When we talk about 90’s R&B, it’s hard to ignore the impact that LaFace Records had on the genre. The trio of L.A. Reid, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds and Daryl Simmons created R&B classics that have proven to be timeless. These classics include “End OF The Road” by Boyz II Men, “My, My, My” by Johnny Gill and “Can We Talk” by Tevin Campbell. Daryl Simmons aka the Silent Partner also found major success after he parted ways with his production partners in the mid 90’s as he went onto produce for the likes of Dru Hill (“In My Bed”), Monica (“Why I Love You So Much”) and many other records. We talk to Daryl about his time in the music industry, his most memorable recording sessions including Toni Braxton’s debut album and also his retirement which he announced after the release of his Christmas album “Christmas With You”. He also touches on discovering Destiny’s Child early in their career and signing them to their label.

0:00 Intro
1:07 Babyface’s Tiny Desk performance
2:20 Early origins with Babyface
13:20 Developing work ethic
25:50 The creation of “End Of The Road” of Boyz II Men
35:18 Working on Mariah Carey’s “Never Forget You”
36:12 Toni Braxton’s debut album
41:20 Signing Destiny’s Child early on
52:08 Pink recorded Destiny’s Child song “Stay” before the group
55:15 Breaking from Babyface and L.A. Reid and success as a solo producer
1:01:02 Working on Dru Hill’s first album
1:08:42 The Toni Braxton & Babyface joint album “Love, Marriage & Divorce” and After 7’s “Timeless” album
1:14:00 Christmas album release and retirement

Also check out Daryl Simmons’ new Christmas album: