Mickey Starling
reporter3@greenepublishing.com
By the time Madison native Jovonte Arnold was in elementary school, he knew music was going to play a major role in his life. It certainly helped that his mother, Linda Jones, was an avid record collector who loved all types of music. “I knew it all, thanks to her,” said Arnold. Added to that rich background was the nurturing of his grandfather, J.P. Smith. “He was always encouraging me that I could be whatever I wanted,” recalls Arnold. “He taught me a lot. He was like a father to me.”
With various genres of music playing often in his head, all Arnold needed was an instrument and a good instructor to keep his musical ambitions rolling. Gary Gazlay was Arnold’s band director at Madison County Central School, and he helped Arnold to find his favorite instrument, the trumpet. “He made me fall in love with music,” said Arnold, who continued to play the trumpet through his senior year of high school.
Before music took center stage in his life, Arnold graduated from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) with a degree in Criminal Justice. He went on to earn a master’s degree in Public Administration in 2017. Arnold held several jobs before moving to Nashville, Tenn., working as an auditor for an insurance company. It wasn’t long before he began pursuing music professionally, recording his first song in 2020. Arnold already has two albums out, with 21 songs to his credit.
The first album, “Truth A Narrative By: Jovonte’” was released in 2022, which peaked at 188 on the iTunes Rhythm and Blues album chart. One of the songs featured on this album, “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” garnered Arnold a nomination for R&B Artist of the Year at the Eddy Awards. “I was overjoyed,” said Arnold. “I knew this was what I was supposed to be doing.”
Arnold’s second album, “ArnoldTP2: The Conclusion” was recently released on his birthday, Tuesday, July 18. It rose to number five on the iTunes R&B charts. Both of his albums are available on all streaming services. So far, the most popularly-streamed song from the latest release is “What’s On Your Mind,” which features fellow Madison native Rashad Guyton, who goes by “Shad Daron” on the release.
Arnold hopes to have many more successful releases as he pursues his lifelong passion of making music. He aspires to connect emotionally with his audience, much like one of his personal favorites, fellow R&B artist Brian McKnight, who has sold over 25 million albums worldwide.