Rev. Robert B. Jones, Sr., was born in Detroit and learned about blues music from his grandmother at an early age. She bought him his first guitar and encouraged him to take up the music she was raised on in the South. He answered that call and has been performing songs and stories associated with the Blues tradition and African American history for over fifty years. He continued that legacy with his own children, who both performed with him at the Library of Congress in 2024. In addition to his skill as a performer, Rev. Jones is an accomplished radio presenter. He first engaged with this medium while a student at Wayne State University and later hosted a show beginning in the 1980s on WDET Detroit Public Radio. His show “Blues from the Lowlands” ran for 19 years.

Passionate about education, Rev. Jones developed a “Blues for Schools” program in the 1990s. This program, now called “American Roots Music in Education,” allows students a chance to engage with the contributions African American musicians to various musical genres found in the United States. He has also worked with the Detroit Historical Museum as a historical interpreter to offer programming about the Underground Railroad and the Great Migration. For nearly 40 years, Rev. Jones has participated in the Monroe County Library System’s annual Black History Month Blues Series as both a performer and the musical director. Together with his musical partner Matt Watroba, he founded a non-profit music education program called Common Chords, which seeks to “celebrate diversity, not just tolerate it.” His collaborations are endless, including institutions like The Henry Ford and Greenfield Village, Temple Kol Ami, Canton and Huron Valley Public Schools, and The Ark and musicians such as Peter Madcat Ruth, Matt Watroba, and Josh White, Jr. He has been an encouraging force for other Michigan musicians to develop educational programs, such as Joe Reilly, Aaron Jonah Lewis, and Rose Warner Jones.

In 2002, Rev. Jones became the pastor of Sweet Kingdom Missionary Baptist Church. This expanded his musical repertoire to include the sacred music of the Black church. An avid supporter of his community, he has worked diligently to improve the lives of his partitioners. He has been working with Detroit’s Eastern Market Partnership to renovate the social hall at his church and expand programs for food access and education. He offers music classes and secures instruments for church-goers to utilize.

Rev. Jones’s nominator Tim McGorey writes, “Robert has the unique ability to seamlessly interweave two art forms, storytelling and music, into a performance. The blending of the art forms creates more ways for audiences to interpret a theme. His deep understanding of the music through extensive research gives him a knowledge base that few of his colleagues possess. This depth of knowledge allows him to continually update and add stories and songs to his presentations. As a leader of a faith-based community, Robert exhibits a deeply felt compassion that allows him to address delicate issues of race and diversity in such a way that participants feel comfortable in examining these issues. His identity as a “blues preacher” comes with a genuine concern for the physical and spiritual well-being of others.”