He co-wrote, co-produced, and provided backing vocals on Madonna's 1994 Bedtime Stories, which featured the 7-week #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 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 #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” produced for Whitney Houston, was his first #1 Top 40 hit in the US. 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.Įdmonds works with many successful performers in contemporary music. On the TLC Tip and 1994's CrazySex圜ool-combined to sell more than 15 million copies in the U.S. TLC's first two albums on LaFace-1992's Ooooooohhh. 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.īraxton's eponymous 1993 debut album went on to sell over eight million copies, and earned her the 1994 Grammy Award Best New Artist. 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. 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 shows. 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 played in the groups Manchild (which had a 1976 hit "Especially for You" with band member Daryl Simmons), as he was a guitarist for the band. At this stage, Edmonds became determined to have a career in music.Įdmonds later played with funk performer Bootsy Collins, who tagged him "Babyface" because of his cute face while he was still a teen. When he was in eighth grade, Edmonds's 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, 1958, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Marvin and Barbara Edmonds. He has written and produced for artists such as Whitney Houston, Karyn White, Johnny Gill, Vanessa Williams, Pebbles, Madonna and Boyz II Men, and has also worked on various film soundtracks in his successful career. Babyface (Kenneth Brian Edmonds) is a multi-platinum selling rnb singer, songwriter and record producer.