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Former New Edition members host a reunion of sorts with two concerts this weekend
The eighties are alive as hip-hop power acts Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill and Bel Biv DeVoe headline concerts at Foxwoods Resort Casino this weekend.
The sold-out Gill and Bel Biv DeVoe show begins at 9 p.m. Saturday, and Brown performs at 7 p.m. Sunday.
Brown was the original lead singer of pop group New Edition that scored big in the '80s with pop hits like "Candy Girl," "Cool It Now," and "Mr. Telephone Man." The members were only in their teens when their careers hit the big time.
The group, formed by Brown, Ricky Bell and Michael Bivins, began singing together as children to earn pocket money in Boston, Mass. New Edition added two other members, Ronnie DeVoe and Ralph Tresvant, and had their first hit album, "Candy Girl" in 1983.
New Edition continued to be successful throughout the eighties and early nineties, but group members dissented into solo careers by the mid-nineties. In 1996, they released a comeback album titled "Home Again," which debuted at No. 1. The group toured briefly, but ultimately, decided to break up because of tension between members.
Though most music critics saw no chance for a reunion, the members of New Edition came together to produce "One Love" in 2004.
Brown, known for ushering in a style of music called new jack swing, had a successful solo career after leaving New Edition in 1988. Songs like "My Prerogative," "Every Little Step" and "On Our Own" took Brown to No. 1 by 1990.
By the mid-nineties, legal troubles had sidelined Brown from his music career, but not before he could marry songstress Whitney Houston in 1992.
He continues to produce albums for other artists, and has been known to record duets with up and coming artists.
Gill replaced Brown in the group, and lent his deep, soulful voice to a number of New Edition albums while still working on his solo career. Before joining New Edition in 1988, Gill had produced several solo hits of his own, including "Super Love" and "Perfect Combination."
In 1990, his self-titled album topped the R&B charts and sold a million copies. He has since released a greatest hits album, "Favorites," and a collection of his popular ballads, titled "Love Songs."
Bel Biv DeVoe formed after the release of the New Edition album "Heart Break" in 1988.
The group was rap-funk based, and produced a number of hits, including their debut album's title track, "Poison," which went to No. 3 on the charts. Hits from "Poison" also included "Do Me," and "B.B.D. (I Thought It Was Me)."
The album sold three million copies.
Tickets for the Bobby Brown show are still available through the Foxwoods.
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