Kevon Edmonds
Encyclopedia
Kevon Edmonds February 25, 1957, (in Indianapolis
, Indiana
) is a singer and actor and is the older brother of famous producer/songwriter/singer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. He's the 4th of 6 boys. Growing up, Kevon shied away from the church choir, preferring to sing for his own satisfaction. It was only during his teenage years that he joined his friends in the junior high and high school choirs.
Edmonds went to Indiana University
where he began to further expand his musical ambitions. Taking I.U. Soul Revue, an extensive course in music theory, performing and the business, Edmonds began to see music as a real career. Pursuing this idea, he started the group After 7
with his brother, Melvin Edmonds, and his classmate in Soul Revue, Keith Mitchell.
The group did shows in local clubs, but on graduation went on to standard 9-5 jobs. However, brother Kenneth was moving up the ladder with L.A. Reid and when they signed a deal with Virgin Records
, one of the acts they brought up was their relatives in After 7.
As a member of After 7, Kevon had some huge successes, earning a platinum album as well as several gold singles. They continued to tour the country and established themselves as one of R&B's top performing groups. After their 1995 album, Reflections, After 7 left Virgin Records due to frustrations with the label. The departure from Virgin Records allowed the members to pursue their own personal projects and over time, saw the group separate.
At roughly the same time, Babyface brought his brothers, as well as siblings K-Ci and JoJo
of Jodeci
on for a project in a fictional group Milestone. The group performed in the movie Soul Food
and had a hit single with the track "I Care About You". For a brief period, Milestone nearly became a real group, instead of just the fictional group portrayed in the movie, but label conflicts caused the project to collapse.
In 1999, Kevon released his first solo album, 24/7. The title track from the album was a big hit, going gold and reaching #10 on the Hot 100. The album's second single, "No Love", performed moderately well, reaching #25 on the R&B charts.
Edmonds' second solo CD, Who Knew, is scheduled for release on October 13, 2009 through Make Entertainment/Image Distribution. The first single was released in early August and is titled "Oh."
"Who Knew" has generated mainly positive reviews since its release. Thomas Leo on Grown Folks Music rated the album 4/5 citing "What he did was give r&b fans a very solid album full of good music in a time when the genre seems to be moving away from what it once was."
In a recent interview, he promised fans they won't have to wait another 10 years for his next album: "I can assure you that you won’t have to wait another ten. *Laughs* “Oh yes, new album 2019, I’m going to be dropping a new album.” *Laughs* No, I’ll be back long before, that is a promise."
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
) is a singer and actor and is the older brother of famous producer/songwriter/singer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. He's the 4th of 6 boys. Growing up, Kevon shied away from the church choir, preferring to sing for his own satisfaction. It was only during his teenage years that he joined his friends in the junior high and high school choirs.
Edmonds went to Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
where he began to further expand his musical ambitions. Taking I.U. Soul Revue, an extensive course in music theory, performing and the business, Edmonds began to see music as a real career. Pursuing this idea, he started the group After 7
After 7
After 7 is an R&B group founded in 1988 by brothers Melvin and Kevon Edmonds, and Keith Mitchell. The Edmonds brothers are the siblings of popular pop and R&B singer-songwriter-producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds"...
with his brother, Melvin Edmonds, and his classmate in Soul Revue, Keith Mitchell.
The group did shows in local clubs, but on graduation went on to standard 9-5 jobs. However, brother Kenneth was moving up the ladder with L.A. Reid and when they signed a deal with Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
, one of the acts they brought up was their relatives in After 7.
As a member of After 7, Kevon had some huge successes, earning a platinum album as well as several gold singles. They continued to tour the country and established themselves as one of R&B's top performing groups. After their 1995 album, Reflections, After 7 left Virgin Records due to frustrations with the label. The departure from Virgin Records allowed the members to pursue their own personal projects and over time, saw the group separate.
At roughly the same time, Babyface brought his brothers, as well as siblings K-Ci and JoJo
K-Ci and JoJo
K-Ci & JoJo are an American R&B duo, consisting of brothers Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey and Joel "JoJo" Hailey , Natives of Monroe, North Carolina, they were also members of the chart-topping R&B group Jodeci with the DeGrate brothers—Donald and Dalvin.-On their own:K-Ci and JoJo's first sign of...
of Jodeci
Jodeci
Jodeci is an American band, whose repertoire includes R&B, soul music, and new jack swing. The group consists of two pairs of brothers from Hampton, Virginia and Charlotte, North Carolina: Cedric & Joel Hailey and Donald & Dalvin DeGrate, all respectively known by their stage names: K-Ci & Jojo,...
on for a project in a fictional group Milestone. The group performed in the movie Soul Food
Soul Food (film)
Soul Food is a 1997 American comedy-drama film, produced by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Tracey Edmonds, and Robert Teitel, and released by Fox 2000 Pictures. Featuring an ensemble cast, the film stars Vanessa L. Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Nia Long, Michael Beach, Mekhi Phifer, Jeffrey D. Sams, Irma...
and had a hit single with the track "I Care About You". For a brief period, Milestone nearly became a real group, instead of just the fictional group portrayed in the movie, but label conflicts caused the project to collapse.
In 1999, Kevon released his first solo album, 24/7. The title track from the album was a big hit, going gold and reaching #10 on the Hot 100. The album's second single, "No Love", performed moderately well, reaching #25 on the R&B charts.
Edmonds' second solo CD, Who Knew, is scheduled for release on October 13, 2009 through Make Entertainment/Image Distribution. The first single was released in early August and is titled "Oh."
"Who Knew" has generated mainly positive reviews since its release. Thomas Leo on Grown Folks Music rated the album 4/5 citing "What he did was give r&b fans a very solid album full of good music in a time when the genre seems to be moving away from what it once was."
In a recent interview, he promised fans they won't have to wait another 10 years for his next album: "I can assure you that you won’t have to wait another ten. *Laughs* “Oh yes, new album 2019, I’m going to be dropping a new album.” *Laughs* No, I’ll be back long before, that is a promise."