After 7
R&B trio launched by Babyface with multiple platinum albums.
After 7 is an American R&B group formed in 1987 by brothers Melvin and Kevon Edmonds along with friend Keith Mitchell. The group was named by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, the younger brother of Melvin and Kevon, who helped them secure a record deal with Virgin Records in 1988. Their 1989 self-titled debut album achieved platinum status and produced two number-one R&B hits.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
- Genre
- R&B; progressive soul
- Years active
- 1987–1997; 2006–present
- Label
- Virgin; E1 Music
- Current members
- Kevon Edmonds
- Wil Robinson
- Jeremy Keith
- Past members
- Melvin Edmonds
- Jason Edmonds
- Danny McClain
- Keith Mitchell
- Past member of
- Indiana University Soul Revue
Facts from the source article.
History
The Edmonds family of Indianapolis included six sons: Marvin Jr., Melvin, Michael, Kevon, Kenneth, and Derek. According to Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Melvin and Kevon were the two strongest singers in the household. The group's origins go back to the late 1970s, when Kevon met Keith Mitchell at Indiana University Bloomington, where both performed in the Indiana University Soul Revue. Kevon and Mitchell decided to form a group as a pastime and brought in Melvin. For several years, Kevon worked at Eli Lilly and Company, Mitchell at John Hancock in Chicago, and Melvin at Chrysler Corp. in Indianapolis; they gathered occasionally to perform locally. A long-standing belief that Mitchell was a cousin of Babyface's production partner Antonio "L.A." Reid was actually a marketing fabrication. By the late 1980s, Babyface had built a successful career and invited the three to Los Angeles, naming them After 7 and securing a Virgin Records contract. Their debut album, released in August 1989, was largely written and produced by Babyface and L.A. Reid. It went platinum and yielded the singles "Heat of the Moment", "Ready or Not", "Can't Stop", plus two other charting songs, "One Night" and "My Only Woman". "Ready or Not" and "Can't Stop" both reached number one on the R&B chart and peaked at numbers 7 and 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. "Can't Stop" earned a Grammy nomination for best R&B performance by a duo or group. After 7 toured with MC Hammer in summer 1990 and won an NAACP Image Award for best new male artist or group that year. In 1991 they released the top-10 R&B hit "Nights Like This" for the film The Five Heartbeats and served as Whitney Houston's opening act on her I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour. Their second album, Takin' My Time, came out in August 1992. It was their only album without production by Babyface and L.A. Reid, who instead contributed as writers; production was handled by Daryl Simmons and Kayo.
Discography
Billboard rules at the time prevented album cuts from charting on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, so chart peaks listed represent the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. "Ready or Not", "Can't Stop", and "Nights Like This" also appeared on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, reaching numbers 7, 23, and 36 respectively. Later singles charted on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart and also on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, with peaks of 29, 38, 24, 41, and 36.
Frequently Asked Questions
What genre of music does After 7 play?
After 7's music is classified as R&B and progressive soul.
Which record labels has After 7 released music on?
After 7 has released music on Virgin and E1 Music.
Who are the current members of After 7?
The current members of After 7 are listed as Kevon Edmonds, Wil Robinson and Jeremy Keith.
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