Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds born on April 10, 1959, in Indianapolis, Indiana, played with the band The Deele before forming a songwriting/production team with L.A. Reid. The two formed their own label, launching artists like Toni Braxton and TLC, and scoring multitudes of hits. Having helmed the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack among other projects, Babyface is a solo recording artist.

Kenneth (Kenny) Brian Edmonds was born on April 10, 1959, in Indianapolis, Indiana, the second eldest of six children. He took to playing the guitar in his youth and later learned keyboards, performing with the band Manchild. He'd also played with funk legend Bootsy Collins, from whom he received the nickname "Babyface."

Babyface joined the 1980s group The Deele, which had several R&B hits. He and fellow musician L.A. Reid would go off from the band to become a highly successful, chart-topping songwriting/production team. The duo crafted work for the likes of The Whispers, Pebbles (whom Reid married), Karyn White, Sheena Easton and Bobby Brown, forming their own label—LAFace Records—in 1989.

Babyface was also working on his career as a solo vocalist, offering his debut album Lovers in 1986. Though a private man who often preferred to be out of the spotlight, he made a mark and then some with his second full-length release—1989's Tender Lover, a double-platinum affair which featured the R&B No. 1s "It's No Crime" and the title track, as well as the Top 5 "Whip Appeal" and "My Kinda Girl."