New Edition is a music group that finds its roots in the United States. The members are all Americans, and they are majorly focused on the R&B genre of music. The New Edition music group became popularly known in the 1980s, and the main members were all men. This definitely explains the reason why they had ladies, both young and old, as their major fans.
Michael Bivins was the engine power of this famous R&B group as he was the one who was in charge of planning all the activities the group involved itself in. Michael Bivins was in charge of the smallest details about the team’s members, including what they will wear, the time they will get to the stage, and for how long and many more.
There are many bands and music groups that have been started before, but many die in less than a year. This is because of the confusion of the roles of each member, the competition among members, and many other minor causes. The luck of expertise is also another cause of failure of music bands, but New Edition has stood the test of time.
Inception
New Edition was formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in the year 1978. The group was initially made up of five members named Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ralph Tresvant, Bobby Brown, and Ronnie DeVoe. the five-member band was able to release several songs, some of which included; ‘Cool It Now,’ ‘Candy Girl,’ as well as ‘Mr. Telephone Man’. These songs were well received and earned them great popularity in the 1980s.
Seven years later, in 1985, Bobby Brown decided to embark on a solo music career, and hence, he signed out of the group. Although the remaining four members were not very happy with Bobby Brown’s decision, they had to let him go. However, this was not enough reason for them to quit, and they, therefore, continued pursuing their dreams together as a team. Three years later, they felt it was time for them to recruit a new member of the group to fill the gap left by Bobby Brown. This led to the recruitment of Johnny Gill.
After Johnny Grill joined the team, they released another music album entitled ‘Heart Break.’ Unfortunately, this was like a farewell to the group as they later split in 1990, and each member concentrated on their solo music careers. But as fate would have it, their breakup wasn’t the end of the team as they continued being friends and working together in the music industry. However, this wasn’t good enough, and hence, they decided to join together once again and form a band. This time, they were not five but a team of six.
Their reunion was in 1996, which saw the release of their 6th album titled ‘Home Again.’ In the way of promoting the album, they went on a tour they referred to as ‘Home Again’ tour. The tour was, however, aborted prematurely after Michael Bivins, and Bobby Brown quit the group.
Evolution
Although the group has suffered several breakups, they always seem to get back together. Every time they reunite, they release an album that receives great acceptance from their fans. Although they have been together for a long time, it seems that the last song they did together was released in 2004. This album was entitled ‘One Love.’
In 2011, these guys decided to reunite yet once again. This time, they reunited with just one goal in mind, which was to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their song ‘Cindy Girl.’ After their reunion, they also announced that they would release another album. They were not only planning to release another album but also embark on a tour maybe as a way of making up for the tour they canceled in 1996. They made all these announcements through their official website.
The good thing is that this time, they were not ready to give up or quit, and hence, they did great work together as a team, and their fans were very proud of them. This worked so well for them as it attracted different awards and honors as a result.
Awards and achievements
The New Edition band has been greatly honored, and their gifting in the R&B music genre has highly been appreciated all over the world. This has been evident by the number of awards and nominations as well as honors they have received over the years. Some of these accolades include;
At the Soul Train Awards ceremony, they were awarded Lifetime Achievement Award in the year 2012. The group was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording, and the announcement was made In June 2016 by Walk of Famer, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, and Vin Di Bona. BET Awards held in 2017 saw the members receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, just to mention a few.
Net worth of New Edition in 2024
The combined net worth of New Edition has been estimated to be more than $90 million. This net worth can easily be broken down for every member as follows; Mike Bivins ($40 million), Ricky Bell ($15 million), Johnny Gill ($10 million), Ronnie Devoe ($500 thousand), Bobby Brown ($2 million) and Ralph Tresvant ($8 million). The main source of their income is their music career.
At the same time, they have made high income from the different awards and recognition they have received as a team. Although there are several label records that have taken advantage of the group, they have still managed to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Many bands rise up, become famous and after some time, they part ways and lose contact with each other. However, New Edition members are not only team members, but also great friends. This is the reason why they are able to team up together every time they break up. They have also received great support from their fans who believe in them and love what they do as a team.