THIRTY EIGHT YEARS AFTER FORMING IN AN URBAN HOUSING PROJECT IN BOSTON AND COINING AN ENTIRELY NEW KIND OF ACT, NEW EDITION AND ITS COMEBACK TOUR REACH NJPAC

BY INDUSTRY STAFF

The concept of the “boy band” might seem as old as pop music itself, and it could be argued, we suppose, that the term applies to such acts as The Beatles, Herman’s Hermits, and other 1960s teen heartthrobs, but in fact, the phrase was first widely used in reference to New Edition, which began its professional journey in Boston’s Orchard Park housing projects in 1978. There, founding members Michael Bivins, Bobby Brown, and Ricky Bell began a vocal group, along with Travis Pettus and Corey Rackley, and tirelessly pursued medium to small gigs over the course of four years before getting their big break at the Hollywood Talent Night at Boston’s Strand Theatre, and being discovered by singer/producer Maurice Starr. The very next day after winning the $500 first prize at the event, Starr had the group in the studio, its sessions resulting in the debut album Candy Girl, which went on to feature such megahits as “Jealous Girl,” “Is This the End,” and “Popcorn Love.” The title track went on to the number-one position in both the U.S. and UK’s R&B singles charts.

After a legal battle with Starr and label Streetwise over unpaid salaries and other alleged financial misdeeds, the band switched to AMI and recorded a second and eponymous album in 1984 with band members DeVoe, Brown, Bell, Gill, Bivins, and newcomer Ralph Tresvant—one that sold more than 2 million discs and achieved the number one position on the Billboard R&B/ Hip-Hop charts. After achieving less spectacular but nonetheless respectable sales with three more albums through 1988, the band took an extended break until 1996, then another until 2004 with the release of One Love (though certified Gold, it was widely reported the band was unhappy with the album’s distribution strategy). The 2005-2007 tour marked the return of Brown, who had taken a sabbatical from the band.

For this summer’s tour, all members are on hand, including Brown, and are joined by fellow 1980s R&B/pop icon Babyface. And as audiences listen to hit tracks like “Ooh Baby,” “Should Never Have Told Me,” and “Gotta Have Your Lovin,” they might keep in mind that without these sons of Beantown, boy bands of today such as NKOTBSB, One Direction, and Big Time Rush might still reside only in the glinting eyes of producers and teen girls. For better or worse.

New Edition and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds
July 9 at 8:00 P.M. at NJPAC / 1 Center Street, Newark / 888.466.5722
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