Born in Gary, Indiana, on September 12, 1971, Jesse Powell came from a musical family. He told Billboard website that at the age of 7, he joined a band with his mom, brother, and sisters, Trina and Tamara. According to Delafont website, they sang at various talent shows around the city.
Jesse Powell told the website he was influenced by musicians like The Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, and Aretha Franklin. He added, “Honestly, I never considered doing anything other than music. I kept my fingers crossed that I could make a living doing it.”
In 1993, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of becoming a musician. During his journey out west, he stopped in Kansas City and met an up-and-coming writer and producer named Carl Roland, and they started making music together.
Jesse Powell eventually made his way to L.A. and started performing at different talent contests and industry showcases. He was eventually discovered by music executive Louil Silas, Jr. of Silas Records, a subsidiary of MCA. Jesse said, “Louil offered me a deal. That’s when I knew all the work I had been doing on my career was not in vain.”
Jesse Powell became an international success
His self-titled debut album was released in 1996, and it included the song “You,” which was co-written by Jesse and Carl. Jesse told Billboard his music was inspired by the ‘70s soul songs he performed back in his childhood days in Indiana.
The album experienced moderate success, and Jesse told the Baltimore Sun it was due to his own insecurities about being a new artist. He returned to the studio to record his follow-up project, and this time, he was ready. He told the news outlet he was more mature with his delivery and his song choices.
His sophomore album, titled Bout It, was released in September 1998 along with the single “I Wasn’t With It.” The song “You” was included on that album as well. This time, the album and the song “You” caught everyone’s attention. The track peaked at number 2 on the Billboard R&B chart and is now considered his most recognizable hit and a timeless classic.
The Baltimore Sun called Jesse, quote, “one of the more impressive if underrated voices to emerge in urban pop in the past decade.”
Jesse was in his own lane and enjoying every minute of it. He told the news outlet, “Everybody right now is trying to sound like R. Kelly. Me? I’m about trying to be me. That’s all I can do anyway.”
His sisters Trina and Tamara also experienced success when they were featured vocalists on the 1997 summer smash hit, “My Love Is The Shhh!” by the group Somethin’ for the People. In 1999, they also released a self-titled album.
Jesse Powell’s label dropped the ball
In 2001, Jesse was the recipient of the prestigious “Legend of Tomorrow” award. He also recorded another album called JP. The ballad-heavy project included songs written and produced by Jesse with the help of his sister Tamara and producers Tim and Bob, Shep Crawford, and Damon Thomas.
The first single, “If I,” co-written with his sister Tamara, is a ballad that ponders the future of a relationship. Jesse told Billboard, “It’s about when you get to that point where you’re not sure if the relationship’s going forward. You’re hoping it’s not over, but you’ve done some things that maybe you shouldn’t have.”
The song resonated with R&B fans and picked up steam on radio stations. To promote the single, Jesse scheduled several live performances and a music video. His label hoped the early buzz for the song would translate it into a smash hit similar to the song “You.”
However, Jesse Powell was growing more discouraged by the landscape of R&B music. He told Billboard that when listening to the radio, he couldn’t even tell artists apart because everyone sounded the same. His label agreed, and one of his record exec’s told Billboard, “Everybody wants to make the male vocalist some macho, hard-nose who looks like he’s about to beat somebody up. But if that’s not what every artist is, you can’t fake it. Every now and then the nice guy can finish first.”
But when it came time to further promote the album JP, his label dropped the ball. His parent label MCA eventually closed its doors, and Jesse was left floating around and feeling, quote, “burned out.”
Jesse Powell had financial struggles
He told the Baltimore Sun it took him a while to get his business affairs in order. Jesse Powell added, “Things had gotten really messy. I was trying to make sure I could pay the bills so that I could concentrate on my music.”
He decided to go the independent route and signed with Riviera Entertainment, which was distributed by Liquid 8 Record. He told the Baltimore Sun, “Now, I’m in a position to pay my mortgage on time. So it’s all good.”
His album Jesse was released in 2003, and it would be his last.
The tragic passing of Jesse Powell
From there, it appears that Jesse left the industry to live a more private life. In recent years, RRG has attempted to get in contact with him to see what happened and to ask if he’d be willing to provide us with an update on his career. We even reached out to his sisters, but our messages remained unanswered.
Like most of his fans, we decided to remain patient in hopes that Jesse Powell would pop back up on the scene and surprise us with new music, but it never happened.
Sadly, on September 13th, one day after his 51st birthday, Jesse’s sisters Trina and Tamara, shared via social media that Jesse had peacefully passed away at his Los Angeles home. In their online message, they added that Jesse loved music, and he especially loved his fans who supported him throughout his career. At this time, the cause of his passing is unknown.