Jonathan Andrew Nelson (born November 10, 1974) is an American

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

singer and songwriter from

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

Career

Nelson was born in

, Maryland to James Nelson, a pastor at the Greater Bethlehem Temple Church, and his wife Bessie Nelson. He studied at the

Baltimore School for the Arts The Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA) is a public performing arts high school located in Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Maryland, United States and is part of the Baltimore City Public Schools system. Established in 1979, The Baltimore School for t ...

and

Morgan State University Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a Public university, public historically black colleges and universities, historically black research university in Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically bla ...

. During a performance of Karen Clark-Sheard at his church, Nelson and his friends served as backup singers. After that, they continued to practice and sing together under the stage name 'Purpose'. After some time, Purpose released an independent album which included the song "Healed", written by Nelson. In 2000, Nelson met

Donald Lawrence Donald Lawrence (born May 4, 1961, Gastonia, North Carolina) is an American gospel music songwriter, record producer and artist. He is best known for his Grammy Award-nominated songs "The Blessing of Abraham" and "Encourage Yourself". He studied ...

, 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 ...

-nominated choir leader, at a workshop on Washington, D.C. Lawrence heard the song "Healed" and asked Nelson for permission to record the song. The song became a gospel hit in 2005, and Nelson won the

Stellar Award A Stellar Award is an award presented by SAGMA to recognize achievements in the gospel music industry.Sagma
The Stel ...

as Songwriter of the Year in 2006. Nelson also met producer Troy Sneed, who had heard another Purpose song called "The Right Place". Sneed produced the song for Pastor Rudolph McKissick and it became another commercial hit. Some time later, Nelson wrote "The Struggle Is Over" for Sneed, which became another hit. In December 2006, Nelson released a self-financed live album. After that, he signed with

Integrity Music Integrity Music is part of the David C. Cook nonprofit group. Founded as a direct-to-consumer music club in 1987 as ''Integrity Music'', Integrity was at the forefront of contemporary worship music's widespread popularity of praise and worshi ...

and started working on his first full-length studio album. In February 2008, Nelson released ''Right Now Praise''. The next year, he was nominated for a

Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...

for New Artist of the Year. That same year, he accepted the position of minister of music at The Faith Center with Bishop Henry Fernandez

Sunrise, Florida Sunrise is a city in central-western Broward County, Florida, Broward County, Florida, United States, and is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area. The population was 97,335 at the time of the 2020 census. History Early history In ...

and Empowerment Temple Church with Dr. Jamal Bryant

, Maryland. In 2010, he released his second album titled ''Better Days''. In 2016, Nelson released ''Fearless'', with

Light Records Light Records is a gospel record label founded in 1966 by Ralph Carmichael, as a joint venture with the Waco, Texas-based Word Records. It is a subsidiary of the MNRK Music Group. History Light Records' first roster included Ralph Carmichae ...

Entertainment One Music MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch"), formerly known as Koch Records and Entertainment One (eOne) Music/Records, is an American independent record label and music management company based in New York City. It was formed in 1987 as a music div ...

(eOne Music).

Personal life

Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland to James D. Nelson and Bessie Nelson. He has three older siblings Anthony, Janice and James Jr, as well as his twin

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Med ...

. He got his education in Baltimore City public school system.

Discography

* ''Live in Baltimore: Everything You Are'' * ''Right Now Praise'', No. 7 on the

Top Gospel Albums Top Gospel Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States, ranking the popularity of gospel albums. As of Tuesday, January 31, 2017 (with the charts dated February 11, 2017), it uses the same multi-metric m ...

* ''Better Days'', No. 105 ''Billboard'' 200, and No. 4 on the Top Gospel Albums * ''My Name is Victory'' * ''Finish Strong'' (2013), No. 47 ''Billboard'' 200, and No. 1 on the Top Gospel Albums * ''Fearless'' (2016), No. 117 ''Billboard'' 200

Awards and nominations

Jonathan Nelson was nominated for a

for New Artist of the Year at the

40th GMA Dove Awards The 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation was held on April 23, 2009 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2008. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Rebecca St. James, Matth ...

References

External links

*
Interview with Gospel artist Jonathan Nelson
on gmc
Baltimore's Jonathan Nelson Welcomes New Life in Florida
on Afro.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Jonathan 1974 births American male singer-songwriters Living people 21st-century American singer-songwriters