New Edition

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New Edition is an American R&B male music group formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1978, that was most popular 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 and Boyz II Men. At the height of their early popularity in 1983, the group consisted of Ronnie DeVoe, Ralph Tresvant, Bobby Brown, Michael Bivins, and Ricky Bell. Early hits included songs like 1983's "Candy Girl" and 1984's "Cool It Now".

The group would perform all around Massachusetts and would eventually land a spot at a talent show which was run by Maurice Starr. The first prize was $500.00 and a recording contract. Though New Edition came in 2nd place, Starr decided to bring the group to his studio the following day to record what would become their debut album, Candy Girl. Recorded in late 1982 and 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 back off to their homes in the projects and were given a check in the amount of $1.87 a piece for their efforts. Tour budget and expenses were given as the explanation as to why they were not paid more. Due to 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 Machat's won the legal game and then secured the group a huge recording deal with MCA after holding a bidding war among all the major recording labels. The band, in need of management, signed with Steven Machat and his two management partners Rick Smith and Bill Dern. The management company was called AMI and AMI proceeds to break the group both in the urban and pop world. MCA, through the production affiliate of AMI, Jump and Shoot, released the groups self titled second album the 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.

In December 1985, under pressure from MCA and their management, the group voted Bobby Brown out, due to behavioral problems (a move they regretted years later according to Michael Bivins). Brown left in late 1985 to embark on a successful 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 Penguins 1954 hit "Earth Angel" for the soundtrack to The Karate Kid, Part II. The song peaked at #21 and inspired the group to record Under the Blue Moon, an album of doo-wop covers. The group continued for a time with four members, but eventually recruited singer Johnny Gill to record their 1987 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 the group reunited in 1996-1997 for the album Home Again, but during the ill-fated follow-up tour both Brown and Bivins quit the group, and the tour had to be canceled. Various reunions have occurred since, usually with the 1987-1990 lineup, though occasionally also including Bobby Brown. Their last studio release was 2004's One Love. As of 2010, two New Edition descendants are recording and touring: Bell Biv DeVoe, and Heads of State (featuring Brown, Tresvant, and Gill). Rumors of a new studio album have been floating around.

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Notable songs

• "Candy Girl", it topped the UK Singles Chart and was the first number one single to include rapping.
• "Is This the End"
• "Popcorn Love"
• "Jealous Girl"
• "Cool It Now"
• "Mr. Telephone Man"
• "Lost in Love"
• "Kind of Girls We Like"
• "My Secret (Didja Get It Yet?)"
• "Count Me Out"
• "A Little Bit of Love (Is All It Takes)"
• "With You All the Way"
• "Earth Angel"
• "Once in a Lifetime Groove"
• "Tears on My Pillow" (featuring Little Anthony)
• "Helplessly in Love"
• "If It Isn't Love"
• "You're Not My Kind of Girl"
• "Can You Stand the Rain"
• "Crucial"
• "N.E. Heart Break"
• "Hit Me Off"
• "I'm Still in Love with You"
• "You Don't Have to Worry"
• "One More Day"
• "Something About You"
• "Hot 2Nite"

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Discography

• Candy Girl (1983)
• New Edition (1984)
• All for Love (1985)
• Under the Blue Moon (1986)
• Heart Break (1988)
• Home Again (1996)
• One Love (2004)