Bobby Jones (singer)
Gospel music singer and television host from Nashville, Tennessee
Bobby Jones (born September 18, 1938) is an American gospel singer, television host, and radio broadcaster from Nashville, Tennessee. He is best known as the host and executive producer of several cable television programs, most notably Bobby Jones Gospel, which premiered on Black Entertainment Television (BET) in 1980 and became one of the longest-running original series in cable television history. NPR referred to him as the Ed Sullivan of gospel music, for his role in launching the careers of many gospel stars.
On radio, Jones hosts The Bobby Jones Radio Show, a daily one-hour music program distributed by American Urban Radio Networks. He won a Grammy Award for best soul gospel performance by a duo or group for "I’m So Glad I’m Standing Here Today", a duet with country singer Barbara Mandrell, and received the 2025 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.
Early life and education
Jones was born September 18, 1938, in Henry, Tennessee, to Augusta Tharpe Jones and Jim Jones. He graduated with a B.S. in elementary education from Tennessee State University, an Ed.D. degree from Vanderbilt University and a Th.D. from Payne's Theological Seminary. Jones is a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. Prior to embarking on his career as a musician, he taught in the St.
The public source identifies “Bobby Jones (singer)” as gospel music singer and television host from Nashville, Tennessee. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Bobby, Jones and singer.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Bobby Jones (singer)”, the useful work is to connect “gospel music singer and television host from Nashville, Tennessee” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4935221. VIAF identifies the subject as 38587873. The Library of Congress control number is n93064693. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1938, 1980 and 2025.
Public reputation and documentary evidence do not always develop together; absence from a summary is not evidence of historical absence. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Bobby Jones (singer)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Bobby Jones (singer) primary sources, Bobby Jones (singer) archive and Bobby research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Bobby Jones (singer)”?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Bobby Jones (singer)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.