Teddy Riley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Teddy Riley
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Riley in 2017
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Edward Theodore Riley |
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| Born | October 8, 1967 Manhattan, New York City, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1984–present |
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Edward Theodore Riley (born October 8, 1967), known as Teddy Riley, is an American musician, record producer, singer, and songwriter. He is famous for creating a music style called new jack swing. This style mixes R&B and hip-hop music.
Many popular artists used Riley's music and songs. These included Michael Jackson, Bobby Brown, and Heavy D & the Boyz. Their hit songs helped make new jack swing very popular. This happened from the late 1980s to the 1990s.
Teddy Riley started and led two music groups: Blackstreet and Guy. With Blackstreet, he released four successful albums. With Guy, he released three successful albums.
Riley has produced four songs that reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. These include "My Prerogative" by Bobby Brown and "No Diggity" by his group, Blackstreet. He also produced "Remember the Time" for Michael Jackson. Riley has won two Grammy Awards for his music. He is known for using samples, sound effects, and rapping in R&B songs. He also helped make the talk box vocoder popular. In 1991, he discovered the famous musician Pharrell Williams.
Riley has also worked on music in Asia. He produced songs for K-pop groups like Exo, Girls' Generation, and Super Junior.
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Early life and first steps in music
Teddy Riley grew up in Harlem, New York City. He was a child prodigy, meaning he was very talented from a young age. He started playing instruments in church when he was five. His uncle owned a club in Harlem called The Rooftop. He built a music studio there, where Riley spent a lot of time.
By age 14, rappers from New York started using his music tracks. With help from producer Gene Griffin, Riley formed a group called Kids at Work. When he was 18, Riley produced the song "Go See the Doctor" for Kool Moe Dee. This song became a hit in 1986. Before that, in 1985, Riley also worked on "The Show" by Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew.
Music career and famous groups
In 1987, Riley, Aaron Hall, and Timmy Gatling started the R&B group Guy. In 1989, Riley produced music for artists like Big Daddy Kane, the Jacksons, and James Ingram. He also helped produce the first album for his rap group, Wreckx-n-Effect.
After Guy's second album, The Future, Riley worked with Michael Jackson. He helped produce half of Jackson's album Dangerous. This happened because Jackson's producer, Quincy Jones, suggested it. After Guy broke up in 1992, Riley focused on Wreckx-n-Effect's second album, Hard or Smooth. He also performed on this album.
In late 1991, Riley formed his second group, Blackstreet. This group had many big hits. These included "No Diggity" (1996), which was a number one song. Other hits were "Don't Leave Me" (1997) and "Girlfriend/Boyfriend" (1999). Blackstreet broke up and reformed several times over the years.
Later projects and collaborations
In 2006, Teddy Riley was part of the New Jack Reunion Tour. This tour featured Blackstreet and Guy, along with other groups. In May 2006, Riley said he would work on new albums for Blackstreet and Guy.
In 2008, a fire destroyed Riley's recording studio in Virginia Beach. The studio was empty and for sale at the time.
In 2009, Riley performed with Guy at the BET Awards. That same year, he worked with singers Amerie and Robin Thicke. After working on Snoop Dogg's album Ego Trippin', Riley joined a production group called QDT. This group includes DJ Quik and Snoop Dogg.
Riley also produced and co-wrote the song "Teeth" with Lady Gaga. This song was for her album The Fame Monster. In 2010, Riley said he was no longer with Guy. He also shared that the Blackstreet lineup included himself, Chauncey "Black" Hannibal, Dave Hollister, and Sherman "J-Stylz" Tisdale. He planned to release his own album, TRX, before a new Blackstreet album.
In 2012, Chauncey Hannibal returned to Blackstreet. As of 2019, the group's name is "Blackstreet 2". The members are Riley, Hollister, J-Stylz, and Rodney Poe.
Riley has also worked in the Korean music market. He produced a song called "Demon" for rapper Jay Park. He also produced a mini-album for the girl group Rania. He worked with the R&B group Boyz II Men on their album Twenty. Riley produced "The Boys" for the K-pop group Girls' Generation. He also produced songs for other K-pop groups like Shinee and Exo.
Discography
- With Kids at Work
- Kids at Work (1984)
- With Guy
- Guy (1988)
- The Future (1990)
- Guy III (2000)
- With Blackstreet
- Blackstreet (1994)
- Another Level (1996)
- Finally (1999)
- Level II (2003)
See also
In Spanish: Teddy Riley para niños
