New Edition

New Edition is an R&B and pop group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync. The group recorded mostly as a quintet. During the group's first bout of fame in 1983, its members were Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Bobby Brown, Ronnie DeVoe, and Ralph Tresvant. Early hits included "Candy Girl," "Cool It Now" and "Mr. Telephone Man".[1] Brown left in late 1985 to embark on a solo career. The group continued for a time with its remaining four members, but eventually recruited singer Johnny Gill, who would be introduced on their 1988 album Heart Break. The group went on hiatus in 1990, while its various members worked on side projects, such as the group Bell Biv Devoe. Gill and Tresvant also recorded successful solo albums.

All six members of New Edition reunited in 1996 to record the group's sixth studio album Home Again. During the ill-fated Home Again Tour, both Bobby Brown and Michael Bivins eventually quit the group, forcing the remainder of the tour to be canceled. Various reunions have occurred since, usually with the 1987-1990 lineup, though occasionally also including Brown. Their last studio album was 2004's One Love. As of 2010, two New Edition descendants were recording and touring: Bell Biv Devoe and Heads of State(which features Brown, Tresvant and Gill.)

On May 3, 2011 New Edition issued a press release on their official website announcing that all six members were reuniting as New Edition to kick off the 30th anniversary celebration of "Candy Girl" with their fans.

Formation[edit]
The group was formed in 1978 by childhood friends Bobby Brown, Michael Bivins, Ricky Bell, Travis Pettus and Corey Rackley, all of whom were living in the Orchard Park housing projects in Boston. They later met Brooke Payne, a local manager and choreographer, who encountered the boys at a local talent show in Roxbury. After an audition for Payne, he gave them the name New Edition to signify they were a new edition of the Jackson 5. Rackley left the group and was replaced by another neighborhood friend Ralph Tresvant, who both Bell and Brown were already acquainted with and sang with Ricky in a group called Ricky & Ralph. Travis Pettus eventually would leave the group as well. Later, Payne brought in his nephew Ronnie DeVoe to replace Pettus as the group's fifth member.[2]

1983-1985: Beginnings[edit]
The group scored its big break in 1982, performing at the local Hollywood Talent Night held at Boston's Strand Theatre by singer/producer Maurice Starr. The first prize was $500.00 and a recording contract. Though the group came in second place, an impressed Starr decided to bring the group to his studio the following day to record what would become their debut album, Candy Girl. Released in 1983 on Starr’s Streetwise Records, the album featured the hits: "Is This The End," "Popcorn Love," "Jealous Girl" and the title track, which went to number one on both the American R&B singles chart and the UK singles chart.

Returning from their first major concert tour, the boys were dropped off back at their homes in the projects and were given a check in the amount of $1.87 apiece for their efforts. Tour budget and expenses were given as the explanation as to why they were not paid more. Due to these financial reasons, New Edition parted company with Starr in 1984 (Starr responded by promptly creating the group New Kids on the Block; essentially formatted after New Edition, but with white teenagers.) The group, meanwhile, hired the law firm of Steven and Martin Machat and sued Streetwise for relief from a contract that was unenforceable as well as materially breached by Streetwise. The Machats won the legal game and then secured the group a bigger recording deal with major label MCA Records, which won the bidding war amongst various other major labels who were also interested in signing the group. In need of management, the group signed with Steven Machat and his two management partners Rick Smith and Bill Dern. The management company, AMI, proceeded to escalate the group's profile in both the urban and pop music worlds. Through the production affiliate of AMI, Jump and Shoot, MCA released the group's self-titled second albumthe same year. Eclipsing their debut album, New Edition spun off the top five hit "Cool It Now" and the top twenty "Mr. Telephone Man," and went on to be certified double platinum in the United States.

While promoting their second album, the group was dismayed to realize that they weren't actually signed to MCA Records, but instead with the production company Jump and Shoot, which had its own deal with MCA; subsequently, all business matters pertaining to the group were controlled by the former. To buy themselves out of the stifling production deal, each of the five members borrowed one hundred thousand dollars from MCA. Though this effectively separated the group from Jump and Shoot, and allowed them to sign a new (and very long-term) contract to record for MCA directly, they were now in mortgage to the label. As a result, the group would now be forced to continually record and tour during this period in order to pay off its debt.

New Edition's third album, All for Love, was released in the latter half of 1985. While not duplicating the success of its predecessor, the album was certified platinum, and spawned the hits: "Count Me Out", "A Little Bit Of Love (Is All It Takes)" and "With You All the Way". The growing popularity of the group led to a guest appearance (as themselves) in the 1985 film Krush Groove, performing "My Secret". Toward the year's end, Christmas All Over The World, a holiday EP, was released as well as an oldies album of tunes from the '50s sung by the group with an '80s production style.

1986: The departure of Bobby Brown[edit]
Under pressure from MCA and their management, the group voted Bobby Brown out in December 1985, due to behavioral problems.[3][4] Brown embarked on a solo career in 1986, while New Edition continued to promote All for Love as a quartet. In spite of their financial and internal conflicts, New Edition continued to peak. During this era of the group's evolution, the group appeared in the episode of Knight Rider titled "Knight Song", performing "Count Me Out." As 1986 wound to a close, they recorded a cover of The Penguins1954 hit "Earth Angel" for the soundtrack to The Karate Kid, Part II. The song peaked at number twenty-one and inspired the group to record Under the Blue Moon, an album of doo-wop covers.

1987-1989: The introduction of Johnny Gill[edit]
After having already lost a member when Bobby Brown was terminated from the group, New Edition's future became uncertain when murmurings began to surface that lead singer Ralph Tresvant was eyeing a solo career as well. To pad his potential departure, singer Johnny Gill was voted into the group by Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ron DeVoe in 1987, despite Tresvant ultimately deciding to remain in place. A native of Washington, D.C., Johnny Gill is the only non-Boston native among the group's six members. According to IMDB:

New Edition's fifth studio release, Heart Break— which also featured Gill as the co-lead vocalist — was released in the summer of 1988. Primarily produced by the production team of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, the album was a departure from the group's previous bubblegum sound, and instead took on a smoother, stronger, and more adult resonance. Spinning off five hit singles: "If It Isn't Love," "You're Not My Kind of Girl," "Can You Stand The Rain," "Crucial" and "N.E. Heartbreak"; Heart Break became New Edition's most commercially successful album up to that point, certified double platinum in the United States, with worldwide sales of close to four million. The success of Heart Break would launch the group on a successful concert tour as well in the closing months of 1988; with former member Bobby Brown and Al B. Sure! as their opening acts.

1990–1995: Solo projects[edit]
Inspired by the substantial success Bobby Brown was having with his multi-platinum 1988 breakthrough album Don’t Be Cruel, after the run of Heart Break, New Edition went on hiatus to pursue side projects away from the group. At the suggestion of producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ron DeVoe formed a trio, Bell Biv DeVoe. Their 1990 debut album, Poison, went triple platinum. The same year, lead singers Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill (who had already recorded as a solo act prior to joining New Edition) also released self-titled solo albums, which also achieved multi-platinum success. Later that year, the group (including Bobby Brown) had a semi-reunion of sorts when they performed at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards. In 1991, all six members again reunited to record a remix of the Bell Biv DeVoe track "Word To The Mutha!"; Brown, Gill and Tresvant also appeared in the music video. Prior to this, Brown also appeared in the music videos for Bell Biv DeVoe's "BBD (I Thought It Was Me)" video, as well as Tresvant's "Stone Cold Gentleman" and "Sensitivity" remix videos.

Discography[edit]
Main article: New Edition discography
 * Studio albums
 * Candy Girl (1983)
 * New Edition (1984)
 * All for Love (1985)
 * Under the Blue Moon (1986)
 * Heart Break (1988)