GRAMMY winning and Emmy nominated songwriter-producer Desmond Child is one of music's most accomplished hitmakers. He is also a film/television producer, recording artist, performer and motivational speaker. His credits appear on more than eighty Billboard Top 40 singles spanning six decades.
From Aerosmith to Zedd, his genre-defying collaborations also include KISS, Bon Jovi, Cher, Barbra Streisand, Ricky Martin, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett, Michael Bolton, Katy Perry, Dolly Parton, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Garth Brooks, Cyndi Lauper, Christina Aguilera, Weezer, The Black Keys, Ava Max, Mickey Mouse and Kermit The Frog, selling over 500 million records worldwide with downloads, YouTube views and streaming plays in the billions.
Desmond’s musical lineage is deep. His Cuban mother, Elena Casals, was a celebrated songwriter and published poet. His aunt was internationally acclaimed Olga Guillot the legendary Queen of Bolero.
A graduate of New York University, Desmond and Maria Vidal, along with Myriam Valle and Diana Grasselli, formed Desmond Child & Rouge, recorded two albums for Capitol and were featured musical guests on Saturday Night Live.
The next major move: a sensational collaboration with Paul Stanley, resulting in two of KISS’ most enduring hits: “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” and “Heaven’s On Fire.”
When Bon Jovi came calling, the New Jersey rockers had yet to hit #1. With Desmond joining the writing team of Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, everything changed. “You Give Love A Bad Name,” “Livin’ On A Prayer” and “Bad Medicine” all climbed to the top of the charts, and became international smashes.
That was only beginning. Desmond hooked up with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry to write “Dude Looks Like A Lady” and, with Tyler, “Angel.” And then the list only gets longer: He and Joan Jett turned out “I Hate Myself For Loving You.” He and Alice Cooper cooked up “Poison.” And back with Jon and Richie, he penned Cher’s “We All Sleep Alone.”
Desmond’s Elektra solo album, Discipline, yielded the hit “Love On A Rooftop” co-written with Diane Warren and Paul Stanley.
A move to Miami Beach once again changed the game. This time Desmond together with Draco Rosa ignited the Latin Music explosion, with the global #1 hits they co-wrote and produced for Ricky Martin: “Livin’ La Vida Loca” and the World Cup theme: “The Cup Of Life.”
In 2019 he wrote and co-produced “Lady Liberty” on Barbra Streisand’s album “WALLS,” and released his new album DESMOND CHILD LIVE on BMG Rights. Desmond co-wrote the #1 Euro Airplay hit “Kings & Queens” with Ava Max and released 2 re-mastered albums, “DESMOND CHILD & ROUGE” and “RUNNERS IN THE NIGHT” on BMG Rights in October 2020. He also released a single “Viva La Diva” featuring reality star Countess Luann from The Real Housewives Of New York City in August 2020 on BMG Rights. Desmond and the song were featured in the season finale on Bravo TV.
Desmond serves on the Board of ASCAP. In 2018 he received ASCAP’s prestigious Founders Award celebrating 40 years as a proud member of ASCAP. In 2012 he also co-founded the Latin Songwriters Hall Of Fame where he serves as Chairman Emeritus. In 2022 he was inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall Of Fame and “Livin’ La Vida Loca” was inducted into the National Archives of the Library of Congress for its cultural significance to America. In 2023 “Livin’ On A Prayer” reached 1 billion streams on Spotify and in 2024 “You Give Love A Bad Name,” “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” and “Kings & Queens” also reached 1 billion streams. In 2025 Barbra Streisand released a duet with Josh Groban of “Where Do I Go From You” from the new musical BEBA’S MAMBO co-written with Davitt Sigerson. His autobiography, LIVIN' ON A PRAYER: BIG SONGS BIG LIFE with David Ritz is out now (audiobook also available).
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All bios appear as they were submitted in the year of induction or award presentation.