Robert Jones has two claims to fame; he is an up and coming R&B singer in Chicago and he has appeared on Oprah three times to tell the story of how he lost his sight. If he had to choose which meant more to him, the 28-year-old Chicago native said that it
“To me it’s more important because it’s uplifting people…The music does it as well, but unless I’m singing specifically on something of that sort, it’s not going to have as big an impact on the heart and mind,” he said. Oprah Winfrey Show producers first called Jones 18 years ago, after they saw his story on the local news.
He had been playing at the Robert Taylor Homes housing projects when a stray bullet, fired by a gangbanger, pierced his left temple and exploded through his right eyelid. The experience was traumatic. But Jones, who was 10 years old at the time, said that he recovered quickly. “I just was not that fazed by being blind.
Maybe because I was so young,” he reflected. He admits, however, that there is one thing that makes him regret his loss of sight. “I wish I could see my daughter. When people describe her to me, and they say that she looks like me so much, and talk about how pretty she is, I can piece it together in my mind. But I’ll never know for sure,” he reflected.
Soon after becoming blind, Jones developed an interest in singing and became classically trained in piano. His love of music led him to graduate from Columbia College with a degree in Music Composition in 2003 and segue into a life of writing and performing. He said that, right now, his greatest challenge is overcoming stereotypes in the music industry.
“When people see me, they think I’m going to stay behind the piano, like Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder,” he said. But Jones loves to get down. “I juke a lil bit. And I’m famous for my ‘drop it like it’s hot’ dance. So I have to do it at pretty much any concert where I’m doing a fast song. It just sends the crowd up because it’s not me just going to the floor.
I’m grooving to the floor. And it looks natural. It looks like, “Man. This dude is not blind,” he said with a laugh. He recently showcased his skills when he opened for R&B star Mario in February. “When I did the Mario show, my friends were like, ‘Man, as soon as you came on stage. All eyes were on you. The crowd was focused,’” Jones said.
Aside from grabbing the attention of crowds, Jones said that his blindness helps with songwriting, forcing him to describe with words what he cannot see with his eyes.
Oprah Winfrey, herself, is the inspiration behind a song he wrote called Do You See What I See? “There was a question that she asked me [on her show] that inspired the song. She asked me if I could see in my dreams,” Jones recalled. “The first verse says, “I want to let you know what I see in my dreams. Bet you didn’t know I could see in my dreams%uFFFD”
He said that he will perform the song for Winfrey the next time he appears on her show. Until then, Jones is creating a buzz in Chicago. He has opened for R&B singer Jaheim and renowned Chicago poet Malik Yusef, and is currently working towards a major recording deal. “I want to just shock the world and do more music,” he said.
“I want to create this new image of blind people. I believe that when people see me, and see how I move when I get out here, they’re going to look at blind people in a whole different way.”
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