Teddy Riley
| Teddy Riley | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Edward Theodore Riley |
| Born | October 8, 1967 |
| Origin |
Harlem, New York United States |
| Genres |
New jack swing Contemporary R&B Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer singer-songwriter musician performer |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | Interscope, Uptown, MCA, DreamWorks |
| Associated acts | Michael Jackson, Kool Moe Dee, Guy, Blackstreet, MC Hammer, Doug E. Fresh, Bobby Brown, Heavy D. & the Boyz, Today, Snoop Dogg, Girls' Generation, Shinee, Jay Park, f(x), RaNia, EXO, SWV, Patti LaBelle |
Edward Theodore "Teddy" Riley (born October 8, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, keyboardist, and record producer credited with the creation of the new jack swing genre. Through his production work with Michael Jackson, Bobby Brown, Doug E. Fresh, Today, Keith Sweat, Heavy D., Usher, Jane Child, etc. and membership of the groups Guy and Blackstreet, Riley is credited with having a massive impact and seminal influence on the formation of contemporary R&B, hip-hop, soul and pop since the 1980s.
Teddy Riley was raised in St. Nicholas Houses, Harlem, New York. Riley, a child prodigy since the age of 5, began playing instruments in the church. His uncle, who owned the famed Harlem club The Rooftop, built a studio in the club in which Riley would spend most of his time while growing up. By 14, upstate New York rappers began making music to his tracks. Under the guidance of local music producer Gene Griffin, Riley formed the short-lived group Kids at Work. At the age of 17, Riley produced Kool Moe Dee's 12" single, "Go See the Doctor". Released on an independent label in 1986, the song became a crossover hit, reaching #89 on The Billboard Hot 100. Riley had previously worked on the production of Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew's "The Show" in 1985.
In 1987, Riley, Aaron Hall, and Timmy Gatling formed the R&B group Guy. Managed by Gene Griffin, Riley's work with Guy pioneered the new jack swing style of R&B, which had been showcased previously in Riley's productions for Keith Sweat ("I Want Her"), Johnny Kemp ("Just Got Paid"), Bobby Brown ("My Prerogative") and among others. Riley infused his own unique blend of hip-hop beats, R&B progressions and the Gospel vocal stylings of Hall to create the archetypal New jack swing sound on Guy's eponymous debut. In 1989, Riley produced Big Daddy Kane's "I Get The Job Done", as well as other work for The Jacksons, The Winans, James Ingram; he also created the highly successful remix of Jane Child, "Don't Wanna Fall in Love", which became a crossover pop smash.
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