New Kids on the Block Biography
Formed in 1984, this pop group from Boston, Massachusetts, USA, featured Joe McIntyre (b. 31 December 1972, Needham, Massachusetts, USA), Jordan Knight (b. 17 May 1970, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA), Jonathan Knight (b. 29 November 1968, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA), Daniel Wood (b. 14 May 1969, Boston, Massachusetts, USA) and Donald Wahlberg (b. 17 August 1969, Boston, Massachusetts, USA). They were discovered by producer/writer Maurice Starr, who had previously moulded the career of New Edition. It was Starr who presented his protégés with a rap song titled "New Kids On The Block" from which they took their name. Their self-titled album, released in 1986, fused rap and pop and brought them popularity among a predominantly white teenage audience.
However, it was not until summer 1988 that they broke through to the US charts with the Top 10 hit "Please Don't Go Girl". In 1989, they became the biggest-selling group in America, enjoying Top 10 hits with "You Got It (The Right Stuff)", "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind)", "Cover Girl" and "This One's For The Children", and topping the charts with "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)" and "Hangin' Tough". "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" and a reissue of "Hangin' Tough" climbed to number 1 in the UK, thereby establishing the quintet as an act of international teen appeal. The following year's US number 1 "Step By Step" became their most successful single, and was followed by another Top 10 hit, "Tonight". The attendant Step By Step topped both the Sand UK album charts, although it sold less than their debut album. In 1992 they shortened their name to NKOTB, but failed to match the commercial success they enjoyed between 1989 and 1990, even though Face The Music (recorded without Starr) credibly reinvented the group as a stylish urban R&B outfit. The group split-up in June 1994 to concentrate on solo careers.
Discography:
New Kids On The Block (Columbia 1986)**, Hangin' Tough (Columbia 1988)***, Merry, Merry Christmas (Columbia 1989)*, Step By Step (Columbia 1990)**, No More Games/The Remix Album (Columbia 1990)**, Face The Music (Columbia 1994)***.
Compilations:
H.I.T.S (Columbia 1991)***, Greatest Hits (Sony 1999)****.
Bibliography:
New Kids On The Block: The Whole Story By Their Friends, Robin McGibbon. New Kids On The Block, Lynn Goldsmith