Babyface (musician)
- This article is about the R&B record producer/musician. For other uses, see Babyface (disambiguation).
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds (born April 10, 1958 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is an R&B and pop singer, songwriter, keyboardist, record producer, film producer, and entreprenuer. Having performed as both a member of R&B group The Deele and as a solo artist, Edmonds is also known as a prominent producer in the music industry and as the co-founder of successful R&B/hip hop label LaFace Records with Antonio "L.A." Reid. Edmonds has produced and written music for many artists, including Boyz II Men, TLC, Céline Dion, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton, Madonna, Toni Braxton, Aretha Franklin, Japanese singer Ken Hirai, among others, and has received an amazing three consecutive Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year, in 1995-1997.
Edmonds 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 the mid-1990s, Edmonds and his wife, Tracy 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).
A native of Indianapolis, IN, where he attended North Central High School, in 1999, a 25-mile (40-km) stretch of Interstate 65 that runs through Indianapolis was renamed Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds Highway.
Discography
- 1986: Lovers
- 1989: Tender Lover
- 1991: A Closer Look
- 1993: For the Cool in You
- 1996: The Day
- 1997: Babyface MTV Unplugged NYC (live)
- 1998: Christmas with Babyface
- 2001: Face2Face
- 2003: Cool in Love
- 2004: A Love Story
- 2005: Grown and Sexy #10 US