The Hit Man

Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds has been one of the biggest names in popular music for over 20 years. The multitalented singer, songwriter, and producer, has written, and/or produced dozens of Top-10 hits for some of music’s top stars, including Aretha Franklin (“Willing To Forgive”), Toni Braxton (“Another Sad Love Song,” “Breathe Again”), Whitney Houston (“I’m Your Baby Tonight” “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” ), Boyz II Men (“End of the Road,” “I’ll Make Love to You”), Pink (“Most Girls”), Madonna (“Take A Bow”), and many others.

The 10-time Grammy winner has also enjoyed an extremely successful recording career with eleven albums of his own. Known primarily for his smooth, romantic ballads, his hits include “Whip Appeal,” “Every Time I Close My Eyes,” “It’s No Crime,” and “When Will I See You.”
Touring in support of his current Island Records release, Playlist, Edmonds recently performed at Atlantic City’s Borgata Casino Hotel.

Playlist marks a departure for Edmonds in both song selection and style. Of the album's 10 songs, only two are originals. The other eight are covers of songs that Edmonds says influenced him as he was growing up, including Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight,” James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” and Dan Fogelberg’s “Longer.”

When Playlist was released in September 2007, some long-time fans were surprised to learn that Edmonds’ early mentors were soft-rock, rather than R&B, artists.

“I started listening to this music as a kid, probably around the seventh grade,” the 48-year-old Indianapolis native explained in a November 2007 interview with BET. “When we used to go to church, I would sneak out and listen to the car radio. Most of the R&B stations were playing church choirs, which I didn’t want to hear. But most of the other pop stations were playing stuff like James Taylor, Bread, the Beatles and Bob Dylan. I’d already started doodling with the acoustic guitar. Obviously, you couldn’t play James Brown on the acoustic guitar, so I started playing those pop songs.

“That pop music really talked to me, because they were romantic songs. I was a kid who was always in love; I was always trying to write pretty songs. That experience definitely influenced me to be a songwriter and to really emphasize melody.”

In an exclusive telephone interview with Atlantic City Weekly, Edmonds promised a “walk down memory lane” for fans attending shows on his current tour.

“It’s a combination of things, including songs from Playlist, my hit songs, as well as older songs from my other records,” he said. “I even do a medley of songs that I wrote and produced for other people. It’s a lot of fun. I think most people come with the perception that they’re coming to a romantic, mostly ballad driven show, not necessarily one with a lot of energy. But actually the show has a lot of energy, with the combination of things that I've done for myself as well as for others. The audiences have been very receptive, and we've had a good time.”

Edmonds began playing in local bands while still in high school. In his late teens he joined a funk group called Manchild, which signed a record deal in 1977 and released three albums. He earned his nickname while on a side gig as part of Bootsy Collins’ backing group.

After Manchild broke up, Antonio “L.A.” Reid asked Edmonds for help writing some material for a group he was putting together called the Deele.

“I joined the Deele initially as a writer,” Edmonds says. “I came on to help them with a few demos. It was after they got a record deal that L.A. asked me to be in the group.”

Although the Deele scored a few hits in the mid-to-late 80s (most notably “Shoot Em Up Movies” and “Two Occasions”), Edmonds and Reid began producing and writing for other artists on the side, landing hits with Pebbles’ “Girlfriend” and the Whispers’ “Rock Steady.” After the Deele's third album was released in 1988, the duo left the group to continue their outside activities full-time. They co-founded the LaFace record label in 1989.

Edmonds says his approach to songwriting doesn’t change, whether he’s writing for himself or for another artist.

“When I break it down, it's always about what is believable – either for myself or for another artist. It’s really all the same – you’re always looking for great melodies and a great story.”
He says sometimes, as was the case with his current single, “Not Going Nowhere,” the song comes together quickly.

“It flowed out like a conversation,” Edmonds says. “That’s happened to me before. I wrote ‘The Day’ when I found out I was going to be a father. It was five o'clock in the morning, and I got out of bed. I sat down at the piano, and it just came out of me.”

Early in his career, Edmonds demonstrated his versatility not only as a performer, but also as a songwriter and producer. Today he believes that early success has been a key to his longevity.

“There are a number of artists who came out at the same time that I did, and you don't really hear about them in the same way anymore,” he says. “It’s partly because I was a writer and producer for so many other artists and had success with it. Enough people in the industry knew about it, and that gave me a platform that wasn’t the norm. Because of that I ended up being able to stay in the game a lot longer.”

While he’s equally adept at performing, producing, and songwriting, if he were forced to pick just one full-time pursuit, Edmonds doesn’t hesitate.

“I believe I'd be a songwriter,” he says. “As a writer you’re able to touch a great number of people, and if you write the right song, it lives forever.”