The Day



Kenneth Brian Edmonds (born April 10, 1959), known professionally as Babyface, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has written and produced 26 number-one R&B hit songs and has won 13 Grammy Awards. NME ranked him number 20 on its list 50 of the Greatest Producers Ever. Edmonds was born on April 10, 1959, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Marvin Dallas and Barbara Jean (née O'Bannon) Edmonds. He is the fifth of six brothers, including Melvin and Kevon Edmonds, who later became members of the group After 7. Edmonds attended North Central High School in Indianapolis and began writing songs as a way to express himself. His father died of lung cancer when he was in eighth grade, after which his mother raised the family alone. Early in his career, Edmonds met funk musician Bootsy Collins, who gave him the nickname Babyface because of his youthful appearance. He performed as a guitarist in the group Manchild, which had a minor hit with the song Especially for You in 1977. He later played keyboards and guitar in the R&B group the Deele, which also included drummer Antonio L.A. Reid. Babyface and Reid formed a successful songwriting and production partnership. One of Edmonds’ first major songwriting credits for another artist was the song Slow Jam for the R&B group Midnight Star, featured on their 1983 album No Parking on the Dance Floor. Babyface remained in the Deele until 1988, when he and Reid left the group. His album Playlist was released on September 18, 2007, and featured eight cover songs along with two original tracks. It was the first album issued on the newly re-launched Mercury Records label. On February 4, 2014, he released a duet album with Toni Braxton titled Love, Marriage & Divorce on Motown Records, which won a Grammy Award. In April 2024, Babyface announced a Las Vegas residency through a promotional video shared on Instagram. Studio albums Lovers (1986) Tender Lover (1989) For the Cool in You (1993) The Day (1996) Face2Face (2001) Grown & Sexy (2005) Playlist (2007) Return of the Tender Lover (2015) Girls Night Out (2022) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.