By Fenton Wright, Staff Writer
Each week of Black History Month, we open the 88.9 Vault of Soul with profiles of iconic soul pioneers. To learn more, check out the legendary soul group New Edition's biography, best tracks, and awards below!
Biography
New Edition was officially formed in 1978 in the Roxbury neighborhood, right here in Boston, by lifelong friends Michael Bivins, Ricky Bell, and Bobby Brown. They would then soon add Ralph Tresvant and in 1982 Ronnie DeVoe would join as well, bringing the group to completion. The group's history long predates their official formation though. Bivins, Bell, and Brown had known each other since they were children and had been singing together since elementary school. Tresvant joined after Bell suggested him to the rest of the group, and DeVoe did not join until their manager at the time, Brooke Payne, insisted they let his nephew join.
The Early Years of New Edition
The group earned their first recording contract after coming in second place during a singing competition. Though they did not win, they impressed the labels enough to get the contract. The now quintet exploded in popularity during the 80s, mimicking the rise of the Jackson 5 in the 60s. Their debut album was a massive success. Candy Girl skyrocketed them to the top of the charts in 1983, with the title track “Candy Girl” going all the way up to number one on the charts in both America and the United Kingdom. Their next album, the self-titled New Edition, would go on to make them even more popular as they continued to tour. The breakout star of the group to this point was Ralph Tresvant, with him taking the lead vocals on “Candy Girl” and other songs. The fusion of classic R&B with the sounds that would come to define the 80s set New Edition apart from the rest. Throughout this entire time, Bobby had been wanting to do more in the group and stand out. He felt like his work stood out from the rest of the group and in 1985 Brown would break off into his own illustrious solo career.
Being Bobby
After the departure of Brown, the rest of New Edition continued their career as a group, adding Johnny Gill. Brown, however, made a name for himself on his own. After leaving New Edition, Brown would go and sign with MCA Records, the same label that New Edition was signed to. His debut solo album, King of Stage, was released in 1986, and was not what Brown had been hoping for. He originally hoped that his debut album would prove that he was better on his own, that New Edition needed him, not the other way around. He would learn from this, and after being silent for the better part of a year, he released his true hit Don’t Be Cruel in ‘87. His sophomore effort did everything that Brown wanted to do with the first one. It introduced the world to Bobby Brown independent of the New Edition name. With tracks like “Every Little Step”, “My Prerogative”, and the title track “Don’t Be Cruel”, Brown had himself a Billboard Top 100 hit. This album would eventually go on to become the highest selling R&B album in 1989.
His Prerogative
Now having the success and recognition as a solo artist that he always wanted, Brown went on to find more opportunities in the music industry. Despite the waning interest in R&B and the New Jack Swing style that Brown and New Edition had been producing, growing interest in Hip-Hop and gangster rap was quickly taking over the music scene. Despite, this Brown still managed to continually top the charts. In the same year that he won the 1989 Soul Train Award, he met his future wife Whitney Houston. Houston and Brown met during the show, and their relationship blossomed from there. The two would go on to have one daughter together and a marriage spanning fifteen years. Despite his successful solo career, Brown did still find time to reunite with his former friends. They have appeared at multiple BET award shows and done multiple documentaries that have further cemented them as legends in R&B.
Bell, Biv, DeVoe, and Ralph
After Bobby left the group, they did not just simply sputter out and fade into obscurity. The group, now consisting of Bell, Bivins, DeVoe, and Tresvant, released their next album, Under the Blue Moon, the same year that Brown had split. In the following years, they added the already popular Johnny Gill to their lineup. With the addition of Gill, the group added someone who was well established in the music industry and someone with a more adult sounding voice than what could be found on their previous tracks. They then went on to record Heart Break in 1988, their first album with Johnny Gill, which features tracks such as “If It Isn’t Love” and “Can You Stand The Rain.” There is a noticeable difference between the songs on this album and those on previous New Edition albums. Brown’s leaving forced the group to mature to some degree, which is also what allowed each member to become more independent and less reliant on the New Edition name.
In 1989, the trio of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronie DeVoe, broke off from the main group and formed “Bell Biv DeVoe.” This group would then go on to create their hit album Poison in 1990, with the massively popular title-track, “Poison.” Within this song you can hear just how much these three evolved after their time with New Edition. This song would serve as one of the inspirations for how the genre of hip-hop would evolve throughout the rest of the decade. Bell Biv DeVoe would go on to make more albums and feature on a collaboration song with the former groupmate Ralph Tresvant, Luther Vandross, and Janet Jackson titled “The Best Things In Life Are Free.” Bivins would then go on to focus more on developing new and upcoming talent in the music industry. This is when he agreed to manage Boyz II Men at the beginning of their career after meeting them backstage at a concert.
Ralph Tresvant also started a solo career of his own. Tresvant was the last of the group to break off. Everyone else already had songs that had been number one hits. In 1990, he released his own self-titled solo album Ralph Tresvant. This record included songs such as “Sensitivity” and “Do What I Gotta Do,” which helped the album peak at number one on the R&B charts for two weeks, and number four on the pop charts. On this record, he sounded more mature than usual. Traditionally fans had come to expect a more childlike tone from Tresvant, but in this album he embraces the R&B trends of the time and combines them with the experience he gained alongside New Edition after the departure of Bobby Brown and gives us a R&B classic. Tresvant would continue to have success as a solo artist and has featured on a multitude of other works by other artists such as Notorious B.I.G. and Whitney Houston.
Who Influenced Bobby Brown and New Edition?
- James Brown
- Rick James
- Marvin Gaye
- Michael Jackson/Jackson 5
- Prince
Who Bobby Brown and New Edition Influenced?
- Usher
- James Brown
- Boyz II Men
- New Kids On the Block
Bobby Brown’s Awards and Honors
- Grammy Award, Best R&B Vocal Performance, “Every Little Step” (1990)
- Black Reel Awards, Outstanding TV Movie/Limited Series, “The New Edition Story” (2017)
- American Music Awards, Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, (1990)
- American Music Awards, Favorite Soul/R&B Album, “Don’t be Cruel” (1990)
- American Music Awards, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, (1993)
- Soul Train Award, Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Album of the Year - Male, “Don’t Be Cruel” (1989)
- Soul Train Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, Shared with New Edition (2012)
- BET Lifetime Achievement Award, Shared with New Edition (2017)
Spotlight Tracks
“Can You Stand the Rain” by New Edition (1988)
A true love song, “Can You Stand The Rain”, is one of the highlight tracks off of New Edition’s album Heart Break. It comes as the first album with the newly added Johnny Gill to the group and the second album after the departure of Bobby Brown. It peaked at number forty-four on the Billboard 100 and also earned a platinum certification. It opens with the sound of birds chirping and goes straight into a slow melodic note held by Gill. The rest of the song is a serenade led by Tresvant and Gill. Even if you just listen to the song one time, you can tell why it was so popular when it first came out.
“Poison” by Bell Biv DeVoe (1990)
After the trio of Bell Biv DeVoe split from New Edition there was heavy speculation on whether they would be able to live up to the precedent set by New Edition. The group did not just get rid of those questions, they completely crushed them. “Poison” set a new standard for hip-hop. Rather than adhering to what people had grown accustomed to with the childlike pop R&B of New Edition, Bell Biv DeVoe became raunchier and used funk-infused beats that could not be found in a New Edition song. This separated them from the group, while also building an identity for themselves and for the beginnings of hip-hop
“Sensitivity” by Ralph Tresvant (1990)
Similar questions to that of those that were being asked about Bell Biv DeVoe were asked about Ralph Tresvant when he went solo. Many people did not think that he could separate himself from his adolescent sounding hits such as “Candy Girl” and “Mr. Telephone Man.” With his self-titled album and the track“Sensitivity,” he proved all those doubters wrong. This song distinctly embraces the new direction of R&B and leaves behind the childish view that people held for Tresvant. He blew away their expectations for him, resulting in a song and album that sat at the top of the R&B charts for two weeks after its release. The song has a smooth upbeat feel to it, and the vocals of Ralph Tresvant, while still high-pitched, feel more mature and less childish.
“Every Little Step” by Bobby Brown (1988)
What can probably be considered Brown’s most well-known song, “Every Little Step” was one of the hits that set his solo career on fire. It comes in the middle of his hit album Don’t Be Cruel as the fourth single. It was certified as a gold track in the United States and peaked at number forty-eight on the Billboard 100 charts. “Every Little Step” also went on to win him the Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance in 1990. The song starts with hard drums and synthesizers come in to overlay the drums, giving the song this almost futuristic feel. The real highlight of the song is of course Bobby’s voice belting out “Every little step I make, we’ll be together.” It is an extremely catchy song that you can’t help but move to. Combining all these factors together, it is no wonder why this song was the most popular one he released.
“My Prerogative” by Bobby Brown (1988)
A song that feels like a coming out for Bobby Brown as an individual, “My Prerogative” is Brown telling audiences what to expect from him as a solo artist. He tells them that from now on it is on him to make the decisions. It’s a fast-paced song in which Brown calls out all of his critics and everyone telling him that it was a bad idea to leave New Edition. It even includes a speaking portion where he says directly that he can do what he wants with his money and that people need to stop pocket-watching him.
Stay tuned for more picks from the Vault of Soul each week this month!
