New Edition: New Edition’s early Jackson 5-inspired material made them the forerunners of two generations of teen pop. As they matured and progressed, the laid much of the groundwork for the fusion of hip-hop and R&B known as new jack swing.

The group was formed by three boys from the Roxbury section of Boston, MA, by Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Bobby Brown. The boys began singing together in 1978 while still in elementary school, hoping to score a couple bucks. After adding Ralph Tresavant and Ronnie DeVoe, the group began competing in and winning talent shows. They were discovered by writer/producer Maurice Starr, who hoped to create the Jackson 5 of the 80s. Released in 1983, “Candy Girl” was a smash hit, topping the R&B charts. The group soon released two more hits, “Popcorn Love” and “Is This The End”. With changing voices and ages the group began to change their material to a more adult, hard-edge funk and romantic ballads, such as their megahit “Can You Stand the Rain” off of the album Heartbreak in 1989.

Vindicated by Heartbreak the group split to pursue solo careers. The remainder of the group teamed as Bel Biv DeVoe, which had relative success (dwarfed only by Bobby Brown) with their album Poison. By the mid-90s, jack swing had given way to hard hip-hop and a nouveau soul. In 1996, the group reunited and released their comeback album Home Again, which debuted at number one on the charts. In 2004, the group was signed to Bad Boy where they released their second comeback album, One Love. In anticipation for the 30th anniversary of ‘Candy Girl” in 2013, the group will be touring in 2012. Don’t miss this memorable New Edition tour through June of 2012! Use Eventful to stay updated on their tour schedule and possible new dates!