PHOTO SECTION

With my siblings, Rosaland, Bryant, and Ivy

Jamming in the bedroom with Bryant

With my sticks, circa 1978

Pure Essence—with Tuck, Kayo, me, and Mouse (Courtesy of Rhonda White)

The Deele—with keyboardist DeeGee Smith, Kayo, and that drummer (Courtesy of Rhonda White)

Give the drummer some! (Courtesy of Michael Mitchell/Perspective Image)

The Deele at our best

Antonio and Antonio, Cincinnati Jazz Festival—1983 (Courtesy of Sherry Roberson Drye)

I’ll always love my momma.

Oooh . . . on the LaFace tip (Berliner Studio/REX Shutterstock)

With Toby Rivers, Bryant, Toni, and Mom

Record Men: with Andre Harrell and Puff at my fortieth birthday bash, Atlanta, Georgia, 1996 (Quinn Hood)

Eddie F, Usher, Jermaine Dupri, Shakir, and KP at my wedding in Capri, Italy, 2000 (Courtesy of Eddie “F” Ferrell)

The South has something to say. (Courtney Walters)

Mr. PINK, PINK, and my pink tie photos by former LaFace Records creative director DL Warfield @dlwarfield (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

Missundaztood sold over 10 million copies (K. Mazur/Getty Images)

Avril celebrates her success. Let Go went on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

With Joey Arbagey and Whitney in Miami (Larry Busacca)

Usher amid full-blown superstardom (Terence Carter)

Jimmy Iovine—one of the great record men (J. Countess/Getty Images)

Rihanna . . . enough said (Johnny Nunez/Getty Images)

Partying with Usher, Mariah, and Erica (Johnny Nunez/Getty Images)

Having a blast with Hov at my fiftieth birthday (K. Mazur/Getty Images)

Family is a beautiful thing—with Addison, Erica, and Arianna (Zoe Young)

In the studio with my boys, Antonio and Aaron

With my wife, Erica, and Rihanna. Barry Weiss is lurking in the background. (K. Mazur/Getty Images)

With Ashley

Def Jammin’ with Kanye, Jeezy, Jay, and Fabolous (K. Mazur/Getty Images)

With Bieber-Usher—“Squad Up” (Kevin Winter/AMA 2010/Getty Images)

X Factor first season glory (X Factor/Getty Images)

And THIS is . . . The X Factor, baby. (X Factor/Getty Images)

With JLO in Sag Harbor

Motown on Broadway, with the record industry’s boss of bosses, Doug Morris (©Image Collect/Andrea Renault/Globe Photos, Inc. 2004)

Travis Scott performing in Miami in 2014 (Courtney Lowery)

With MTrain at her video shoot

Backstage at a Sara Bareilles concert (FilmMagic/Getty Images)

Outkast at Coachella (C. Flanigan/Getty Images)