Through Maria Spiller
January 18, 2026
The Grammy-winning producer behind New Jack Swing and its landmark hits will release “Remember the Times,” offering a behind-the-scenes look at a genre-defining career.
Music history is told from the perspective of one of its most influential creators. Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter Teddy Riley will release his memoir ‘Remember the Times’ – named after Michael Jackson’s hit – on February 10. to offer a personal account of the career that has helped redefine R&B, hip-hop and pop music over the past forty years. The book is published through Simon & Schuster.
The memoir’s title is taken from “Remember the Time,” the Michael Jackson classic that Riley co-wrote and produced during the singer’s “Dangerous” era. Throughout the book, Riley traces his role in shaping multiple generations of popular sound, from the rise of New Jack Swing to its influence on contemporary global pop music.
Co-written with award-winning biographer Jake Brown, “Remember the Times” follows Riley’s path from a young musical talent in Harlem to a defining architect of modern black music. The book revisits his early experiments with fusing hip-hop beats and R&B melodies – an approach that evolved into New Jack Swing and set a new direction for late 20th century music.
In addition to commercial success, the memoir explores the realities of working in a rapidly changing industry. Riley describes moments of creative collaboration, professional tension and perseverance as he talks about the formation of his groups Guy and Blackstreet.
He also reflects on the making of influential records such as Bobby Brown’s ‘My Prerogative’ and Doug E. Fresh’s ‘The Show’, projects that helped establish new sonic standards.
Riley’s story is also shaped by his work with some of the most recognizable names in music. The book includes reflections on working with Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson, whose partnership with Riley remains one of the most celebrated of his career.
When the memoir was first announced, Riley described it as an effort to protect and document the musical legacy. “I successfully created the New Jack Swing genre 40 years ago so that we could have our own generation of music, not their generation, and our own history,” he says. told Rolling stone. “I’m so excited to share that history with my fans around the world.”
The first reactions show that the book provides a vivid portrait of both the man and the music. Pharrell Williams praised Riley as ‘an incredible mixologist of so many different styles’ Library Journal said longtime fans will be “greatly entertained.” Another outlet noted the memoir’s accessible tone and its broad view of how popular music developed alongside Riley’s career.
With “Remember the Times,” Riley offers readers a front-row seat to the sounds, stories and decisions that helped shape modern music.
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