• April 10, 1959
• Babyface was born Kenneth Edmonds in Indianapolis, Indiana to Marvin and Barbara Edmonds.
• He is the fifth of six brothers two of whom, Melvin and Kevon Edmonds were co-founders of the R&B group, After 7.
• Edmonds started his musical career as a guitarist in the soul group Manchild with school friend Daryl Simmons, The pair have had a lasting musical collaboration. Manchild had a minor hit in 1977 with "Especially for You."
• Edmonds also played with funk performer Bootsy Collins, who tagged him "Babyface" because of his cute face while he was still a teen.
• In 1978 Edmonds joined the light-funk and R&B group The Deele as a keyboardist. They also included drummer Antonio "L.A." Reid, with whom he would later form a successful writing and producing partnership. They remained in The Deele until 1988, when both left the group. That same year, The Deele had their biggest hit with "Two Occasions," which made #10 US.
• One of Edmonds' 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. By the late 1980s he'd become one of the most in demand R&B producers and songwriters in particular as a key contributor to the new jack swing movement. Here are some of the songs he produced.
• Reid and Edmonds co-founded LaFace Records in Atlanta in 1989. Their artists have included TLC, Usher, Toni Braxton and Pink. In 2011 LaFace was absorbed into RCA Records.
• Babyface's former wife, Tracey, was president of Yab Yum Records. Their marriage of 13 years ended in 2005.
• He's known for producing R&B acts, but Babyface has worked far outside that genre. Some tracks you might be surprised to learn he produced include "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs" by Fall Out Boy, "Take A Bow" by Madonna and "Catching Feelings" by Justin Bieber.

Comments: 1

• Ms Dawn Scott from South CarolinaGreat! Love this guy.

More Songfacts:

In the MeantimeSpacehog

The Spacehog song "In The Meantime" samples an obscure recording of telephone noise, which is used at the beginning of the song.

Kung Fu FightingCarl Douglas

Kung Fu was big in 1974, with movies by Bruce Lee and a TV series called Kung Fu. Carl Douglas brought it to the dance floor that year with "Kung Fu Fighting," a #1 hit.

Coming HomeDiddy - Dirty Money

"Coming Home" by Diddy - Dirty Money was originally iwritten for for T.I., who was getting out of prison at the time.

Mambo No 5 (A Little Bit Of)Lou Bega

The party tune "Mambo No 5 (A Little Bit Of)" was the theme song for the 2000 Democratic Convention (the party of Bill Clinton), until someone noticed the line, "A little bit of Monica in my life."

The House Of The Rising SunThe Animals

"The House Of The Rising Sun" is a traditional folk song, either about a brothel or a prison.

Dirty WorkSteely Dan

"Dirty Work" is one of the few Steely Dan songs not sung by Donald Fagen. The lead vocal is by David Palmer, who sang on two tracks from their debut album.

Editor's Picks

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Five Rockers Who Rolled With The DevilSong Writing

Just how much did these monsters of rock dabble in the occult?

Michelle BranchSongwriter Interviews

Michelle Branch talks about "Everywhere," "The Game Of Love," and her run-in with a Christian broadcasting network.

Gary LeVoxSongwriter Interviews

On "Life Is A Highway," his burgeoning solo career, and the Rascal Flatts song he most connects with.

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"They're Playing My Song

The Nails lead singer Marc Campbell talks about those 44 women he sings about over a stock Casio keyboard track. He's married to one of them now - you might be surprised which.