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If you were to closely examine the annals of modern pop music history, few creative forces have been more seminal or impacted the contemporary pop/urban genres as much as Babyface. In a relatively short time span, he has reached icon status as a poignant tunesmith, prolific hitmaker/producer, superstar recording artist and revolutionary label owner. He is a statistical juggernaut, who keeps adding milestone after milestone to a legacy that seems to have no threshold or peak in sight.

Simply stated, his credentials and the imprint that he has left on the evolution of contemporary pop music and a universal legion of fans is almost unfathomable. Edmonds is responsible for writing, producing, and/or performing a staggering 119 Top 10 pop hits as a songwriter, which include, 41 ..1 R&B hits and 51 Top-10 pop hits, including 16 ..1 pop hits. Albums and singles he's worked on have amassed sales that exceed 100 million units. Along the way, Edmonds has garnered countless accolades, winning 10 Grammy Awards including Producer of the Year for a history-making three years in a row (1995, '96, '97), which still stands as a Grammy record.

Babyface is an enigma; the best in terms of pure artistry. He dominates pop music like no other creative force can. Perhaps a mere dozen other singers share his ability to deliver a vocal style that can cross several music genre boundaries consistently. Out of those select few, only a handful possess multi-platinum status and write and produce their own material. And of those top-shelf artists you'd be hard pressed to name any that can use those same songwriting and producing skills to regularly churn out No. 1 songs for talents other than himself. Edmonds has lent his Midas touch to a prestigious list of superstars including Eric Clapton, Boyz II Men, Madonna, Whitney Houston, TLC, Toni Braxton, Mariah Carey, Pink, Mary J. Blige, Aretha Franklin, Usher, Brandy, Celine Dion, Tevin Campbell, Lionel Richie, Vanessa Williams and many others.

It doesn't end there. He's an accomplished film and television composer whose skills were glowingly demonstrated with the unforgettable music for "Waiting to Exhale." That phenomenal soundtrack topped the pop albums chart, sold over seven million units and resulted in No. 1 hits by Whitney Houston, Brandy, Toni Braxton, and Mary J. Blige. He wrote fifteen songs on the album and produced all sixteen of the songs. In 1999, he received an Academy Award nomination for his music featured in the film "Anna and the King," starring Jodie Foster. Most recently he received his first Emmy nomination for the "Main Title Theme Music for Soulfood on Showtime," "That's The Way Love Goes," produced, performed and co-written by Babyface; co-written and performed by Al Green. "Soulfood" is an Edmonds Entertainment and State Street Pictures production in association with Paramount Networks for Showtime. There's more.

The creative skills and vision of Edmonds' and partner, Antonio "L.A." Reid, were a key component in the success of LaFace Records, the prosperous boutique label that was home to fertile progeny such as Usher, TLC, Toni Braxton, and OutKast. His business acumen also extends into the realm of film and television as cofounder along with wife, Tracey, of Edmonds Entertainment Group, Inc. E.E.G. is responsible for the wildly successful movie "Soul Food," which was spun off into the Emmy-nominated Showtime dramatic series of the same name. His foresight and vision is readily apparent on the Internet as well as via his partnership in the online music venture Tonos.com and his own leading edge artist site, BabyfaceMusic.com. BabyfaceMusic.com will be the first artist website to utilize S.O.A.P. (Simple Object Access Protocol) software that will translate the website into numerous foreign languages, allowing more fans of an artist than ever around the globe to experience the site.

Though he's realized the success in so many different entertainment arenas, for Edmonds, he's most comfortable working in his own studio, Brandon's Way (named for his first born son), where he has done the bulk of his recording and production over the past several years.

The Deele:

Kenny Edmonds was born on April 10, 1959 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He began his pursuit of a music career right out of high school in 1977, when he became a guitarist for R&B band Manchild. The same year, the group's only charting single was released through the Chi-Sound. "Especially For You" clawed its way to No. 70 on the R&B chart.

While the group never quite took off, Edmonds formed a relationship with fellow band member Daryl Simmons, a writer/producer with whom he would later collaborate for years. From there, the Midwesterner gigged with several Top 40 bands before joining the R&B group The Deele- a band that experienced significant success in the urban community on the shoulders of top 10 R&B singles like "Body Talk," "Two Occasions," and "Shoot 'Em Up Movies."

He joined the group in the early 80's after sitting in at a Cincinnati recording session and it was there that the budding R&B artist met band member Antonio "L.A." Reid. Their acquaintance blossomed into a friendship and creative partnership that was destined to set the music world on fire.

The Deele signed with music mogul Dick Griffey's Los Angeles based Solar Records and recorded "Street Beat," its first album, in 1984. That was around the time the Parliament/Fukadelic bass player Bootsy Collins anointed Edmonds with the nickname Babyface. A year later came the act's "Material Thangz" album and during that period L.A. and 'Face began writing and producing songs for other recording acts. In 1987 the pair established themselves as hitmakers by giving the Whispers its first No. 1 R&B single in years with "Rock Steady." It also was the veteran soul act's first-ever Top 10 pop song.

The creative duo continued their winning ways with "Girlfriend," a No. 1 R&B song performed by debut artist Pebbles that went Top Five on the pop chart. For Edmonds and Reid, their ability to create music that appealed to both Urban and pop listeners was an early sign of things to come.

Lovers:

Although recording a solo alum was always somewhere in the master plan that Edmonds had for his music career, the opportunity came at a time when he and Reid were blistering the charts with songs for other artists-as attested by the Whispers and Pebbles. Nevertheless, amid the writing and production projects that Babyface was doing around the industry and his work with the Deele, Solar Records released "Lovers" in 1987. Though it came almost as an afterthought to Edmonds, Solar president Griffey had recognized the artist's potential as a solo artist almost immediately. Few at the time realized the Edmonds/Griffey connection would become historic in nature.

"Lovers," Babyface's solo debut, yielded four charting singles: "Mary Mack," "If We Try," "Lovers," and the scintillating "I Love You Babe," which was a Top 10 R&B single. Creatively, the album was diverse and commercially it was a success. For Edmonds, it was a promising beginning-one that featured songs bearing sexual innuendo, as opposed to his later recurring themes of sensual romance. Nevertheless "Lovers" was the beginning of a recording career that would establish Babyface as one of music's premiere romance balladeers.

Tender Lover:

The year 1989 cemented Edmonds as an R&B soloist to be reckoned with. "Tender Lover" was released, went to No. 1 on the R&B chart and peaked at No. 14 on pop. Two No. 1 R&B singles buoyed the album " It's No Crime" and the set's title track. Both were also pop hits, reinforcing Babyface's universal appeal among music listeners. Stylistically, "Tender Lover" featured fewer falsetto vocals than his first album. It also toned down the sexual overtones in favor of a more quixotic approach.

Although he departed the Deele a year earlier to better focus on his independent songwriting and producing, he left the soul group with its biggest hit. The song was "Two Occasions," off the Deele's third album. The single went Top-Five R&B and crossed over to the Top-10 pop chart.

La Face Records:

On the business front, joint venture label deals were becoming the rage in R&B and leading the pack in 1989 was LaFace Records, founded by Edmonds and Reid. It was a subsidiary of music icon Clive Davis' Arista Records, and in a somewhat unorthodox move, L.A. and Face established the LaFace headquarters in Atlanta –a first for a major label. It was a masterful move on all fronts. "Hotlanta," as the city came to be affectionately known, became a cauldron simmering with new talent and the label was at its epicenter, gobbling up the best a brightest throughout the South. The first album released by the label was by R&B duo Damien Dam and their first two singles were back to back hits. Subsequent monster acts signed to the label included TLC, whose 1992 debut album sold three million units, and Toni Braxton, whose 1993 debut set sold in excess of nine million. Both acts featured carefully selected creative work by Edmonds that generated hit recordings. Perhaps his inspiring work during that time was due to his wife Tracey, whom he married in 1992. Other stellar LaFace signing included Usher, OutKast, Tony Rich, and Goodie Mob. The label also scored with wildly popular soundtracks from the movies "Boomerang" and "Soul Food."

For The Cool In You

In between churning out hits for established stars, up and coming artists, plus those inside the LaFace fold, Edmonds managed to record. "For the Cool In You," his third solo effort. The 1993 set yielded a quartet of Top 10 winners, including the enduring "When Can I See You," which was certified Gold. The artist's trademark sound was becoming more focused and his growth was apparent in all quarters of his career. The have-a-good-time party tracks had faded from Babyface's evolving style replaced with increasingly sophisticated midtempo tunes and ballads. As a full result "For The Cool In You" sold more than three million records--up a full million units over his previous long-playing platter, "Tender Love."

Making History With Boyz II Men

The wildly successful efforts of Edmonds did not go unnoticed by the music community. At the 1993 Grammy Awards the unstoppable artistic force won the first pair of what would over the years grow to 10 Grammys. His first was Best R&B song for Boyz II Men's 1992 hit "End of the Road," which he wrote and produced. The anthemic ballad spent a record-setting 13 weeks on the pop charts and became one of the biggest selling records of all time. He shared the second Grammy with partner L.A. Reid as they walked away with the coveted Producer of the Year statue.

The following year, Edmond's co-headlined a 24-city national concert tour with Boyz II Men to sellout audiences and rave reviews. Sharing the stage with that superstar act made all the sense in the world. The timing couldn't have been more appropriate since he had written and produced the quartet's smash that year, "I'll Make Love To You." The song eclipsed the group's own record 13-week monopoly of the No. 1 pop chart slot it achieved with "The End of the Road" just two years prior by holding down the spot 14-weeks--a staggering feat.

Acclaim poured in and 1994 saw Edmonds take home the Album of the Year laurels at the Soul Train Music Awards in honor of his set "For The Cool In You." Billboard magazine pronounced him the No. 1 Pop & R&B Songwriter of the Year, accompanied by BMI, which honored him with its own Songwriter of the Year award. The same year, he won another Grammy for his work on "The Bodyguard" soundtrack.

Thanks to his almost unheard of creative run and business and personal achievements, some insiders figured that Edmonds had reached the top of his game. They were wrong. The very next year he won two more Grammys, earned his first American Music Award (Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist), garnered three BMI Awards, an NAACP Image Award, was named Billboard's No. 1 Producer of the Year and No.1 Songwriter of the Year, and was selected by People magazine as "One of the Fifty Most Beautiful People."

But in Edmonds' mind, the icing on the cake came in the form of an upcoming soundtrack that would showcase his immense and seemingly boundless talents as a songwriter/producer and visionary.

Waiting To Exhale

On the business front, Edmonds purchased a nondescript Hollywood commercial building in 1995. He gutted the place and from the dust erected a state of the art recording studio that he would later christen Brandon's Way, in honor of his unborn son. After the studio was up and running, Edmonds and wife Tracey acquired another business property in Hollywood where they established the headquarters for Edmonds Entertainment Group, Inc.--a multi-million dollar entertainment conglomerate under which various music, film, and television concerns are held. Ironically, the building they purchased belonged to longtime business acquaintance and mentor Dick Griffey, the Solar Records CEO who kick-started Edmonds' career as a solo artist. It was as if Babyface had come full circle, but amazingly even greater things were yet to come.

In December 1995, Arista Records released the soundtrack to Whitney Houston's blockbuster "Waiting To Exhale." In addition to writing the film score, Edmonds wrote 15 of the soundtrack's songs and produced all 16 tracks on the project--an ambitious undertaking to say the least. The feat was nothing short of astounding, given the fact that he had to pen and produce songs for an array of stylistically different diva vocalists, including Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, TLC, Brandy, Patti LaBelle, Toni Braxton, Mary J. Blige, Chaka Kahn, Chant Moore, and Faith Evans.

Leading the way was Edmonds' expertly crafted female anthem "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)," a single that stood rock-solid for eight weeks at No. 1 on the R&B chart and also capped the pop singles list. Other R&B top-slotters on the set were Brandy's "Sittin Up In My Room," "Not Gon' Cry" by Mary J. Blige and Toni Braxton's "Let It Flow."

After all was said and done, "Waiting To Exhale" sold in excess of seven-million units. For Arista's Clive Davis, it was a feather in his platinum cap of hit records. For Edmonds, his success at movie scoring and producing soundtracks marked a giant step toward yet another entertainment realm that he ultimately would enter: filmmaking. But first he had to make his next solo album.

The Day

It can never be said that Kenny Edmonds has too much idle time on his hands. While working on his fourth album "The Day," he was glad to take on a side project of a patriotic nature--co-writing and co-producing (with David Foster and Linda Thompson) "Power of the Dream," which was recorded by Celine Dion. That song ended up being the anthem for the 1996 summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.

As Edmonds put the finishing touches on "The Day," he managed to write and produce a pair of tracks for the soundtrack to "The Preacher's Wife." He also wrote Michael Jackson's "On The Line" for the Spike Lee Million-Man March movie "Get On The Bus."

In the fall of '96, "The Day" hit stores, selling more than two million units. Stylistically, it resided within the evolutionary framework his fans and critics had come to expect. However, creatively it held a number of first, demonstrating significant growth on his part.

"The Day" was the first solo album that he produced without longtime collaborator L.A. Reid. Edmonds described the move as a positive and reflective, because going it alone meant being introduced to new aspects of the creative process. The result was self-improvement in all aspects of his solo work.

Collaborations gave "The Day" even greater texture and color. Among the artists he worked with were Eric Clapton, Mariah Carey, and rapper L.L. Cool J. Another aspect of the project that was different involved songwriting theme. Soothing, romantic ballads remained a staple of the album, but Edmonds pulled back on songs involving relationship troubles.