After 7 | |
|---|---|
 Kevon, Daniel and Keith in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1987–1997; 2006–present |
| Labels | Virgin,E1 Music |
| Formerly of | Indiana University Soul Revue |
| Members | Kevon Edmonds Keith Mitchell Wil Robinson |
| Past members | Melvin Edmonds Jason Edmonds Danny McClain |
| Website | https://after7music.com/ |
After 7 is an AmericanR&B group founded in 1987 by brothers Melvin andKevon Edmonds, and their friend Keith Mitchell. The Edmonds brothers are the older siblings of pop/R&B singer-songwriter and record producerKenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, who named the group and helped them get a record deal withVirgin Records in 1988. After 7 released theirplatinum-selling[3]self-titled debut album in 1989, which spawned three singles "Heat of the Moment", "Ready or Not" and "Can't Stop". "Ready or Not" and "Can't Stop" were No. 1 R&B hits and top 10 hits on theBillboard Hot 100. Their second albumTakin' My Time, released in 1992, also went platinum and contained the R&B hit medley "Baby, I'm for Real/Natural High". After 7's Gold-selling 1995 albumReflections was their last album before the group disbanded in 1997. The album included the R&B hit "'Til You Do Me Right. Years later the group resumed touring with Jason Edmonds, son of Melvin Edmonds, replacing his father.[4] Melvin rejoined the group for their successful 2016 comeback albumTimeless, which featured 3adult R&B top 10 hits "Runnin' Out", "I Want You" and "Let Me Know".[4][3]
Melvin Edmonds died on May 18, 2019, at the age of 65.[5][6][4] Jason left the group shortly thereafter and Daniel McClain was added in 2019. Four years later, McClain departed and was replaced by Wil Robinson.
Marvin Edmonds Sr. and Barbara Edmonds ofIndianapolis, Indiana had six sons: Marvin Jr., Melvin, Michael, Kevon, Kenneth and Derek.[4] According to Babyface, Melvin and Kevon were the two best singers in the musical family. The roots of After 7 trace to when Kevon met Keith Mitchell atIndiana University Bloomington in the late 1970s, where they were members of the Indiana University Soul Revue.[4] Kevon and Keith decided to form a group as a hobby and add Melvin. For years Kevon worked atEli Lilly and Company, Mitchell worked atJohn Hancock inChicago and Melvin worked atChrysler Corp. in Indianapolis.[4] They would occasionally come together to perform in Indianapolis. Mitchell was long thought to be the cousin of Babyface's then-songwriting/production partnerAntonio "L.A." Reid; however, this was set up as a marketing tool for the group and was incorrect.[7]
By the late 1980s, the Edmonds' younger brother Babyface had built a successful career singing, writing and producing. He invited Melvin, Kevon and Keith out toLos Angeles, named them After 7, and got them a record deal withVirgin Records.
After 7 released theirself-titled debut album in August 1989. The album was mostly written and produced by Babyface andL.A. Reid. The album was certified platinum and produced three singles "Heat of the Moment", "Ready or Not" and "Can't Stop" and two other charting songs "One Night" and "My Only Woman". "Ready or Not" and "Can't Stop" were both No. 1 R&B hits and reached No. 7 and No. 6 respectively on theBillboard Hot 100.[8] "Can't Stop" was also nominated for aGrammy in the category of best R&B performance by a duo or group.[4] After 7 toured withMC Hammer in the summer of 1990, and they won an NAACP Image Award for best new male artist or group that year.[4] In 1991, they released the top 10 R&B hit "Nights Like This" forThe Five Heartbeats movie soundtrack. That same year, they took the road asWhitney Houston's opening act on herI'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour.[9]
After 7's second albumTakin' My Time was released in August 1992. The album is notable for being their only album without any songs produced by Babyface and L.A. Reid, who were focused on developing other artists. Instead, they contribute as writers, with Reid co-writing the songs "Can He Love U Like This" and "G.S.T.", and Babyface writing "Truly Something Special" and "Love by Day/Love by Night". The production was handed over toDaryl Simmons &Kayo, who co-produced and co-wrote many of the songs on their debut album.[1]
Other songs on the album were produced byJimmy Jam & Terry Lewis associate Randy Ran and producerDallas Austin. As a result, this gaveTakin' My Time a decidedly "new jack swing" sound and feel. Three singles were released from the album; the first was "Kickin' It", followed by amedley ofThe Originals' song "Baby I'm for Real" andBloodstone's "Natural High". The third single was "Can He Love U Like This". The album was certified platinum by theRIAA.[10]
Reflections is the third and last studio album by After 7 before the group split. The album reunited them with producer Babyface and L.A. Reid. They also enlisted the production talents of Babyface protegésJon B. and Keith Andes as well as newcomers The Boom Brothers. Reflections is the first After 7 album on which the members of the group are credited as both songwriters and executive producers. The album included the R&B top 5 hit "'Til You Do Me Right.[8] Melvin exited the group after the release ofReflections and the group officially disbanded in 1997. After 7's last release on Virgin Records was the compilation albumThe Very Best of After 7 in March 1997. It included unreleased material, including a cover version of "Sara Smile". Also in 1997, Melvin and Kevon joined their brother Babyface to form the quintet Milestone along withK-Ci & JoJo. The group only released one single, "I Care 'Bout You", for theSoul Food movie soundtrack.
Kevon Edmonds released the solo album24/7 in October 1999. He invited his nephew Jason Edmonds, son of Melvin, to tour with him as a background singer for years. By the late 2000s, After 7 resumed touring with Jason replacing his father. However, the group decided not to record again without the participation of Melvin. Melvin battled health issues, including a stroke in 2011.[3] Melvin was able to reunite with the group on the 2015 single "I Want You", which reached the top 10 of Billboard's adult R&B songs chart. The group also recorded a version of the song with Babyface. The albumTimeless was released in October 2016. It featured the group as a quartet (Melvin, Kevon, Keith and Jason) and included "I Want You" and other top 10 adult R&B hits "Runnin' Out" and "Let Me Know".
Melvin Edmonds died on May 18, 2019, at the age of 65.[3] Jason left the group shortly thereafter and Daniel McClain was added. After 7 released their fifth albumUnfinished Business in August 2021. Danny was then replaced in 2023 by Wil Robinson and they continue to perform to the present day.
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [8] | US R&B [8] | AUS [11] | NZ [12] | ||||
| 1989 | After 7
| 35 | 3 | 124 | 35 |
| |
| 1992 | Takin' My Time
| 76 | 8 | 196 | — |
| |
| 1995 | Reflections
| 40 | 7 | 83 | — |
| |
| 2016 | Timeless
| — | 7 | — | — | ||
| 2021 | Unfinished Business
| — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||
| Year | Album details | Peak positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [8] | US R&B [8] | AUS [11] | |||||
| 1997 | The Very Best of After 7
| 97 | 24 | 181 | |||
| 2003 | The Best of After 7
| — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||||
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [8] | US R&B [8] | AUS [14][15] | NZ [12] | UK [16] | |||||||||||
| 1989 | "Heat of the Moment" | 19 | 5 | 107 | 28 | 87 | After 7 | ||||||||
| "Don't Cha' Think" | — | 25 | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1990 | "Ready or Not"B | 7 | 1 | — | — | — |
| ||||||||
| "Can't Stop"B | 6 | 1 | 80 | 9 | 54 |
| |||||||||
| "My Only Woman" | — | 36 | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1991 | "Nights Like This"B | 24 | 7 | — | — | — | The Five Heartbeats | ||||||||
| 1992 | "Kickin' It" | 45 | 6 | 191 | 29 | — | Takin' My Time | ||||||||
| "Baby, I'm for Real/Natural High"(medley) | 55 | 5 | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1993 | "Can He Love U Like This" | — | 22 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Truly Something Special" | — | 49 | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1994 | "Gonna Love You Right" | 87 | 15 | — | — | — | Sugar Hill | ||||||||
| "Not Enough Hours in the Night" | — | 56 | — | — | — | Beverly Hills 90210: The College Years | |||||||||
| 1995 | "'Til You Do Me Right" | 31 | 5 | 16 | 11 | — | Reflections | ||||||||
| "Damn Thing Called Love" | — | 33 | — | 38 | — | ||||||||||
| 1996 | "How Do You Tell the One" | — | 60 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "I Like It Like That" | — | — | 46 | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1997 | "Sara Smile"[A] | — | 31 | 99 | — | 130 | The Very Best of After 7 | ||||||||
| 2015 | "I Want You"[C] | — | 6 | — | — | — | Timeless | ||||||||
| 2016 | "Let Me Know"[C] | — | 6 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 2017 | "Runnin' Out"[C] | — | 3 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Too Late"[C] | — | 8 | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 2018 | "If I"[C] | — | 8 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 2021 | "Bittersweet" | — | 8 | — | — | — | Unfinished Business | ||||||||
| "No Place Like You" | — | 11 | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Tomorrow Can Wait" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||
{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
