Melvin Edmonds: The Soul of After 7 — Triumphs, Missed Moments, and an Unanswered Goodbye.
Before there was a record deal, before sold-out tours and gold plaques, there was a family in Indianapolis, Indiana, where music floated through a working-class home.
In that house, a father named Marvin Edmonds Sr. loved Nat King Cole and filled rooms with gospel.
And among six sons, three voices stood apart: Melvin, Kevon, and their youngest brother—Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds.
Melvin, the second oldest, possessed something rare: a voice as smooth as velvet and as grounded as church pews. It wasn’t just good—it was unmistakable.
The Making of a Voice
Born and raised in Indianapolis, Melvin grew up on The Temptations, Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder—voices that curled around phrasing, timing, and truth.
By 15 he was already fronting his own band, Soul Innovations. By 19, he was married, a father, and working the assembly line at Chrysler.
Music never left him, but bills and responsibility came first. He sang when he could, lived by duty when he had to.
Meanwhile, Kevon headed to Indiana University, where he met Keith Mitchell in an African American Studies program built around performance—the famed IU Soul Revue.
They learned theory, business, and stagecraft, and during summers they brought Melvin into their circle.
The trio spent years performing around Indianapolis, winning talent shows, nailing harmonies, and developing chemistry that felt inevitable. Still, no record deal came. So they worked—the day jobs paying for the night dreams.
Enter Babyface—and After 7
Out in Los Angeles, Babyface was writing history with Antonio “L.A.” Reid—crafting hits for Bobby Brown, Pebbles, The Whispers, and more.
He used Melvin, Kevon, and Keith to demo songs, testing tone and blend. In 1988, Babyface and Reid secured a production deal with Virgin Records.
Babyface called home with the news: he’d gotten his brothers a deal. He named the group After 7—a nod to his answering machine greeting, “After 7, please leave a message,” and to the freedom of what happens after hours.
Virgin didn’t ask for a showcase. They trusted Babyface and L.A. Reid. They didn’t even realize they were signing an older group; Melvin was in his mid-30s, though Kevon and Keith read younger. None of it mattered once the music landed.
The breakout was immediate. The self-titled debut album, released November 27, 1990, produced a trio of hits: Heat of the Moment (#5 R&B, #19 Hot 100); Ready or Not (#1 R&B, #7 Hot 100, gold); and Can’t Stop (#1 R&B, #6 Hot 100, gold).
The album went platinum. After 7 wasn’t just good—they were polished, heartfelt, and grown. Melvin’s voice—rich, emotive, unmistakably adult—was the signature.
The Rise: Stages, Soundtracks, and Standards
Momentum snowballed. After 7 won an NAACP Image Award for Best New Artist/Group and hit the road under super-promoter Al Haymon with MC Hammer, Miki Howard, Troop, and Oaktown’s 3.5.7.
In 1991 they landed the Five Heartbeats soundtrack with Nights Like This—another top 10 R&B hit—and toured two years straight with heavyweights: Whitney Houston (on the I’m Your Baby Tonight tour), The Whispers, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, and Frankie Beverly & Maze. Melvin lived for the stage. Performing was his oxygen; the studio, by contrast, felt confining.
Behind the Curtain: A Costly Absence
Then the cracks showed. Melvin started missing sessions. He’d take a car and disappear, unreachable.
Kevon later acknowledged what fans only suspected: Melvin struggled with addiction—an addictive personality using self-medication to ease pressure. Onstage, he held it together; that was the place he loved. But behind the scenes, the derailments mattered.
One day, Babyface and L.A. Reid scheduled a session for a new song written for After 7: My, My, My. Kevon and Keith showed up.
Melvin didn’t. Without Melvin’s lead—the group’s defining tone—the song couldn’t proceed. They waited. He didn’t come. Johnny Gill, in the studio for his own project, stepped in. He recorded it.
Babyface called Kenny G for the silken sax line. My, My, My became Johnny Gill’s biggest hit, a #1 R&B classic. After 7 sang background vocals—but the song that could have been theirs, wasn’t. Another miss followed: I’m Ready went to Tevin Campbell. Opportunities were slipping.
Still, the trio delivered. The sophomore album, Takin’ My Time (1992), powered by a glowing cover of The Originals’ Baby, I’m for Real (produced by Marvin Gaye and Hank Cosby), hit #5 R&B and earned platinum.
Kicking It and Can He Love You Like This kept the momentum. In 1993 they added Gonna Love You Right to the Sugar Hill soundtrack.
By 1995, Reflections arrived with Till You Do Me Right (#5 R&B), with Babyface back in the mix. Gold again. A run most groups would envy.
The Break—and the Business
Then it unraveled. The group left Virgin in 1995—disillusioned by label priorities, budgets, and the industry’s pivot toward hip-hop.
Money felt misaligned with effort. Melvin, weary of meetings, negotiations, and the grind of the business without guardrails, walked away.
He became a truck driver—steady work to support his family. Kevon later emphasized that while Melvin battled addiction at times, that wasn’t why he quit.
He was simply done with a business that had no safety net. Remarkably, Virgin not only released them from their deal but wiped the debt—an almost unheard-of concession.
Even then, labels weren’t calling. The industry had turned toward youth; After 7 was grown-man R&B in a teenage market.
Separate Paths, Shared Blood
Melvin still lent his voice—appearing on Johnny Gill’s 1996 Let’s Get the Mood Right (penned by Babyface).
In 1997, Babyface organized a fictional supergroup, Milestone, for the film Soul Food—Babyface, Melvin, Kevon, plus K-Ci and JoJo.
Their single I Care ‘Bout You became a standout as the soundtrack went double platinum. A full project was discussed but died in label politics.
In 1999 Kevon went solo with 24/7 on RCA—certified gold. That year, Kevon introduced Melvin’s son, Jason Edmonds, as a background vocalist—keeping the line alive.
Then, in 2011, heartbreak: Melvin suffered a stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed. Jason stepped in as After 7’s third member. Years passed.
Then came a call from Babyface—he had songs. Was After 7 ready? Kevon and Keith said yes, but not without Melvin. Despite health challenges and his trucking work, Melvin agreed.
The Return—and the Frictions
In 2016, After 7 signed with indie label eOne and released Timeless on October 14. Melvin was back. I Want You cracked the top 10 on the Adult R&B Songs chart, and more singles—Runnin’ Out, Let Me Know—followed.
They remade Betcha by Golly Wow; Stokley (Mint Condition) guested on The Day. Five top 10 Adult R&B singles nearly two decades after their last album—nothing short of miraculous.
Still, all wasn’t harmonious. In a 2025 interview, Keith Mitchell revealed long-quiet tensions. Despite years of training and early partnership with Kevon, he rarely got lead opportunities.
Producer Daryl Simmons had to carve out his first notable line on Baby, I’m for Real. Often he was given 15–20 minutes to nail a line—if it didn’t click instantly, the chance vanished. Keith, who studied business at IU, also pushed for financial discipline.
Priorities didn’t always align. At one point, Kevon and Melvin told him he was being replaced—seeking a bigger “Boyz II Men”–style lead. It stung.
He relinquished his one-third in the group’s company and walked away. Later, Kevon invited him back, and he returned. Fans rarely saw the push and pull; the records hid the strain.
An Unanswered Goodbye
On May 18, 2019, Melvin Edmonds died at 65. The announcement rocked R&B. After 7 posted a heartfelt tribute, mourning their brother, friend, and Jason’s father. No cause of death was released. Reports cited a short illness.
Some outlets referenced the 2011 stroke and additional health issues, even suggesting multiple strokes. No autopsy or family statement clarified what happened. The word unexpected stood out, raising questions that remain unanswered.
In 2021, After 7 released Unfinished Business—a tribute featuring Jason Edmonds, Keith Mitchell, and newcomer Danny McClain, who had received Melvin’s blessing.
Songs like Tomorrow Can’t Wait and Bittersweet resonated—and interludes carrying Melvin’s voice made it feel like he was still in the room. Eventually, Jason left.
Danny left. In 2024, Keith departed to pursue gospel music and was replaced by Jeremy Keith. After 7 continues, but nothing fills the space Melvin’s tone once occupied.
The Legacy He Left
Melvin Edmonds is survived by four children—Melvin Jr., Jason, Chris, and Courtney—and by records that refuse to age: Ready or Not, Can’t Stop, Baby, I’m for Real, Till You Do Me Right. You can hear him in every sustained note, every gentle rasp at the edge of a phrase, every harmony that bends warmth into steel.
He was the soul of After 7—an artist who loved to perform and hated the business, who shouldered responsibility early and never stopped singing when it counted.
His absence turned a near-miss into a classic for someone else. His presence turned good songs into lasting ones.
And his departure, under circumstances still not fully known, left a silence that fans and family continue to fill with gratitude, grief, and the music he helped make immortal.
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