Babyface in Jamaica

Come Saturday, July 20, Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds will grace the stage on night two of this year’s staging of Reggae Sumfest. It is the first time since 2015 that an international act is one of the festival’s headliners. Still, this is not the first time Babyface has performed on the island.

Babyface got his start in music after graduating high school, where he signed his first record deal after joining the band, Manchild. By the mid-1980s, he got his big break as a guitarist and songwriter for the band, The Deele. By 1989, he partnered with fellow band member, Antonio ‘L. A.’ Reid, to form the Atlanta-based record label, LaFace. Through this venture, Babyface would oversee the success of then-young acts, TLC, Usher, and Toni Braxton.

As the 1990s roar on, Outkast, Pink, Usher, Goodie Mob and Donell Jones, would also find success under the label. In 1990, he produced Whitney Houston’s I’m Your Baby Tonight, which became Babyface’s first number-one hit. He would reunite with Huston for another major hit, almost five years later, when he produced the soundtrack album for the adaptation of Terry McMillan’s novel, Waiting To Exhale. Houston’s performance, Exhale (Shoop Shoop), was one of the track’s biggest hits and earned a Grammy Award. Around this time, Babyface also, co-wrote, co-produced and provided backing vocals on Madonna’s smash hit, Take A Bow.

With this track record, he received three consecutive Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year in 1995-1997. By 1997, Babyface’s solo career as a performer reached a zenith, thanks in part to his album, The Day. By 1998, he captured the most Grammy nominations, for a second year in a row. With all these accomplishments, in 2002, Babyface was tapped to headline the BET/Air Jamaica Jazz & Blue Festival.

Held in 2002, at the Tree Palm Gold Course at the Wyndham Resort, Babyface headlined the festival alongside Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland and Carl Thomas. Hitting the stage at 8:30 p.m. as the closing act, Babyface with his quartet of women dancers, performed for 96 minutes. His performance was the standout of the night for many. As The Gleaner reported on February 11, 2002, review of his performance.

“Babyface’s entrance had all the qualities of a superstar. As the backing band filled the night with the soothing strain of R&B music ... it was like a master of a full flight as Babyface kept the excitement level at fever pitch, evoking emphatic emotion.”

Still by the end of his schedule set, the crowd screamed for an encore. Babyface obliged them when he returned to perform, Change the World.

Then in January 2010, Babyface headlined the Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival. He shared international billing rights with British singer, Joss Stone. He performed for over 90 minutes to which The Gleaner’s review of the event stated

“With the audience under his spell, it was vintage Babyface all the way, while showing off his versatility with guitar”.

Months later, he returned to the island to headline a concert held at the National Indoors Sports Centre on November 13. The event has been held as part of United Way Week, which was to raise awareness and money for the organisation’s cause.

Come tonight, the now 12-time Grammy winner will perform for the fourth time in Jamaica. Like the other three previous occasions, we are sure he will delight the local crowd.

J. T. Davy is a member of the historical and political content collective, Tenement Yaad Media, where she co-produces their popular historical podcast, Lest We Forget. She is also a writer at the regional collective, Our Caribbean Figures. Send feedback to jordpilot@hotmail.com and entertainment@gleanerjm.com.