Fans cheered & flocked to see the biggest Rock group at the time perform and followed the groups every move... "Ü2" became the most widely respected and beloved Rock band during the early eighties topping the music charts consecutively... Music was heavily influencing the American lifestyle & life in general....In urban America, a culture was arising that would later become the most dominant musical culture throughout the world... Hip-Hop would emerge as an inexplicable, unexpected, but electrifying art form of Ðance, Music, Graffiti, & ÐJ'ing... Rappers rapped over beats as ÐJ's scratched records to produce a new kind of sound...By far, the most entertaining element of this culture was the dance form known as B-Boying (Breakdancing).... Ðancers danced in a robotic form creating an illusion as if they were defying gravity by walking backwards (Moonwalk), vertically spinning on their heads and popping their joint muscles to add to the illusion as if an unknown force was traveling through their bodies...Breakdancing was now the main attraction in the Hip-Hop culture & became mainstream throughout America... From New York City to £os Angeles, California, everyone picked up on the dance crave, including 23 year old PoP & R&B superstar Michael Jackson... Michael Jackson was now the most recognized entertainer throughout the world and went on to receive an astonishing Eight Grammy Awards for the album "Thriller".... Jackson's incredible stage performances, flashy sparkling designer's wear, & reluctance to talk to the press turned the singer into an international icon...The one hand glove & the Moonwalk became his special trademark...
Formed first as a trio in 1963 with Jackie, Tito, & Jermaine singing, and two cousins backing them, although they were replaced by the two youngest Jackson boys - Marlon & Michael - the following year, the Jackson Five became the first accomplished and most beloved R&B & PoP Boy-Band in the history of music... Their sound & overall appeal inspired a whole generation of young musical acts... Ìn the early '80's, the teen market in music had crumbled...The Jackson Five & The Ösmonds, who both were teen idols & PoP superstars in the '70's had matured & outgrew the teen image and became young adults...Maurice Starr ignored the Recording Industry opinions and beliefs at the time that teen singers had no market and would be unsuccessful & continued promoting talent shows around Boston specifically looking for teen singers... Highly disappointed in having no money to spend or go to the movies with, the three came to the conclusion to perform musically and earn money for it... Similar to Jackie, Tito, & Jermaine of the "Jackson Five", Bell, Brown, & Bivins also started as a trio with Bell singing lead and Brown & Bivins adding background vocals...The three performed around Roxbury from '78 to '79... 13 year old vocalist Ralph Tresvant later joined the group as the fourth member of New Edition... Tresvant's high-pitched voice captured the attention of Brooke Payne & Payne, along with New Edition, decided to make Tresvant their lead vocalist...In addition to Ralph Tresvant joining the group, Brooke Payne recruited his nephew Ronnie ÐeVoe, who at the time was a member of the R&B vocal group "The Ðramatics"... "Stop The Love You Save", a Jackson Five classic became New Edition's best worked at and favorite song to perform... The Strand Theater opened it's doors to New Edition along with other musical acts in '81 for it's annual talent show contest... Promoted by Maurice Starr, music artists performed their best worked at songs all trying to win first place...New Edition performed "Stop The Love You Save" & received second place honors... Impressed by New Edition's vocals & stage performance, Starr knew he discovered his Jackson Five of the '80's...Starr immediately made business arrangements & meetings with New Edition, Brooke Payne, & other associates of the group & signed New Edition to his independent Record label (Streetwise Records)... If New Edition never believed that they would have major success as music vocalists, now was the time to start believing! Starr's incredible song writing & wise marketing would make New Edition PoP & R&B superstars... "Candy Girl", clearly a remake of the "Jackson Five" hit song "ABÇ" topped the R&B charts in the US and in the UK reaching #1 and simultaneously sparking a nationwide frenzy over New Edition...Starr's mastermind production & marketing took New Edition from the streets of Roxbury all the way to the top of the R&B charts... The album, titled: "Candy Girl" was released on Streetwise Records and within weeks of it's release was certified gold (500,000 or more albums sold) selling over 850,000 copies, giving both Starr & New Edition their first gold record... New Edition released "Pop Corn Love" and "Is This The End", which both went into heavy rotation gaining airplay on radio stations throughout the country... "Pop Corn Love" broke into the Top Ten on the R&B charts reaching #6 with "Is This The End" reaching #9... After a promotional tour & special guest appearance on Soul Train, New Edition record sales increased, and Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike, and Ralph gained a stronger fan base and went on to become one of the hottest musical acts in '83... New Edition's popularity & success was bigger then what anyone expected or could have imagined... Major Record & Ðistribution companies viewed New Edition as a highly profitable PoP and R&B group that can generate millions of dollars from record sales & advertisements... MCA Records showed a special interest in New Edition and signed the group to their label in late '83, which also severed ties with Starr... New Edition's second album would spawn a number of Top Ten hits and create the same kind of excitement the Jackson Five did years earlier and place Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike, & Ralph in a league of their own... Under the musical guidance of producers Vincent Brantley & Rick Times, New Edition incorporated more and more Hip-Hop music to it's repertoire as Hip-Hop began to appeal to millions...And they, along with Chaka Khan, became the first PoP & R&B vocalists to ever feature a mixture of Hip-Hop into R&B music... "Cool It Now", the first single released, became as memorable to New Edition fans as the National Anthem to Americans...The single enhanced the groups popularity and paved the way for the album's success topping the R&B charts at #1 and peaking in at #4 on the PoP charts... New Edition's music video for "Cool It Now" flooded B.E.T.'s (Black Entertainment) airwaves and began playing on MTV (Music Television), which prior to Michael Jackson's Billie Jean & Thriller videos, was reluctant to play music videos by Black artists... "Mr. Telephone Man" followed and also reached #1 on the R&B charts, with New Edition's 3rd single release, "Lost In Love" reaching #5 on the R&B charts... Whether it was The Motown Special - Summer Music Festival - Charity Basketball games - or concert performances, screaming fans, especially teenage girls, flocked to see New Edition all trying to get a glimpse of the group... The album, titled: "New Edition" was certified platinum in 1985 selling over 1.3 million copies & counting...New Edition went on to became one of the premier PoP & R&B vocal groups in 1984... New Edition made special guest appearances on the syndicated T.V. shows Soul Train and American Bandstand, and scheduled a national tour to further promote the success of their platinum selling album, which by now was reaching double platinum status... New Edition returned to the studio in mid '85 to record their 3rd album, but despite a successful year, Bobby Brown became weary of being a member of New Edition... At the height of New Edition's success, Brown left the group in late '85 to embark on a solo career... More singles followed such as "With You All The Way", "Earth Angel", & "Önce In A £ifetime Groove"... New Edition made special guest appearances on several T.V. shows such as Knight Rider, Soul Train, and signed with the world's leading soft drink company Coca-Cola, appearing in two coke commercials "Catching The Wave"... "All For £ove" was certified platinum in late '86 selling over 1,000,000 copies worldwide... "Çhristmas All Över The World" became one of the biggest selling christmas albums to date and was certified gold, selling over 500,000 copies due in part to the classic songs "Give Love Ön Çhristmas Ðay" & New Edition's special remake of "All I Want For Çhristmas (Is My Girl)..." The string of hits & tours seemed endless and unstoppable, and not surprisingly, New Edition returned to the studio to record their 5th album... Within the span of three years, New Edition released five albums, two surpassing platinum status & two going gold, with over 10 Top Ten hits & three #1 R&B smash singles to add to their credits, New Edition accomplished more in three years than many artists do in a career... But in 1986, New Edition's sudden disappearance from the music scene resulted in suspicious rumors that the group not only separated, but also faced financial problems having little, or absolutely no money to their names...Ronnie, Ricky, Mike, & Ralph remained out of the spotlight for nearly three years... Ðuring New Edition's layoff, the ever so changing world of music witnessed the rise of many music artists who would become superstars, then living legends... It's explicit £yrics, degradation of women & glamorizing tales of Black-on-Black crime gained nationwide attention including that of the F.B.I... Ðespite major protest & back-lash over the album, "Straight Öutta Compton" sold over 2.3 million copies and changed the course of Hip-Hop music... With the help of Teddy Riley, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and L.A. Reid, "Ðon't Be Cruel" reached platinum status within weeks of it's release & went on to sell over 8.1 million copies worldwide...Brown's image, especially his gumby hair-style became a fashion trend in the late '80's and Brown became known as the "King Öf Stage"... "Babyface" enjoyed more success that year producing "The Boys" debut album, "Messages From The Boys", which also was certified platinum selling over 1.2 million copies... Hammer's stage performances established him as the most energetic music artist to hit the stage since the likes of James Brown & Michael Jackson... Hammer's second album "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em" would not only sell over 10 million copies worldwide & hold the #1 spot on the Billboard charts for a record-shattering 21 weeks, but also earn him major endorsement deals, his own saturday morning cartoon (Hammerman), his own doll, & millions of dollars from record sales, tours, and advertisements...M.Ç. Hammer became the talk of the town until "New Kids Ön The Block" arrived... With the release of their second album titled: "Hangin' Tough", "New Kids Ön The Block" gained instant success, wealth, & fame..."Hangin' Tough" became the #1 album in the country & went on to sell over 13.4 million copies worldwide... Although New Kids Ön The Block received fame, wealth (Also toppin Forbes Magazine as the highest paid entertainers), & superstardom, the success was shortly lived... After being out of the spotlight for nearly three years & seeing the success of ex-member Bobby Brown & ex-manager/producer Maurice Starr (New Kids Ön The Block), Ronnie, Ricky, Mike, & Ralph were eager to return to the studio for pre-production work on what would be their 6th album... At the time, Gill was the most underrated singer in R&B music, but after joining New Edition, that would all change... With the powerful & catching voice of Johnny Gill -- tenor golden voices of Ralph Tresvant and Ricky Bell -- rap £yrics & smooth harmonies of Michael Bivins & Ronnie ÐeVoe -- and the mastermind productions of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, New Edition returned to the music scene releasing their 6th album... "If It Isn't Love", New Edition's first single instantly became a #1 R&B -- #7 PoP hit on Billboard's music charts... "You're Not My Kind Of Girl" equally received the same kind of success reaching #2 on the R&B charts... "Heart Break" was certified platinum within months of it's release mainly due to "If It Isn't Love" & "You're Not My Kind Of Girl", but New Edition's third single would put them into orbit in R&B music... As to where the legendary "Temptations" wished that it would rain, New Edition simply asked "Can You Stand The Rain"... Fans answered their question by pushing the single to the top of the R&B charts! "Can You Stand The Rain" sold over 750,000 copies & remained on Billboard's R&B charts for over 18 weeks... More Top Ten Hits followed with "Crucial" & "N.E. Heart break"... In the late '80's, at a time when R&B music was dominated by male vocalists & R&B groups had all but faded into only memories of how the "Temptations", "Whispers", "Four Tops", & "O'Jays" use to be, New Edition reinvented the harmonies, sound, image, and overall appeal of an R&B group... New Edition would not only inspire, but give a platform as well as a market for up and coming R&B groups... All of New Edition's singles combined went on to sell over 1.6 million copies & "Heart Break" reached double platinum status selling over 2.4 million copies & generating millions of dollars in revenues... New Edition scheduled a national tour which was a success selling out venues from Çoast to Çoast... A home video (New Edition: Past & Present) followed, also capturing the success of New Edition's comeback... Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike, Ralph & Johnny would make their presence known in the world of music... After a successful year in '88, New Edition decided to persue solo careers... As solo acts, all of the members of New Edition would dominate the R&B & PoP charts from '89 - '92... More solo albums followed for New Edition, but the success they once had was slowly fading... B.B.D., Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant, and Johnny Gill were all unable to reach the Top Ten on both the R&B and PoP charts... New Edition seemed to become just a group of the past... Eight years had passed since New Edition last recorded an album together, but the Fab-Five -- now Fab-Six with Brown back in the lineup returned to the studio to record their long awaited reunion album... New Edition recorded up to 23 songs to be featured on their album titled: "Home Again", but unfortunately only 13 songs made it on the album... "Hit Me Off", the first single released, reached #1 on the R&B charts and later was certified gold... The vocals and harmonies were better than ever and New Edition's reunion became one of the biggest stories in music in '96... "Home Again" was released in September and became the #1 album in the country on Billboard's Top 200 List... Entertainment WeeklyThere are a lot of old-fashioned R&B touches on "Home Again"-Marvin Gaye-ish moans, Michael Jackson squeals, Teddy Pendergrass growls-that are amusing but also remind you that New Edition have always lacked a distinctive identity... New Musical Expressan Olympic Dream Team of a high reunion.... "Home Again" is a smooth slice of sly one-upmanship...Good time soul harmonies are in abundance, arms are around each other in the studio... One minute swingbeat, the next gospel... The Source"Home Again" is laced with a thread of we're glad to still be around and back where we belong' feel without being corny... It's New Edition, just like old times... New Edition made a special guest appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show where an audience of over 11 million viewers saw Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike, Ralph and Johnny perform..."Home Again" reached triple platinum status selling over 3.3 million copies & counting within' the first four months of it's release... New Edition received the Billboard and American Music Award for best duo or group in '97 and scheduled a "Home Again Reunion Tour" which also featured "702", "Blackstreet", & "Keith Sweat"... New Edition's "Home Again Tour" started off as a success with acclaimed reviews and sell-out venues, but soon turned into a disaster for New Edition and a disappointment to their fans when constant arguments and group tensions led to the absence of Bobby Brown and Michael Bivins on the second half of the tour... For the moment, New Edition was back, but the moment was shortly lived... After the "Home Again" Tour, New Edition separated & went their own ways again... Responsible for reinventing teen acts in the early '80's and R&B groups in the late '80's, New Edition are not only pioneers of New Jack Swing, but pioneers of urban music as well... The saga of New Edition continues, but remains open & questionable if we'll ever see another reunion...Whether or not New Edition reunites once more, the memories and songs that were given to us through them are irreplaceable... Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ralph Tresvant & Johnny Gill have become an extraordinary force in the world of music, and living legends in the hearts of their fans...
Ðuring the early eighties, the music scene was becoming a world of it's own, generating millions of dollars annually & entertaining the world with melody & sound...
In 1982, Michael Jackson collaborated with legendary song writer, producer, & music composer Quincy Jones on what would become the biggest selling album of all time, "Thriller"... The album produced seven Top Ten Hits including "Beat It" & "Thriller", & would go on to sell over 47.3 million copies worldwide...
¥ears earlier, before Michael Jackson was crowned the "King Öf PoP" as a solo artists, he, along with his brothers were the voices for young America...Gary, Indiana, gave birth to Motown's youngest & most successful musical act in the '70's...
Maurice Starr was an up and coming song writer & music producer who's kiddie PoP songs & wise marketing would later be responsible for discovering some of music's biggest acts...
Roxbury, Massachusetts, was home to many residents who lived in the small, but active city... Local sports tournaments & talent shows were often held in the district of Roxbury for Roxbury's finest to showcase their talents...Childhood friends, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, & Bobby Brown often participated in talent shows to display their young, but gifted vocal abilities...
In March of '83, the single "Candy Girl" was released unintentionally to music stores & radio outlets across the country...
New Edition returned in 1984 releasing their self entitled album, "New Edition"...It appeared that audiences both young & old, especially teenage girls, were just getting started in the New Edition frenzy that was sweeping across the country at a rapid pace...
Admist the departure of Bobby Brown, New Edition completed & released their 3rd album titled: "All For £ove"... Although maturing vocally & musically, New Edition still captivated audiences to produce a string of Top Ten hits beginning with their first single release "Çount Me Öut" which hit the Top Ten on Billboard's R&B charts reaching #2 followed by their second single release "A Little Bit Öf Love (Is All It Takes)" peaking at #3...
Still capitalizing on the success of their platinum selling album, New Edition followed in the footsteps of R&B artists before them & recorded "Çhristmas All Över The World"...
"Under The Blue Moon" was dedicated to legendary R&B artists... Mostly cover tunes of 50's & 60's classical R&B songs, the album produced the #3 R&B hit single "Earth Angel" and was well received by New Edition fans throughout the world...
"Straight Öutta Compton" was released in the spring of '88 and quickly became the most controversial album of the decade...
Also in 1988, ex-member Bobby Brown released his 2nd album titled: "Ðon't Be Cruel"..."Ðon't Be Cruel" produced a string of Top Ten Hits & established Bobby Brown as one of the most exciting entertainers in music...
1988 would also see the emergence of Öakland's native M.Ç. Hammer... Hammer's fun, yet funky music & incredible dance moves left audiences speechless...Hammer's first major album "Let's Get It Started" would go on to sell over 2.1 million copies...
Managed & produced by Maurice Starr, New Kids Ön The Block eclipsed the superstardom & success achieved by their predecessors New Edition & became the most surprising, and most talked about group in '88...
With more creative control then they ever received from MCA Records, New Edition recruited R&B vocalist Johnny Gill to the group in '87...
Heart Break, unlike any other New Edition album was a turning point in their careers... Heart Break would produce a set of unforgettable songs, a string of Top Ten Hits & usher in the New Jack era in music...After the multi-platinum success of "Ðon't Be Cruel", Bobby Brown released a remix album titled: "Dance!... Ya Know It"... within weeks of it's release, Brown would have another platinum album to add to his wall... "Dance!... Ya Know It" went on to sell over 1.3 million copies worldwide...
After the urgings of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, & Ronnie DeVoe formed the trio B.B.D.(Short for Bell's, Bivins, & DeVoe's last names)"Poison" would go on to sell over 4 million copies & produce a number of classical New Jack hits... Bell Biv DeVoe became pioneers of New Jack Swing & "Poison" remained on the PoP & R&B charts for over 15 weeks...
Johnny Gill released his third album titled: "Johnny Gill..." Gill scored big with his #1 R&B smash hit "My, My, My"... "Johnny Gill" sold over 2.2 million copies & placed Gill on a plateau among R&B vocalists...
Last but not least to go solo was vocalist Ralph Tresvant... Tresvant's first single topped the R&B charts & reached #4 on the PoP charts... Tresvant's debut album was certified platinum selling over 1.5 million copies...
Eight years may seem like a long time to the common man, but for New Edition fans, it seemed like a lifetime...
Vibethey sound wonderfully mature without straying too far from their original formula...
Tresvant and Bell shined on New Edition's second single release "I'm Still In Love With You"... The single reached #4 on the R&B charts & became a Top Ten crossover hit... "I'm Still In Love With You" was certified platinum and "Siempre Tu", a Spanish version of the song was recorded in '97...
The contributions that New Edition has made to R&B and Hip-Hop music has been outstanding...
