Most frequent collaboratorJolyon Skinner · 36 tracks
GenresR&BSoulContemporary R&B
Collaborator
54%
Authorship
Holds writing credit on 89 of 165 tracks
Does Joe write his own songs?
About half of them. He has a writing credit on 89 of the 165 tracks across thirteen studio albums, almost always with co-writers. The catalogue names 184 different writers in total.
By the Numbers
13
Studio Albums
165
Tracks Credited
54%
Self-Written
34
Years Active
233
Collaborators
Authorship Breakdown 89 / 165 self-written
Who wrote the songs?
Across all 165 tracks: how many Joe wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.
Joe has a writing credit54%
5%
48%
46%
Sole author9tracks5%
Co-written80tracks48%
Outside writers76tracks46%
Role Fingerprint how they contribute
Joe's roles across the catalogue
Share of all 165 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.
Lyricist (words)54%
Composer (music)52%
Producer40%
Performer100%
Authorship Over Time writing credit per album
Joe's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.
avg 54%
91%
83%
71%
79%
23%
21%
0%
91%
10%
9%
50%
94%
56%
1993Everything
1997All That I Am
2000My Name Is Joe
2001Better Days
2003And Then...
2007Ain't Nothin' Like Me
2008Joe Thomas, New Man
2009Signature
2010Home Is the Essence of Christmas
2011The Good, the Bad, the Sexy
2013Doubleback: Evolution of R&B
2014Bridges
2016My Name Is Joe Thomas
Early · 69% written
Mid · 26% written
Late · 68% written
Authorship by Decade track-weighted
87%
1990s
Everything, All That I Am
48%
2000s
My Name Is Joe, Better Days +4 more
49%
2010s
Home Is the Essence of Christmas, The Good, the Bad, the Sexy +3 more
Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author
Where Joe sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.
Joe
Other artists on the site
Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.
Bubble size = tracks worked on together. Showing the 150 most frequent of 225. JS Jolyon Skinner · D" Derek "D.O.A." Allen · G" Gerald "Plaid" Isaac · JP Joshua P. Thompson · AG Alvin Garrett · LC Larry Campbell
The Authorship Story
Data Insight
The share stays flat while everything around it changes. On the five Jive albums between 1993 and 2003 Joe is on 44 of 64 tracks; on the eight records after that he is on 45 of 101. What moves is who is beside him. Jolyon Skinner writes 36 tracks with him across the Jive years, mostly the ballads that put him on the Hot 100. After 2013 the partners are the people who run his own label operation: Derek "D.O.A." Allen on 30 tracks and Gerald "Plaid" Isaac on 25, both concentrated on Bridges and My Name Is Joe Thomas. Joshua P. Thompson bridges the two eras with 20. Joe also produces almost everything he releases, which is why the writing credit and the production credit tend to name the same person.
Quick Facts
Joe's share89 of the 165 album tracks
Longest partnerJolyon Skinner, 36 tracks across the Jive years
Later partnersDerek "D.O.A." Allen on 30 tracks, Gerald "Plaid" Isaac on 25
Studio albumsThirteen, from 1993 to 2016
Biggest single"Stutter", number 1 on the Hot 100 in 2001
GrammysSeven nominations
Creative Fingerprint
A singer-producer who co-writes about half his own catalogue and changes writing partner with every label.
The Story
Joe writes and produces his own records, with a credit on 89 of the 165 tracks across thirteen albums, but he almost never writes alone. The catalogue names 184 different people.
Awards & Recognition
Seven Grammy Award nominations
ASCAP Award for "I Wanna Know"
Grammy nominations for Best R&B Album for My Name Is Joe and Better Days
Grammy nominations for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "I Wanna Know" and "Let's Stay Home Tonight"
Frequently Asked Questions Joe
Does Joe write his own songs?
About half of them. He has a writing credit on 89 of the 165 tracks across thirteen studio albums, almost always with co-writers. The catalogue names 184 different writers in total.
Who writes with Joe?
Jolyon Skinner most on the early records, with 36 tracks. Derek "D.O.A." Allen has 30 and Gerald "Plaid" Isaac 25 on the later independent albums, and Joshua P. Thompson 20 across both eras.
Who wrote "Stutter"?
Roy "Royalty" Hamilton and Ernest E. Dixon. Joe did not write his own number 1 single.
Who wrote "I Wanna Know"?
Joe with Jolyon Skinner and Michele Williams. It reached number 4 on the Hot 100 and won him an ASCAP Award.
The writing partners changed completely. Jolyon Skinner and the Jive-era team are replaced by Derek "D.O.A." Allen and Gerald "Plaid" Isaac, who between them write 55 tracks on the later albums.
Joe