Jon Jon of Troop - Exclusive Interview - Thursday, Sept 10, 2020 - 7:00 pm PST

Jon Jon Harreld aka Jon Jon of the popular
R&B Group TROOP, at the age of six, started
singing gospel with his mother, brother and
sisters in the church where he grew up which
was located in the City Of Pasadena, California.
His desire for music did not stop there as he
quickly became obsessed with playing the
bongos drums and started playing for the
congregation at the tender age of eight. Even
though Jon Jon is already an accomplished
entertainer with a powerful voice which is
constantly compared to R&B/Pop legends like Teddy Pendergrass,
Luther Vandross, Michael McDonald and Philip Bailey, he knows
doing music the way God gives it to him is important. But he also
wants to make sure that his fans know how important they are to
Troop’s success as well as his own. He says (The Fans) have always
reacted so warmly to his voice during concerts that they always
inspire him to push him to the limit!
Musically, Jon Jon has worked and challenged himself by getting
deeper involved in the writing and producing side of the business. On
the opposite end of the entertaining world, his talent as an actor has
emerged by appearing as an extra on the hit motion picture “Coming
To America” starring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall in 1990. Jon
Jon has also performed as an actor in a play called “Treat Her Like A
Lady” which was directed by Roy Fegan. Troop accompanied him on
the set of “New Jack City” starring Wesley Snipes and Ice-T. As a
result the group appeared in the film and performed the hit theme
single "For the Love of Money/Living for the City" with LeVert &
Queen Latifah.
Jon Jon’s first solo effort outside of Troop is a song that’s a part of
The Bloods & Crips cd “Banging On Wax”.The song is called “Bullets
Don't Have No Names”. That project allowed Jon Jon the opportunity
to work the Legendary Motown pioneer, the late Freddie Gorman of
The Originals, in an effort to reduce gun violence.
In addition to an all-inclusive blend of arranged background vocals
on Mr. Gorman's solo project “It's All About Love”, Jon Jon
accompanied Mr. Gorman on the duet “Together As One” and the trio
Email Jon Jon – jonjohnofTroop@yahoo.com
“Forever Yours”. Janie Bradford, Motown Publicist for 25 years and CEO of Chairman,
tapped Jon Jon on the shoulder for the Motor City Reunion Christmas single. This
opportunity allowed Jon Jon to be the first member of Troop to record a Christmas song
titled, “The Present” and work with legends such as Bobby Rogers & Dave Finley of The
Miracles, Johnny Powers, Freddie Gorman & Hank Dixon of The Originals, Bertha McNeil,
Caldinstreet, Haddie Littles, Popcorn Wiley, Alice Coltrane, Sherry Payne (The Supremes),
Maryland McCloud, Bing Bowles, Melvin Moy, Francis Nero, The Countors, and Mable
John. Janie Bradford also requested Jon Jon to perform at the 2011 HAL Awards, where
Jon Jon delighted Motown Legends “The Temptations”, Berry Gordy, and many others as he
performed “Ain’t To Proud To Beg” in honor of the Motown Legend the late David Ruffin in
celebration of The Temptations’ 50th Anniversary. Jon Jon has also performed “The
National Anthem” at Fight Night at the LA Forum and celebrity basketball tournaments.
Despite a hectic schedule, Jon Jon still finds time to play his favorite sport: Basketball! And
for added exercise he enjoys a few hours of roller skating. He says that skating relaxes him
when he's in the studio he can concentrate on giving the people what they want. Through
his commitment to the community, he encourages the young by volunteering at the
Pasadena Boys & Girls Club, Cities In Schools (A National Drop Out Prevention Program),
and is active in church in Pasadena, CA. It's obvious that spiritual faith and sheer
determination have brought Jon Jon to this point in his career. He says you can't have
success without failure through God, faith and hard work no dream is out of reach.
Jon Jon's current projects & performances includes the release of Singles "Can I Talk To
You” ft. D’Extra Wiley from R&B group IIDExtreme, “Fragile” with Br00klyn James, the
theme from the motion picture “The Love Section” ft. Dee Coupe.
Jon Jon released his first single “Never Too Much”in 2014 in which he pays tribute to the greatest
vocalist of all time Luther Vandross. In 2016 Jon Jon released his second single “Girlfriend”. In 2017
he released his third single “I Wanna Fly Away”. In 2018 Jon Jon and Brooklyn James released a
song called song “I Love LA”. In 2019 he released his fourth single “Covergirl”.