It's been more than 40 years since the super group, New Edition came on the seen as a teen pop group sensation with hits like "Candy Girl," "Can You Stand The Rain" and "You're Not My Kind Of Girl." It's hard to believe that Ronnie DeVoe is turned 54 (yes, 54!).
DeVoe was the second-to-last member to join New Edition (Johnny Gill being the last) after being brought in by his uncle and the group's choreographer, Brooke Payne. In 1981, the group took second place at a talent show which caught the eye of record producer, Maurice Starr, who signed them to his Streetwise record label. New Edition went on to become the biggest-selling boy band group from the mid to late 1980s.
After New Edition's 1990 breakup, Devoe and fellow New Edition members, Ricky Bell and Michael Bivins, formed the R&B/hip-hop group, Bell Biv DeVoe. Bell Biv DeVoe's 1990 debut album, Poison, sold more than 5 million copies and garnered five hit singles such as "Poison" and "B.B.D. (I Thought It Was Me)?".
"It is a great blessing to know that as New Edition we were trend setters," DeVoe remembers. "And then in 1989 when word got out that NE were going their separate ways but Michael Bivens, Ricky Bell and Ronnie Devoe were getting together to form a group. We were trend setters.
We took music in another direction. And a lot of hip hop and R&B has been building off of that. It’s a sense of accomplishment to know that we were there, along with a couple other groups before the record industry took that shift. But you can definitely see the influence in the (hip hop/R&B) genre today. No matter what club we go to around the country…18 + or 35+, we hear it in the club and it bang today like it banged 20 years ago. It’s a real blessing."
Like with many of his fellow bandmates, New Edition was not the end of DeVoe's career.
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With 30 plus years of longevity and worldwide exposure on television, radio and stage, Ron, has been able to use his notoriety and experience as a licensed real estate agent since 2002 to build a team of diligent, knowledgeable, and experienced Real Estate Professionals.
“It was always a dream of mine to own a full service real estate company and that dream turned to reality in 2006 with DeVoe Broker Associates now doing business as DEVOE REAL ESTATE,” DeVoe says on the real estate page. TMZ was quoted as DeVoe Real Estate having up to 60 brokers with both rental and purchase properties.
The now married DeVoe had a lot to do with the group getting back together and even doing business together for the 2017 biopic on BET. If you remember from the biopic it ends on a high note – with the then estranged group reuniting at Ronnie DeVoe’s 2006 wedding to Blaque member Shamari Frears.
As you saw from the biopic, the guys got together for the wedding after tensions had all but broken up the group. And the wedding looked like a good time but now that the real-life clips have surfaced, you can see for yourself.
Bobby (he really did wear a white suit!) sings ‘Don’t Be Cruel.”
