New Edition Behind The Music

[bigted]

Thursday Apr. 28 10/9c PM

http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/behind_the_mu...ode_about.jhtml

They were the original boy band. Five friends from Boston whose

undeniable talent lifted them out of the projects and into the hearts

of countless teenage girls. But while New Edition was paving the way

for some of the biggest bands of the past twenty years, they were

plagued by bad business deals, internal battles, and a frustrating

struggle for respect.

In the late 1970s, Roxbury was the most impoverished and crime-ridden

district in Boston. And in the middle of it all sat the Orchard Park

Housing Projects. It was there that four friends -- Michael Bivins,

Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell and Ralph Tresvant -- began singing and

dancing together as a way to escape the turmoil that surrounded them.

They called themselves New Edition and, after gaining some local

notoriety, they attracted the attention of Maurice Starr, a local

record producer who was looking for the next Jackson Five. The boys

added a fifth member, Ronnie Devoe, and with Starr's guidance, New

Edition recorded and released their first single, a perfect pop

confection called "Candy Girl." The single and subsequent album

exploded, selling hundreds of thousands of copies, sending the boys

on a seemingly endless tour around the country. Yet, for all of their

hard work, the boys came home to Roxbury still broke and living in

the projects.

Determined to reach greater heights of success, New Edition split

with Maurice Starr in 1984 and signed with MCA. They released the top

ten hits "Cool It Now" and "Mr. Telephone Man" and toured the world,

only to discover that they had once again signed to a record deal

that had left them all in debt.

Meanwhile, other problems were brewing. Lead singer Ralph Tresvant

had emerged as the fans' favorite member, and the others,

particularly Bobby Brown, became jealous and were eager to step out

of the background and into the spotlight. With tensions rising, Bobby

Brown left New Edition, leaving fans to wonder what the future held.

After a brief stint as a four piece, New Edition added new member

Johnny Gill, hoping to attract a new, more mature audience. But once

again internal clashes threatened the band's future as Ralph and

Johnny squared off. Their differences settled, the band released

their most successful album to date, Heart Break, only to be

unexpectedly overshadowed by the multi-platinum juggernaut that was

Bobby Brown's Don't Be Cruel, one of the most successful R&B albums

of all time.

In the early 90s, the band splintered into a series of side projects

that brought them their greatest success. Following Bobby's lead,

Johnny and Ralph released solo albums, and Ricky, Mike and Ronnie

formed Bell Biv Devoe. Divided, the members of New Edition put an

unprecedented stranglehold on the pop chats, racking up a string of

top ten hits and multi-platinum sales.

As their solo success began to fade, all six members of New Edition

reunited and released the album Home Again, and instant number one

album. But the subsequent tour was less successful. Bogged down by

bigger egos, and bigger battles, the band was nearly torn apart on a

worldwide tour that Johnny Gill described simply as "Hell."

Meanwhile, Bobby Brown had begun what would turn out to be a decade-

long downward spiral of drug and alcohol addiction and run-ins with

the law.

In 2002, New Edition looked to revive their careers by signing with

P. Diddy's Bad Boy label and in November of 2004 released One Love.

Throughout a career that has spanned three decades, New Edition

pioneered a style of music that is still strong today and have

achieved tremendous success both as a group and in side projects. But

for all they have accomplished, the members of this pop dynasty

wonder if they can ever truly achieve the respect and notoriety they

deserve. This is Behind the Music: New Edition.

[JumpinJack AJ]

Very cool!! Make sure this is bumped up a day or 2 b4 it airs!! I gotta see this.

[TopDawg14]

cool. will definitely watch. n.e. set the standard for all of these boy bands.

[bigted]

I can't believe how many people slept on "One Love",even though it ain't their best album, it's still better than a lot of that watered down r&b out now but I wish they could make peace with Bobby Brown so they could have that extra edge again, I'm looking forward to seein' this.

[Angel Amor]

Make peace with Bobby Brown. And Bobby Brown needs to stop getting arrested and get that drug problem in check.

[bigted]

I'm bumpin' this up for anyone interested in checkin' this out!

[JumpinJack AJ]

I gotta make sure iget home in tyme 4 this!!

[bigted]

Hey I just saw it, VH1 did a nice job covering their entire career! :thumb:

[Angel Amor]

Yeah I saw that it was pretty good than I thought it would be. :angel:

[JumpinJack AJ]

Yeah, i totally 4got all about this. I stopped handing out with my friend around 9 and 4got why i wanted 2 go home...so i went 2 hang out with someone else and just got home...haha. They'll re-run it tho.' If someone finds out when it'll rerun, post it 4 me. Thanx in advance if someone finds out.