After 7

The roots of the American R&B trio After 7 can be traced back to the late '70s when Kevon Edmonds and Keith Mitchell began singing together while studying at the Indiana University Bloomington. After recruiting Kevon's brother Melvin, the group offered sporadic performances around Indianapolis and later relocated to Los Angeles in the late '80s invited by the Edmonds' younger brother Kenneth, who had achieved success as a songwriter and producer under the name Babyface. The group's connection with Babyface allowed them to secure a deal with Virgin Records, releasing their self-titled studio debut in 1989. Mostly written and produced by Babyface and Antonio "L.A." Reid, the album rose to Number 3 on the US R&B charts thanks to the gold-selling, chart-topping singles "Ready or Not" and "Can't Stop." After 7 followed this success with the single "Nights Like These" (1991), included in the soundtrack of the film The Five Heartbeats and Takin' My Time (1992), which featured a star-studded production team consisting of Daryl Simmons, Kayo, Dallas Austin, and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Driven by the Top 10 singles "Kickin' It" and "Baby, I'm for Real/Natural High," Takin' My Time reached Number 8 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was certified platinum shortly after. Released in 1995, their third LP Reflections would be their last album before breaking up in 1997. Almost a decade later, After 7 started touring again with Jason Edmonds filling up for Melvin, who was struggling with recurring health issues at the moment. Preceded by the 2015 single "I Want You," fourth album Timeless (2016) peaked at Number 7 in the US. Following Melvin Edmonds' death in 2019, the group brought singer Danny McClain on board and returned in 2021 with Unfinished Business, whose third single "Tomorrow Can Wait" climbed to Number 26 on the Adult R&B Songs chart.

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