New Kids on the Block
From LoveToKnow Music
New Kids on the Block made tween hearts beat fast all over the world in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Although their time on the top was short, they reached superstardom status during their careers. A reunion in the late 2000s brought all of the original fans, now adults, out of hiding for a chance to catch a glimpse of their beloved NKOTB again.
New Kids on the Block – Early Years and Group Formation
New Kids on the Block was the brain child of super-producer and talent scout Maurice “The General” Starr. Maurice Starr was the man who had put together early to mid-1980s group New Edition, who became sensations for R&B twinged, poppy numbers. New Edition eventually disbanded, and Starr decided to find the “white counterparts” to the group.
Starr held open auditions for the group in his native Boston, and over 500 boys turned up for a shot at stardom. An early standout was Donnie Wahlberg. Wahlberg rapped and danced, and Starr was immediately taken with him. He was recruited to be the first member of New Kids on the Block and set out to help Starr find more members. Wahlberg initially convinced his brother, Mark Wahlberg, his best friend Donnie Woods and schoolmate Jordan Knight to try out for the group. All three impressed Starr at auditions and were offered a place in the group, as was Jordan Knight’s brother Jonathan.
Mark Wahlberg soon grew tired of the direction the group was taking. He wasn’t interested in the pop material the group was doing and he left the project. Neighborhood friend Jamie Kelly landed Mark’s spot, but soon Starr let him go from the group because he was not committed to practicing. Starr followed him and replaced him with Joey McIntyre, much to the rest of the boys’ dismay. Kelly had been a friend, and initially they tried to squeeze McIntyre out of the group.
The rest of the group came around, and everyone committed to long rehearsals every day after school. Starr named the group Nynuk and began auditioning them for record labels. Columbia Records offered the group a deal, but insisted that the name had to be changed. Starr rechristened the group New Kids on the Block and accepted Columbia’s offer.
NKTOB – Rise to Fame
The group released their first, self titled album in 1986. Although they had a minor hit with Be My Girl, they failed to make much of an impact. The label was doubtful about a follow-up release, but Starr kept them on the road and touring, so the label agreed to give the group one more try.
The second album, Hangin Tough, was the New Kids on the Block breakthrough album. The signs at first were not good. The first single, Please Don’t Go Girl, was not being picked up by radio anywhere. Columbia began paperwork to end their contract with the group. Before the papers could be signed, however, a radio station in Florida gave the song a shot on their “make it or break it” style show in which fans called in to give a track the thumbs up or thumbs down. Not only did the song prove to be a hit with listeners on that show, but it became the number one most requested song. Columbia decided to launch a new promotional campaign around the song, and it went to number ten on the Billboard charts.
From that point, the New Kids on the Block enjoyed a meteoric ride to fame. When MTV began playing their videos, they became instant teen heart throbs, and they began selling out arenas all over the country, playing for a gaggle of screaming young girls every night.
In 1990, the group released Step By Step, which sold even more copies than its predecessor. By this point, not only was the group selling music, but they were moving tons of merchandise for the record label in the form of shirts, buttons, hats and even bed sheets and curtains. There was also a Saturday morning cartoon show based on the group.
Fall from Fame and Reunion
The mood in music was changing in the early 1990s, and the New Kids couldn’t keep up their fanbase. Fans turned away from pop music towards grunge music, and their fame faded rapidly. They also faced accusations from a former studio musician who said that they did not sing on their own tracks. Although their accuser eventually retracted his statements, the damage was done.
The group faded into obscurity until 2008, when they surprised fans with the news that they were reuniting for a tour and a new album. The album went gold, though the sales paled in comparison to their past sales. Still, fans were excited to see them back, and the group planned more reunion activities for 2010 and beyond.
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