The Deele, best-known as the group that brought Babyface (b. Kenny Edmonds) and L.A. Reid (b. Mark Rooney) to prominence, was formed in Cincinnati, Ohio. Bobby G. Summers and L.A. Reid formed the Deele in the early ’80s with lead vocalist Carlos “Satin” Greene, Darnell “Dee” Bristol, Stanley Burke, and Kevin Roberson. Babyface, who had been a member of Manchild, joined the Deele after a minor R&B hit with “Especially for You” in 1977. The Deele signed to Dick Griffey’s Solar label and had their first hit in late 1983 with “Body Talk,” entering Billboard’s Black Singles chart. Although the song reached number 77 on the Hot 100, it peaked at number three on Black Singles, boosting the group’s debut album Street Beat to crack the upper half of the Billboard 200. Subsequent singles from the album, “Just My Luck” and “Surrender,” also made an impact on the Black Singles chart. However, their second album, Material Thangz in 1985, only produced one hit R&B single with the number 14 title track.
Between the release of Material Thangz and 1987’s Eyes of a Stranger, Babyface and L.A. Reid began gaining recognition as producers and songwriters. Their work for Pebbles (“Girlfriend”) and the Whispers (“Rock Steady”) became hits. With the success of Babyface and Reid’s production work, Eyes of a Stranger was a hit, achieved a gold certification, and featured the Top Ten pop and R&B hit, “Two Occasions,” along with the number ten R&B hit, “Shoot ‘Em Up Movies.” Following the album’s release, the group took a hiatus while Babyface and L.A. Reid continued their successful careers in production and songwriting. In 1993, the group reunited without Babyface, Reid, and Roberson, releasing Invitation to Love, which did not chart. Over a decade later, the original members Greene, Bristol, Roberson, and Burke regrouped and released the singles “The Only 1” and “All I Want for Christmas” in 2007. Performances continued through the 2010s.