The songwriter and producer behind some of the decade's biggest slow jams.
For a good sense of his lane, put on "Longer" or "Always." That's the territory he owns, romantic, unhurried, built for a dimly lit room.
If you heard Whitney Houston's "I'm Your Baby Tonight" or Boyz II Men's "End of the Road," you've heard Babyface's handiwork. He wrote and produced those hits, along with his own quiet storm staples like "Superwoman" and "Breathe Again." His music became the soundtrack for a lot of late-night conversations and slow dances.
He started playing keyboards in Indianapolis bands before joining the R&B group The Deele in the mid-1980s. From there, he began writing for other artists, eventually working with everyone from Mariah Carey to Stevie Wonder while still putting out his own records.
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Keep it compact: a lyric you come back to, a live memory, or the part of the catalog you would point someone toward first.
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