Jump to content

Babyface (musician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 71.230.144.190 (talk) at 21:13, 3 August 2006 (→Early Career). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Babyface redirects here; this article is about the R&B record producer/musician. For other uses, see Babyface (disambiguation).
File:Grownsexy.jpg
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, as shown on the cover of his 2005 album, Grown & Sexy.

Kenneth Brian Edmonds (born April 10, 1958 in Indianapolis, Indiana), known professionally as Babyface, is a successful American R&B and pop singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, record producer, film producer, and entrepreneur. He is associated with the R&B groups After 7 and Milestone, both of which include his brothers, Kevon and Melvin.


Early Career

Edmonds, bladhwho is the 5th of six brothers, attended North Central High School and as a shy youth, wrote songs to express his emotions. Edmonds later played with funk superstar Bootsy Collins, who tagged him "Babyface" while he was still a teen, and the nickname has stuck with him throughout his life. He also played in the groups Manchild (which had a 1977 hit "Especially for You"), then in the light-funk and R&B group The Deele (which also included Antonio "L.A." Reid, with whom he would later form a succesful partnership). In 1988, both Babyface and Reid left the group.

Commercial Success

In 1989, Edmonds co-founded the successful R&B/hip hop label LaFace Records with Reid. Two of the label's first artists Toni Braxton and TLC achieved massive success. Braxton's eponymous 1993 debut album went on to sell over eight-million copies, and earned her a Grammy Award as the year's best new artist in 1994. Meanwhile, TLC's two albums on LaFace — 1992's Ooooooohhh.... On the TLC Tip and 1994's CrazySexyCool — combined to sell more than 15 million copies, and CrazySexyCool won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best R&B album.

Edmonds is also behind some of the biggest successes in contemporary music. He wrote and produced Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" and "I'll Make Love To You", both of which established records for the longest stay at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He provided background vocals on Madonna's 1995 #1 hit "Take A Bow," and he shared billing with Eric Clapton on the chart-topping Grammy winner "Change the World" from the Phenomenon soundtrack. Additionally, he has produced and written music for many artists including Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Céline Dion, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton, Madonna, Aretha Franklin, Japanese singer Ken Hirai, Pink, Sheena Easton among others, and he has received an amazing three consecutive Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year, in 1995–1997.

In the mid-1990s, Edmonds and his wife, Tracey Edmonds, expanded into the business of motion pictures, setting up "Edmonds Production Company" and producing films such as Soul Food (1997) and Josie and the Pussycats (2001). They are the current executive producers of the hit BET reality series College Hill. Edmonds also worked with David Foster to compose "The Power of the Dream", the official song of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Linda Thompson provided the lyrics.

In 1999, a 25-mile (40-km) stretch of Interstate 65 that runs through Indianapolis was renamed Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds Highway.

In October 2005, Edmonds and his wife, Tracey, announced that they were ending their marriage of thirteen years. They have two sons.

Babyface is participating in a charity single written and produced by Michael Jackson. It is unclear if he is participating in the single as a performer or producer. The single to be titled "I Have This Dream".

Discography

  • 1986: Lovers #28 R&B
  • 1989: Tender Lover #14 US, #1 R&B (US 2x platinum)
  • 1991: A Closer Look
  • 1993: For the Cool in You #16 US, #2 R&B(US 3x platinum)
  • 1996: The Day #6 US, #4 R&B (US 2x platinum)
  • 1997: Babyface MTV Unplugged NYC (live) #106 US, #33 R&B (US Gold)
  • 1998: Christmas with Babyface #101 US, #34 R&B
  • 2001: Face2Face #25 US, #8 R&B
  • 2003: Cool in Love
  • 2004: A Love Story
  • 2005: Grown and Sexy #10 US, #3 R&B

Singles

Year Title Chart Positions Album
US R&B/Hip-Hop
1986 "Lovers" #42 Lovers
1987 "I Love You Babe" #8 Lovers
1987 "If We Try" ? Lovers
1987 "Mary Mack" #29 Lovers
1989 "Love Saw It" (duet with Karyn White) #1 A Closer Look
1989 "It's No Crime" #1 Tender Lover
1989 "Tender Lover" #1 Tender Lover
1990 "Whip Appeal" #2 Tender Lover
1990 "My Kinda Girl" #3 Tender Lover
1990 "Love Makes Things Happen" (duet with Pebbles) #1 A Closer Look
1992 "Give U My Heart" (duet with Toni Braxton) #2 Boomerang soundtrack
1993 "For The Cool In You" #10 For The Cool In You
1993 "Never Keeping Secrets" #3 For The Cool In You
1994 "And Our Feelings" #8 For The Cool In You
1994 "When Can I See You" #6 For The Cool In You
1994 "Dream Away" (with Lisa Stansfield) - The Pagemaster soundtrack
1995 "Someone To Love" (with Jon B) #7 Jon B's Bonafide
1996 "This Is For The Lover In You" (featuring Jody Watley and LL Cool J) #2 The Day
1997 "Every Time I Close My Eyes" (featuring Mariah Carey) #5 The Day
1997 "How Come How Long" (featuring Stevie Wonder) - The Day
1998 "Fire" (duet with Des'ree) - Hav' Plenty soundtrack
2000 "Reason For Breathing" - A Collection of His Greatest Hits
2001 "There She Goes" #10 Face 2 Face
2001 "What If" #28 Face 2 Face
2004 "The Loneliness" - Grown & Sexy
2005 "Sorry for the Stupid Things" #65 Grown & Sexy
2005 "Grown & Sexy" #70 Grown & Sexy

Selected Production Credits

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Babyface_(musician)&oldid=67513451"