They were the originators of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s. It was because of them that doors were open for groups like New Kids on the Block, The Boys, Boyz II Men, Hi-Five, Backstreet Boys, and N’Sync.
We’re talking about Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Bobby Brown, Ronnie DeVoe, and Ralph Tresvant, aka, New Edition.
Early hits included “Candy Girl,” “Cool It Now”, and “Mr. Telephone Man,” but hits kept coming from solo and breakout groups like BBD. New Edition is one of the top groups in the country with the longest career. They are the one group with hit after hit after hit, that span decades, yet still perform together all over the country. Fans young and old have always noticed and celebrated their talent, now Hollywood is doing the same as they were honored with their very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“This is what happens when a group overcomes all obstacles–from breaking up to splitting up into different groups–because at the end of the day, it’s all about family. This is what love looks like,” exclaimed super producer Jimmy Jam of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis fame and the unveiling ceremony.
“This, right here, is God,” says the man who discovered New Edition and has been their manager for over 30 years, Brook Payne. “God does things in his own time. And when we first started, we never would have thought this, but here we are today. This is all God.”
Other members of their Walk of Fame ceremony spoke to this moment being a testimony to the groups longevity and what can be accomplished no matter what point in your life.
“We came together because we had a desire to sing and dance,” says an emotional Ricky Bell. “It was really that simple. But God is not casual, He’s intentional. This blessing turns into a huge responsibility.”
“This a bigger than us. There’s a bigger purpose than this. Thank you for the fans for coming out to shows even when we didn’t have a hit record. You all never know just how much this means to us. Thank you Lord, Thank you to our families and thank you to our fans. We love you.”
Through it all, there has been tradegy, drugs, heartbreak and other issues, but the group–all of the members–are still here! Here’s a look back one of the groups earlier hits (you remember this one):
Here’s another one of their favorites that had us all singing and dancging using spoons as microphones as we grew up:
And they still keep coming out with hits, like this one released in 2016:
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