Originally published in 2003 on NE20.com (inactive)
“Our music is mentally hip-hop, smoothed out on the R&B tip with a pop feel appeal to it.”
Descriptions of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe, by year:
1983
Background singers
Supporting cast
1988
Dreamers
1990
Spinoff
Today
Platinum-selling recording artists
Musical innovators
One of the most notable groups in New Jack Swing
Perhaps the greatest irony surrounding New Edition is the success of Bell Biv DeVoe. As a unit, BBD has more name recognition than Ralph Tresvant or Johnny Gill. How did this happen?
Skip back to 1989. New Edition had successfully recovered from the departure of Bobby Brown and reinvented itself as an adult group. Nevertheless, if you had asked a music fan to identify Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe, the answer would have been “the guys who sing backup in New Edition.” End of story.
But Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis had other ideas. The producers of Heart Break thought Ronnie, Ricky and Mike should emerge from the shadows of New Edition and form their own group. And what happens?
Bell Biv DeVoe’s debut album sells three million copies in 1990. They followed Poison with a remix CD and two CDs with original material. Additionally, BBD currently has not one, but two “best of” CDs on the market. The success of Poison ensured that Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe would be more than a mere footnote in the history of American popular music.
WBBD-Bootcity! The Remix Album is notable for the first appearance of all six NE members in “Word To The Mutha!” Hootie Mack signaled that BBD wanted to be taken seriously for the long run, but we wouldn’t hear from them again until 2001. And, although BBD was not a critical or commercial success, music fans still remember Bell Biv DeVoe as an unlikely success story.
Will Leon 