New Kids On The Block
Biography
After his success with New Edition, producer Maurice Starr decided to replicate the singing group by substituting suburban white kids for the young black teenagers. The result was New Kids on the Block, a pioneering boy band that eclipsed the popularity of Starr's previous group while laying the groundwork for the teen pop boom of the late-'90s. During the New Kids' heyday, the group reportedly earned over one million dollars per week, and their string of hit singles -- the bulk of which reinterpreted R&B-styled street music for a young female audience -- made them one of the era's most successful acts. Following a botched attempt to rough up their clean-cut image with 1994's Face the Music, however, the boys disbanded, only to reconvene 14 years later for a comeback album and supporting tour.
In 1985, Maurice Starr launched a citywide talent search in Boston, where he hoped to assemble an adolescent vocal group. Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan Knight, Jon Knight, Danny Wood, and Joe McIntyre were soon recruited to join, with Starr presiding over the young teenagers as manager, choreographer, songwriter and producer. A contract with Columbia Records followed, and New Kids on the Block made an awkward, enthusiastic debut with their self-titled album in 1986. At the time, the group's oldest members were barely 16 years old, while McIntyre was only 12.
For their next album, 1988's Hangin' Tough, New Kids on the Block bolstered their neo-bubblegum beginnings with slick, radio-ready pop songs. From the saccharine ballad "I'll Be Loving You Forever" to the title track's stab at funk, the album spun off a seemingly endless streak of hits in 1988 and 1989. Five songs entered the Top Ten, and even the group's Christmas album (released during the height of New Kids mania in late 1989) went double platinum, effectively riding the coattails of Hangin' Tough up the Billboard charts. In another savvy marketing move, Columbia Records released a single from the group's previous album, which became a Top Ten hit in 1989 despite being three years old. It helped jump-start sales for the middling debut record, and both Hangin' Tough and New Kids on the Block climbed to multi-platinum status before the decade's end.
New Kids mania continued in 1990 with Step by Step, whose title track became the group's biggest single to date. The album sold three million copies in America -- a far cry from Hangin' Tough's eight million copies, perhaps, but a remarkable feat nevertheless -- and also fared well internationally, moving an additional 16 million units in other parts of the world. The boys supported their release with a Coke-sponsored tour, including 100 dates in the U.S. and additional performances overseas. Meanwhile, they also unveiled an extensive line of licensed merchandise -- including dolls, lunch boxes, attire, and bed sheets -- that earned the group an additional $400 million in 1991. Coupled with the sheer size of their official fan club, the modest popularity of 1991's No More Games: The Remix Album, and the amount of calls placed to "the Official NKOTB Hotline" at 1-900-909-5KID, the group's merchandising efforts made them the highest-paid entertainers of the year, beating out the likes of Michael Jackson and Madonna.
Even so, Step by Step proved to be the group's last album to enjoy such global success. The New Kids were the subject of an endless amount of jokes, including allegations that they hadn't sung a note during the Hangin' Tough recording sessions. Furthermore, their teenaged audience was growing up, as signified by the failure of Step by Step's final single, "Let's Try It Again," to break the Top 40. In 1994, they rechristened themselves NKOTB (a move that was intended to distance the now twenty-something singers from their kid-oriented past) and returned with Face the Music, which showed a remarkable degree of musical maturity. The group had grown into a credible urban R&B outfit, eschewing the help of Maurice Starr and writing many of the songs themselves. Face the Music failed to replicate any shred of their previous success, however, and New Kids on the Block acrimoniously parted ways in June 1994.
Various members of the New Kids launched solo careers later in the decade, with Knight scoring a gold-selling record in 1999 and Donnie Wahlberg landing several movie roles. Attempts to reunite the group in the early 2000s proved fruitless; however, the bandmembers surprisingly reconvened in early 2008, announcing their decision to tour in support of a new album. The Block arrived later that year, followed by tour dates in Canada and America. Although critically panned, The Block nevertheless debuted at number two on the Billboard charts and sold 100,000 copies in its first week. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
Selected Discography
I have been a fan of this group since 1988, I grew up with them and I am glad that holding out and waiting for them to come back. It was well worth the wait.
|
||
Their coming back into the limelight was the best thing for the next generation of teenage girls. I have been a fan since 1990.
|
||
***********N K O T B IS MAKING A COME BACK DONT HATE. JUST LOVE IT "TILL THE SONG GOES OUT".
|
||
i wonder how many fans actually stuck around when they did solo projects? cause when i saw jordan open for aaron carter, there werent a lot there. also when joe was doing his touring there were like 25 ppl in the crowd.
|
||
love them my kids name r jordan and nathaniel named after the sexy boy whom turn into a sexy beast i want to bite him
|
||
I LOVE THE SONG SUMMETIME ITS AWSOME. I REALLY WANT TO SEE THEM IN CONSERT. I LOVE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! THEY ROCK!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
|
||
I LOVE NKOTB!!!! The new album is great- it has a newer sound with an edge but with a couple songs that bring back that old school feel. Jordans talent has only gotten better. I saw them in concert and they still dance around like they are twenty years old/
|
||
i cant believe that my boys are back... but im so happy that they are back. i grew up on their music...whoo p whoop!!!!
|
||
sugar.mama18 , you are lucky to be one dimensional enough to be happy with just a pretty face. guess i grew up and matured enough to not be content with just that and need real substance in my life. yes, you are lucky to be so easily satisfied.
|
||
sugar.mama18 , you are lucky to be one dimensional enough to be happy with just a pretty face. guess i grew up and matured enough to not be content with just that and need real substance in my life. yes, you are lucky to be so easily satisfied.
|
||
I LOVE THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK!!!!!!! ! i so very much wanted the new album to be good. it broke my heart and made me glad i still have all the old ones. its horrible generic hip/hop r&b trash. lets go back to elementary school and learn that "conversate" is NOT a word. stop with the $200.00 a ticket stadium tours, the cruise line tours (wtf???) and making fans "pay" for a meet and greet. being "hot" isnt enough anymore..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S o glad my boys are back..hot boys !!
|
||
i so very much wanted the new album to be good. it broke my heart and made me glad i still have all the old ones. its horrible generic hip/hop r&b trash. lets go back to elementary school and learn that "conversate" is NOT a word. stop with the $200.00 a ticket stadium tours, the cruise line tours (wtf???) and making fans "pay" for a meet and greet. being "hot" isnt enough anymore.
|
||
I am soooooooo excited to see my guys in concert in just 5 days!! I have loved them for as long as I can remember! they will always be my all time favorite band ever with the hotest guys around! NKOTB fan for LIFE!!!
|
||
I am so glad they are back!!! NKOTB will never die!!!! they will always be the 5 hardest guys in show biz!
|
||
They will always be one of my favorite bands. I love the older songs and the new ones. October 30 was one of the best nights of my life I got my Jonathan hug and saw one of the best concerts I have ever seen! (my first NKOTB concert)
|
||
i had barely heard of them and went to there concert with my mom and i freaking love them now !
|
||
I have never stopped listening to NKOTB. My friends all thought I was nuts but I didn't care. I have always listened and always will!! Two days ago I had the pleasure of attending their concert. I haven't been that excited since I went to their concert 18 years ago!! My husband made the comment, "I have never seen that many grown women smiling from ear to ear, giggling, and acting silly in my life." My comment back to him was, " NKOTB just makes us women feel that good!" Love ya and always will!
|
||
These Guys came back hard I Luv there new single Single it's hot and thats that
|
||
I disagree with all of the comments about the music not evolving and them just wanting money. Their new music is AWESOME! And they are just as great in concert now as when I saw them 15 years ago. They have no choice but to perform in big arenas because it's the only way to let the millions of fans see them! I am a huge fan and can't get enough!
|
||
I just saw NKOTB live in concert and they were awesome. I was a HUGE fan as a kid and I am just as big of one now. Especially after seeing them live, they still have it.
|
||
and the new album is NOT awesome. its like new kids part 2 instead new kids evolved with time. so very sad.
|
||
they just said on "behind the music" how they didnt like the stadium tours cause they felt too disconnected from the fans...and yet they launch a tour of only big venues and charge a ridiculous amount of money for the tickets. what does that say about them?
|
||
Love these guys! They are back with avengeance. The new album is AWESOME, get it!!
|
||
Saw them a few days ago in Chicago, they were absolutely amazing!!! They still got the Right Stuff!!
|
||
I'm flying to Sacramento to see the New Kids concert at Arco Arena on October 9th. I will let you all know how it went. I am sure it will be an awewsome concert. Trina
|
||
ok, without a doubt, i am a loyal die hard...still have all my stuff, own every cd, even the hard to find ones. however, i have to say i am really disappointed with the new album. i had crossed my fingers and hoped they would update the sound and not just be New Kids, part 2. it hurts a bit.
|
||
New Kids Rock! Gong to the concert November 15 in Utah!! I can't wait!
|
||
The new Album is the absolute best. I can't wait to see them Live Sept. 23!!!!!!!
|
| report abuse |






