An aspiring singer in Jacksonville, Florida, during the 1970s, Glenn Jones listened to the soulful songs of Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway, and Bobby Womack. A decade later, he rode the charts with ballads like Show Me and We’ve Only Just Begun.

Jones is one of the headliners for the ‘To Mom With Love’ show on Mother’s Day (May 10) at the AC Hotel in Kingston.

In a recent interview with the Jamaica Observer he spoke about making his name in the age of Michael Jackson and Miami Vice.

“Breaking through in the 80s was amazing. I think the music was so much more… melodic! More challenging from a writing standpoint,” he said.

Show Me and We’ve Only Just Begun saw Jones making a successful transition from Jacksonville’s gospel scene to secular music. They laid the foundation for Here I Go Again, a #1 song on the Billboard R&B chart in late 1991.

Over the years his music has been distributed and marketed by major labels such as RCA, Jive, and Atlantic Records. But his greatest support came from his mother, Ella Lee Jones.

“My mother was the reason I was able to pursue my career. She pushed me, encouraged me all throughout my life. She taught me how to love people,” Jones related. “I was born the youngest of nine and now there are only two of us left. My mother and father passed away years ago, but they are still in my spirit.”

Marcia Griffiths, Third World, and Nesta are also scheduled to perform at To Mom With Love, which has two shows. The first starts at 1:00 pm and the second at 7:00 pm.

The artistes will be backed by Grub Cooper and the Super Band.

— Howard Campbell