Legendary R&B/Pop icons New Edition were inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame at the 55th Annual NAACP Image Awards Saturday night (Mar. 16), and the group took time to look back on their storied history as well as their influences during their acceptance speech.
The honor was presented by New Kids on the Block founding member Donnie Wahlberg, who stated that the group "changed my life forever" and stressed that they'd paved the way for iconic boy bands to follow.
"Without New Edition there is no New Kids on the Block, no Backstreet Boys, no NSYNC, no Justin Bieber, One Direction, Harry Styles," Wahlberg said. "We all owe our success to the greatest of all time."
Accepting the honor, New Edition's Ronnie DeVoe paid tribute to those who'd helped the group rise along their career; in particular, their first manager, Brooke Payne.
"So many people poured into us in the 40-plus years that we've been in the music industry. God, our creator; our parents, who gave us the gifts and talents that we turned into our purpose; a gentleman that gave us our name, Mr. Brooke Payne," he said. "Gifts and talents - it's like coal without someone to refine it and put the pressure, it doesn't turn into the diamonds that you see standing before you. So we thank you, Mr. Brooke Payne."
The group's Michael Bivins also spoke, putting emphasis on their shared hometown and longtime "brotherhood."
"We stand here from Boston, straight out of Orchard Park Projects. We stand here for Washington DC, and more importantly, we stand here in brotherhood," he said, adding that their bond remains close: "Y'all seen our story, you know what we been through. We call each other day, we text each other everyday, we check on our families."
New Edition, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant, Ricky Bell, Bivins and DeVoe, released their debut album Candy Girl in 1983 and went on to reach fame in the mid-'80s with hits such as "Cool It Now" and "Mr. Telephone Man." Brown left the band in 1986 to pursue a solo career, and was replaced by Johnny Gill; following the release of 1988's Heart Break, Gill and Tresvant went solo while Bell, Bivins and DeVoe formed hitmaking trio Bell Biv DeVoe.
The members reuinted twice for albums Home Again in 1996 and One Love in 2004 and continue to perform together. Launching their first-ever Las Vegas residency at the Wynn Resort in February, the group recently announced they are extending ther run, with additional dates added for July.
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