Jonas Brothers

Discovery of the Jonas Brothers:

The Jonas Brothers grew up in Wyckoff, New Jersey and are the sons of musical parents. They all grew up singing songs as a family and eventually began playing instruments and writing songs together. The youngest brother, Nick, first drew the attention of record company recruiters, but soon it became obvious the 3 Jonas brothers would be best as a group. Columbia Records signed them to a recording contract for their first album.

Group Members:

• Kevin Jonas, born November 5, 1987 - Lead guitar and backing vocals
• Joe Jonas, born August 15, 1989 - Lead vocals and keyboards
• Nick Jonas, born September 16, 1992 - Lead vocals and guitars

Breakthrough on MTV's TRL:

The Jonas Brothers first album It's About Time was released in August, 2006. Despite intense publicity, it only reached #91 on the Billboard album chart. However, the album's single "Mandy" did gain some attention. It was written by the brothers about a friend of their family who was taught sign language by the Jonas' mother so Mandy could pursue a career of helping the hearing impaired. The accompanying music video climbed to #3 on MTV's TRL.

The Sound of the Jonas Brothers:

The Jonas Brothers' music is high energy pop rock. It takes equal inspiration from classic bubblegum rock and punk. The result is hook-filled songs at high speed sweetened with the vocal harmonies of the brothers. The trio's second album expands the musical boundaries a bit, but still relies heavily on the group's trademark sound.

Quote From Kevin Jonas on the Band's Second Album:

From the group's MySpace site:
"The first one was us kind of coming into what the Jonas Brothers could be. Whereas this one really shows off where we’re at right now."

New Contract:

Despite touring in support of such teen favorites as Jesse McCartney, the Veronicas, and Aly & AJ, sales of the Jonas Brothers' first album remained weak. They were dropped from their recording contract. However, Disney's label Hollywood Records picked the group up and began promoting their music on Radio Disney. Soon a buzz started to build and the group's songs began selling well on iTunes.

Second Album Hits the Top 5:

Amid strong support from the Disney Channel and Radio Disney, the Jonas Brothers' second, self-titled album was released in August, 2007. It had been recorded in only 21 days and featured the group's first top 20 pop single, "S.O.S." The first week on the charts the album debuted at #5. Within 3 weeks of release it had tripled the sales of the group's first album. A prime TV guest spot on Hannah Montana following the premiere of High School Musical 2 brought even stronger publicity for the Jonas Brothers.

Pop Superstars:

The Jonas Brothers set out on their own headlining Look Me in the Eyes concert tour in early 2008. That was followed by a number of opening spots on tour with Avril Lavigne. By the summer of 2008 interest in the group was hitting a fever pitch.

Disney premiered a reality TV show Living the Dream starring the group and concert, and they had a showcase part in the TV movie Camp Rock. A new single "Burnin' Up" began roaring up the charts in July 2008.