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is one of the greatest R&B songwriters of all-time and you might not have even heard of him. To give him his well deserved flowers, we put together a gallery of some of the hits under his belt inside.
If there’s a phrase that has proven itself to be true over time, it’s “Teamwork makes the dreamwork.” Usually you hear people say it in reference to sports. Another place it fits is in music. Making a classic album, let alone a hit song takes a lot of moving hands and active minds. No one knows this better than Simmons, who was a key component to the success of countless artists and a powerhouse label.
Simmons was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. While attending North Central High School, he met future Pop and R&B producer-songwriter-singer
Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds. The two started to work closely and eventually ended up in two groups together (‘Tarnished Silver’ and ‘Manchild’). After Manchild broke up in the early 1980s, Babyface would go on to join
L.A. Reid‘s band, The Deele. Simmons would soon follow Babyface to work with The Deele as a writer and a musician.
After the success of the two albums he co-wrote on, the trio began working with outside artists such as Pebbles, Sheena Easton, The Whispers, Paula Abdul, Karyn White, Johnny Gill and Bobby Brown. In 1989, L.A. Reid and Babyface relocated to Atlanta and formed their own company, LaFace Records. The chemistry that they shared with Simmons was obviously undeniable because he would join them shortly after. The three men then went on to discover, sign and produce their own artists. After the trio’s collaborative efforts started to slow down in the mid 1990s, Simmons formed his own company, Silent Partner Productions, where he continued his excellence as a writer and producer. Over his illustrious career, Simmons has worked with some of the biggest stars in the world. To highlight his greatness, enjoy a gallery of some of the songs the Grammy Award winner has contributed to.