History New Edition

1 history

1.1 origins
1.2 1982 – 1985: beginnings
1.3 1985-1986: departure of bobby brown
1.4 1987 – 1989: introduction of johnny gill , heart break
1.5 1990 – 1995: first breakup , solo projects
1.6 1996 – 1997: home again reunion , second breakup
1.7 2002 – 2004: second reunion , new edition under bad boy
1.8 2004 – present: recent years

history
origins

in 1978, bobby brown, michael bivins, , ricky bell started vocal group. group had included 2 other friends travis pettus , corey rackley. 5 kids lived in orchard park projects in roxbury, boston. later met brooke payne, local manager , choreographer, encountered boys @ local talent show in roxbury. after audition payne, gave them name new edition signify new edition of jackson 5. rackley left group , replaced neighborhood friend ralph tresvant, whom bell, bivins, , brown acquainted , sang ricky in group called ricky & ralph. travis pettus leave group well. later, payne brought in nephew ronnie devoe replace pettus group s fifth member.

1982 – 1985: beginnings

the group scored big break in 1982, performing @ local hollywood talent night held @ boston s strand theatre singer/producer maurice starr. first prize $500 , recording contract. though group came in second place, impressed starr decided bring group studio following day record become debut album, candy girl. released in 1983 on new york producer arthur baker s levi belt streetwise records, album featured hits: end , popcorn love , jealous girl , , title track, went number 1 on both american r&b singles chart , uk singles chart.

returning first major concert tour, boys dropped off @ homes in projects , given check in amount of $1.87 apiece efforts. tour budget , expenses given explanation why not paid more. due these financial reasons, new edition parted company starr in 1984 (starr responded promptly creating group new kids on block, formatted after new edition, white teenagers.). meanwhile, group hired law firm of steven , martin machat , sued streetwise release contract unenforceable materially breached streetwise. machats won legal game , secured group bigger recording deal major label mca records, won bidding war among various other major labels. in need of management, group signed steven machat , 2 management partners rick smith , bill dern. management company, ami, proceeded escalate group s profile in both urban , pop music worlds. through production affiliate of ami, jump , shoot, mca released group s self-titled second album same year. eclipsing debut album, new edition spun off top 5 hit cool , top twenty mr. telephone man , , went on certified double platinum in united states.

while promoting second album, group dismayed realize weren t signed mca records, instead production company jump , shoot, had own deal mca; subsequently, business matters pertaining group controlled former. buy out of stifling production deal, each of 5 members borrowed $100,000 mca. though separated group jump , shoot , allowed them sign new (and long-term) contract record mca directly, in mortgage label. result, group forced continually record , tour during period in order pay off debt.

new edition s third album, love, released in latter half of 1985. while not duplicating success of predecessor, album certified platinum, , spawned hits count me out , little bit of love (is takes) , , way . growing popularity of group led guest appearance (as themselves) in 1985 film krush groove, performing secret . toward year s end, christmas on world, holiday ep, released oldies album of tunes 50s sung group 80s production style.

1985-1986: departure of bobby brown

under pressure mca , management, group voted bobby brown out in december 1985, due behavioral problems. brown embarked on solo career in 1986, while new edition continued promote love quartet. in spite of financial , internal conflicts, new edition continued peak. during era of group s evolution, group appeared in episode of knight rider titled knight song , performing count me out. 1986 wound close, recorded cover of penguins 1954 hit earth angel soundtrack karate kid, part ii. song peaked @ number twenty-one , inspired group record under blue moon, album of doo-wop covers.

1987 – 1989: introduction of johnny gill , heart break

after having lost member when bobby brown terminated group, new edition s future became uncertain when murmurings began surface lead singer ralph tresvant eyeing solo career well. pad potential departure, singer johnny gill voted group ricky bell, michael bivins, , ron devoe in 1987, despite tresvant deciding remain in place. native of washington, d.c., johnny gill non-boston native among group s 6 members. according imdb:

ralph (who working on solo album @ time) felt uneasy johnny taking bobby brown s place. after ralph , johnny laid vocals, 2 became close friends , have been way ever since.

new edition s fifth studio release, heart break— featured gill co-lead vocalist — released in summer of 1988. produced production team of jimmy jam & terry lewis, album departure group s previous bubblegum sound, , instead took on smoother, stronger, , more adult resonance. spinning off 5 hit singles: if isn t love, re not kind of girl, can stand rain, crucial , n.e. heartbreak ; heart break became new edition s commercially successful album point, certified double platinum in united states, worldwide sales of close 4 million. success of heart break launch group on successful concert tour in closing months of 1988; n.e. serving headliners while al b. sure , former member bobby brown served opening acts.

1990 – 1995: first breakup , solo projects

inspired substantial success bobby brown having multi-platinum 1988 breakthrough album don’t cruel, after run of heart break, new edition went on hiatus pursue side projects away group. @ suggestion of producers jimmy jam , terry lewis, ricky bell, michael bivins , ron devoe formed trio, bell biv devoe. 1990 debut album, poison, went quadruple platinum. same year, lead singers ralph tresvant , johnny gill (who had recorded solo act prior joining new edition) released self-titled solo albums, achieved multi-platinum success. later year, group (including bobby brown) had semi-reunion of sorts when performed @ 1990 mtv video music awards. in 1991, 6 members again reunited record remix of bell biv devoe track word mutha! ; brown, gill , tresvant appeared in music video. prior this, brown appeared in music videos bell biv devoe s bbd (i thought me) video, tresvant s stone cold gentleman , sensitivity remix videos. in 1992, band later appearance on bobby wedding whitney houston, met in 1989 in music awards.

1996 – 1997: home again reunion , second breakup

by 1996, members of new edition had arguably achieved greater commercial success own side projects group had during run. however, after having promised fans there reunion—and still contractually owing mca records new edition album—the group (with bobby brown) reunited record home again, first new album in 8 years. album debuted @ number 1 on both billboard 200 , r&b albums chart, , became commercially successful album of group s career; reaching double platinum status in united states , selling on 4 million copies worldwide. meanwhile, home again produced several hits, including top ten pop hits: hit me off , m still in love . however, ensuing 1997 home again tour prove disastrous group. despite not having toured in close decade (and on ten years brown), old rivalries , struggles on stage dominance resurfaced if no time had passed. middle leg of tour, 1 evening @ concert in las cruces, nm brown extending solo set, ronnie devoe attempted pull brown off stage. brown responded dropping microphone , fist fight between 2 ensued. led both members security guards confronting each other, gun play brought in, , concert halted. bivins , brown left tour early, while devoe, bell, gill, , tresvant finished out rest of tour quartet. brown later admitted during interview intoxicated during tour. each of group members again went separate ways, time on more hostile terms ever; resulting in indefinite hiatus appeared swan song new edition.

also in 1996, 3 solo members of new edition (brown, gill , tresvant) joined monica , faith evans collaborate whitney houston on recording of gospel standard bigger , appeared on soundtrack houston s movie preacher s wife. had made appearance on family matters season 8 episode 9 titled home again.

the following year, gill formed r&b supergroup lsg, along gerald levert (for whom wrote song how love served home again gill s group, levert produced) , keith sweat released album levert.sweat.gill, had hit single body .

2002 – 2004: second reunion , new edition under bad boy

after second wave of solo pursuits proved less successful, new edition (sans bobby brown) reunited once more , began touring clubs, casinos, , small arenas in 2002; including appearing on tom joyner sky show. after having caught attention of rapper/producer sean combs, present @ 1 of shows, signed group bad boy records label, after long term contract mca records ended.

in fall of 2004, new edition’s seventh studio album , bad boy debut, 1 love, released. though album debuted @ number twelve on billboard 200, had steady descent chart. lead-off single, hot 2nite, underperformed; peaking @ number thirty-five , number eighty-seven on r&b , pop singles charts, respectively. during production of album, group disagreed combs on creative direction. in interview, ricky bell later revealed combs had refused pay new edition s long time producers jimmy jam , terry lewis track group wanted on album. reportedly, combs told group on budget, despite having used many of bad boy s in-house team of writers , producers on album. ultimately, group asked released bad boy contract. despite messy divorce bad boy, new edition soldiered on , continued tour.

2004 – present: recent years

in fall of 2005, new edition performed medley of hits @ bet’s 25th anniversary special. during set, brought bobby brown out onstage impromptu rendition of 1985 hit mr. telephone man . bobby brown performed rendition of prerogative ronnie devoe , ralph tresvant dancers. later announced on bet , access hollywood brown had reconciled new edition , planned rejoin group future concert dates , studio albums.

on august 26, 2006, new edition filmed concert @ university of south carolina s koger center in columbia set future dvd release, concert billed spend night new edition , bet special presented lincoln whom group has advertised. bobby brown made appearance @ show.

in 2008, group (minus brown) recorded new song new kids on block called full service latest album, block. meanwhile, brown, tresvant , gill formed new side group called heads of state, performed @ summit tour in 2009. according gill, group name inspired original name rat pack called summit or heads of state .

on june 28, 2009, group performed medley of jackson 5 hits in tribute michael jackson on bet awards. led ralph tresvant, bobby brown, , ricky bell, new edition sang , danced through classics such want , abc , love save . later year, ricky bell , johnny gill joined new kids on block onstage @ house of blues benefit show toys tots in boston, performing full service , 1 s children .

gill later confirmed new edition had signed manager irving azoff, signed geffen records (which absorbed group s old label, mca, , controls group s catalog) , slating release comeback album.

on july 3, 2011 in new orleans, louisiana, 6 members of new edition reunited @ essence music festival kick off , celebrate 30th anniversary tour. “this beginning. we’re preparing world tour , many other exciting things we’ll announcing soon. next chapter of new edition going incredible celebration thank our fans of support on last 30 years,” said bell speaking on behalf of group.

in february 2012, brown miss handful of dates due death of ex-wife whitney houston. on march 9 , 11, 2012, bobby brown , bell biv devoe made african debut performing in nigeria.

in late 2012, new edition received lifetime achievement award during soul train awards ceremony. 6 members appeared onstage evening.

in august 2015, bet announced 3 night miniseries group made release in january 2017. 5 members signed on co-producers of production, ronnie devoe, ricky bell, johnny gill, michael bivins, , ralph tresvant. jesse collins entertainment executive producer of original miniseries, bet’s first scripted music-focused miniseries. group s original choreographer , longtime manager brooke payne serve co-producer. bobby brown has signed off co-produce film making 6 members sign on.

on june 28 2016, hollywood chamber of commerce , walk of famer vin di bona announced new edition s induction hollywood walk of fame in category of recording.

on january 23, 2017, new edition received star on hollywood walk of fame contributions music industry, located @ 7080 hollywood boulevard. on january 24-26, 2017, bet aired biopic miniseries new edition story chronicles band members life childhood in boston hollywood fame adults. directed chris robinson , executive produced jessie collins. group served co-producers. mini brought in 28.4 million viewers bet, through initial run , subsequent encores on week of premiere.