Blige, Tamia, Shola Ama, 3T, Sisqó, Dru Hill, Fall Out Boy, Céline Dion, Honeyz, Katharine McPhee, Mariah Carey, Vanessa L. Blige.Īdditionally, Edmonds has produced and written music for many artists including Carole King, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Faith Evans, Al Green, Beyoncé, Diana Ross, Sheena Easton, Toni Braxton, Michael Jackson, Michael Bolton, Paula Abdul, Eric Clapton, Pebbles, Tevin Campbell, Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston, Brandy, Mary J. 1 hit "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" for Whitney Houston as well as the rest of the critically acclaimed 10 million selling Waiting to Exhale soundtrack in 1995, which spawned additional hits for Houston, Brandy and Mary J. 1 hit "Take a Bow," and shared billing with Eric Clapton on the chart-topping Grammy winner "Change the World" from the Phenomenon soundtrack. He co-wrote, co-produced, and provided backing vocals on Madonna's 1994 Bedtime Stories, which featured the 7-week No. He also 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 No. Im Your Baby Tonight, produced for Whitney Houston, was his first No. Edmonds also helped to mold and work closely with some of his former wife Tracey Edmonds acts such as Jon B and producer Jon-John Robinson.Įdmonds works with many successful performers in contemporary music. CrazySex圜ool won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best R&B album.īabyface helped form the popular late-90s R&B group Az Yet. On the TLC Tip and 1994'sĬrazySex圜oolcombined to sell more than 15 million copies in the U.S.
TLC's first two albums on LaFace1992's Ooooooohhh. Braxton's eponymous 1993 debut album went on to sell over eight million copies, and earned her the 1994 Grammy Award Best New Artist. Three of the label's early artists TLC, Usher, and Toni Braxton were successful, the former becoming one of the best selling female groups in music history. In 1989, Edmonds co-founded LaFace Records with Reid. In the late 1980s, he contributed to the creation of new jack swing, writing and producing music for the likes of Bobby Brown, Karyn White, Pebbles, Paula Abdul and Sheena Easton.
On February 4, 2014, he released a duets album with Toni Braxton titled Love, Marriage & Divorce on Motown Records after numerous release date changes. It was the first album on the newly re-launched Mercury Records label. His album Playlist consists of eight cover songs and two original works. Babyface remained in The Deele until 1988, when both he and Reid left the group. The tune was on Midnight Star's double-platinum No Parking on the Dance Floor album, and while it never hit the charts, the song is still played on quiet storm radio stations. One of his first major credits as a songwriter for outside artists came when he wrote the tune "Slow-Jam" for the R&B band Midnight Star in 1983. Then, as a keyboardist in the light-funk and R&B group The Deele (which also included drummer Antonio "L.A." Reid, with whom he would later form a successful writing and producing partnership). He also performed in the group Manchild (which had a 1976 hit "Especially for You" with band member Daryl Simmons), as he was a guitarist for the band. Music careerĮdmonds later played with funk performer Bootsy Collins, who tagged him "Babyface" because of his cute face while he was still a teen. At this stage, Edmonds became determined to have a career in music. When he was in eighth grade, Edmonds' father died of lung cancer, leaving his mother to raise her sons alone. Edmonds, who is the fifth of six brothers (including future After 7 band members Melvin and Kevon Edmonds, the latter of whom went on to have a modestly successful solo career), attended North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, and as a shy youth, wrote songs to express his emotions. Barbara was a pharmaceutical plant manager. Kenneth Edmonds was born on April 10, 1959, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Marvin and Barbara Edmonds.
Kenneth " Babyface" Edmonds (born April 10, 1959) is an American R&B musician, singersongwriter and record producer.