Kevon Edmonds
| Kevon Edmonds | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Kevon Edmonds |
| Origin | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States |
| Genres | R&B |
| Occupations | singer, Actor |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Virgin Records |
| Associated acts | After 7, Babyface, K-Ci & JoJo |
Kevon Edmonds is a singer and actor and is the older[1] brother of famous producer/songwriter/singer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, the fourth of six 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.
Biography
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.[2]
At roughly the same time, Babyface brought his brothers, as well as siblings K-Ci & 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.[3]
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."[4]
"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."[5]
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."[6]
Discography
- 24/7 (1999)
- Who Knew (2009)
References
- ↑ "Kevon Edmonds Official Website". Retrieved 2014-01-26.
- ↑ "Keith Mitchell: After 7's Untold Story". R&B Haven. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ↑ "Kevon Edmonds Interview". rapindustry.com. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ↑ "New R&B Music - Kevon Edmonds - Oh, New R&B Album - Who Knew". soulofrnb.com. 2009-08-08. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ↑ http://grownfolksmusic.com/blog/?p=4259#more-4259 Grown Folks Music - Kevon Edmonds "Who Knew" Album Review
- ↑ http://www.youknowigotsoul.com/2009/10/interview-with-kevon-edmonds.html - An Interview with Kevon Edmonds