supported by the singles "By the Way" (#99 R&B) and "Touching It Tonight" (#85 R&B).

Death

Powell died in his Los Angeles home on September 13, 2022, a day after his 52nd birthday from a methamphetamine overdose.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Jesse 1970 births 2022 deaths 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century African-American male singers 21st-century American male singers Accidental deaths in California American contemporary R&B singers American soul singers American tenors Drug-related deaths in California MCA Records artists Musicians from Gary, Indiana Singers with a four-octave vocal range Writers from Gary, Indiana