Biography
Kevon Edmonds, the sibling of Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, belonged to After 7, the vocal ensemble whose consecutive chart-toppers on the R&B listings also crossed into the pop top ten with the tracks "Ready or Not" and "Can't Stop," both composed and helmed by L.A. Reid and Babyface, plus multiple further R&B and pop successes throughout the 1990s. After the ensemble disbanded, Edmonds pursued a solo path and returned to the top ten in 1999 via the single "24/7."
An Indianapolis, IN, native, he absorbed "the good stuff" during his formative years, drawing from Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, the Temptations, and additional pillars of classic soul. Reluctant to perform with the church choir, he nevertheless sang privately "for my own satisfaction" until his teenage period, when he participated alongside friends in the junior-high and high-school choirs. While enrolled at Indiana University, his aspirations expanded through the IU Soul Revue, a comprehensive program covering music theory, performance technique, and the industry at large, prompting him to view music as a viable profession. Along with brother Melvin Edmonds and fellow IU student Keith Mitchell, Edmonds formed After 7 and began playing occasional R&B dates at neighborhood venues. Post-graduation the three secured conventional daytime employment while L.A. Reid and Babyface secured a production arrangement with Virgin and searched for talent. Once the producers elected to collaborate with family members, the trio endured an interval of uncertainty while awaiting completion of other assignments, yet momentum quickly accelerated once recording commenced.
The opening single from After 7's self-titled debut album, "Heat of the Moment," climbed to number five R&B during summer 1989. "Ready or Not" held the number-one R&B slot for two weeks and reached number seven pop in early 1990. With Edmonds handling lead vocals, "Can't Stop" attained number one R&B and number six pop in summer 1990, its remixed extended edition proving especially favored. The album After 7 attained platinum status, moving one and a half million units while peaking at number 25 pop in summer 1990.
After 7 delivered its "Night Like This" single for the 1991 Twentieth Century Fox film The Five Heartbeats, which Robert Townsend starred in and directed; the track appears on the Virgin Records soundtrack. Issued on Fox Home Video, the motion picture chronicled the challenges faced by a 1960s soul vocal group loosely modeled on the Dells. "Night Like This" reached number seven R&B in spring 1991. Through extensive concert tours and repeated television spots, the group solidified its reputation as a premier live act.
After 7 issued two certified gold albums: Takin' My Time, released September 1992, which contained the singles "Kickin' It" (number six R&B), a medley pairing the Originals' 1969 hit "Baby I'm for Real" (written by Anna and Marvin Gaye) with Bloodstone's 1973 hit "Natural High"; and Reflections, released August 1995, which featured "Gonna Love You Right" from the Wesley Snipes/Michael Wright film Sugar Hill, "Not Enough Hours in the Night" from the Fox-TV soundtrack for Beverly Hills 90210: The College Years, "'Til You Do Me Right" (number five R&B), and the Jon B composition "Damn Thing Called Love."
After 7 entered a hiatus around the period when Babyface sought authentic vocalists for a fictional ensemble named Milestone in Soul Food, the feature he co-produced. He enlisted Edmonds, Melvin, and the Jodeci siblings K-Ci and JoJo, resulting in the 1997 ballad "I Care 'Bout You," an immediate success that the quartet also performed within the 20th Century Fox film starring Vanessa L. Williams. Edmonds supplied background vocals on Shanice's self-titled 1999 LaFace album and supported his brother as choir contractor, recruiting precise voices for studio ensembles, including those featured on the 1999 Whitney Houston/Mariah Carey duet "When You Believe" from the animated DreamWorks picture The Prince of Egypt.
An Indianapolis, IN, native, he absorbed "the good stuff" during his formative years, drawing from Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, the Temptations, and additional pillars of classic soul. Reluctant to perform with the church choir, he nevertheless sang privately "for my own satisfaction" until his teenage period, when he participated alongside friends in the junior-high and high-school choirs. While enrolled at Indiana University, his aspirations expanded through the IU Soul Revue, a comprehensive program covering music theory, performance technique, and the industry at large, prompting him to view music as a viable profession. Along with brother Melvin Edmonds and fellow IU student Keith Mitchell, Edmonds formed After 7 and began playing occasional R&B dates at neighborhood venues. Post-graduation the three secured conventional daytime employment while L.A. Reid and Babyface secured a production arrangement with Virgin and searched for talent. Once the producers elected to collaborate with family members, the trio endured an interval of uncertainty while awaiting completion of other assignments, yet momentum quickly accelerated once recording commenced.
The opening single from After 7's self-titled debut album, "Heat of the Moment," climbed to number five R&B during summer 1989. "Ready or Not" held the number-one R&B slot for two weeks and reached number seven pop in early 1990. With Edmonds handling lead vocals, "Can't Stop" attained number one R&B and number six pop in summer 1990, its remixed extended edition proving especially favored. The album After 7 attained platinum status, moving one and a half million units while peaking at number 25 pop in summer 1990.
After 7 delivered its "Night Like This" single for the 1991 Twentieth Century Fox film The Five Heartbeats, which Robert Townsend starred in and directed; the track appears on the Virgin Records soundtrack. Issued on Fox Home Video, the motion picture chronicled the challenges faced by a 1960s soul vocal group loosely modeled on the Dells. "Night Like This" reached number seven R&B in spring 1991. Through extensive concert tours and repeated television spots, the group solidified its reputation as a premier live act.
After 7 issued two certified gold albums: Takin' My Time, released September 1992, which contained the singles "Kickin' It" (number six R&B), a medley pairing the Originals' 1969 hit "Baby I'm for Real" (written by Anna and Marvin Gaye) with Bloodstone's 1973 hit "Natural High"; and Reflections, released August 1995, which featured "Gonna Love You Right" from the Wesley Snipes/Michael Wright film Sugar Hill, "Not Enough Hours in the Night" from the Fox-TV soundtrack for Beverly Hills 90210: The College Years, "'Til You Do Me Right" (number five R&B), and the Jon B composition "Damn Thing Called Love."
After 7 entered a hiatus around the period when Babyface sought authentic vocalists for a fictional ensemble named Milestone in Soul Food, the feature he co-produced. He enlisted Edmonds, Melvin, and the Jodeci siblings K-Ci and JoJo, resulting in the 1997 ballad "I Care 'Bout You," an immediate success that the quartet also performed within the 20th Century Fox film starring Vanessa L. Williams. Edmonds supplied background vocals on Shanice's self-titled 1999 LaFace album and supported his brother as choir contractor, recruiting precise voices for studio ensembles, including those featured on the 1999 Whitney Houston/Mariah Carey duet "When You Believe" from the animated DreamWorks picture The Prince of Egypt.
Albums
