Courtesy of NKOTB.NL
New Kids On The Block was the first group that woke up the fan phenomenon in our time. They were always compared with the Beatles for the multitudes that they moved and for the screams and noice that their fans made in their shows. They born in 1984 from Maurice Starr hand. After carried the group New Edition (Bobby Brown begining) to the top, Starr wanted to make the same with a group of white boys. The boys should know how to sing, dance and make rap. He wanted the group to have a black sound.
Starr began his search all around Boston and met Donnie Wahlberg who was exactly what Maurice was looking for. He was the one who searched another four guys with similar conditions. The chosen were Danny Wood, Jordan Knight and his brother Jonathan; who Donnie knew because all of them attended the same school. The fifth boy was Jamie Kelly but his parents didnīt let him go on with the group because of his studies. Then Starr organized auditions to find the last member of the group. Here was when they chose the definitive fifth New Kid: Joe McIntyre. He was from a different block (the other four boys were from Dorchester, one of the worst blocks from Boston). He also was the youngest and, although at the beginning was a little hard for him to join the group, he finally did it.
At the start the group was called NYNUK, but later they changed it for the name of the first song they wrote: New Kids On The Block. Their first record was published in 1986, with the same name of the group. It wasnt much successful; but their success come with the following one: Hangin' Tough, published in 1988. They sold more than eight million copies of this album in USA. Also with this album New Kids On The Block become the first vocal group to include four singles from one album in the Top 10: "Cover girl", "I'll be loving you forever", "Please don't go girl" and "You got it (the right stuff)". In 1989 Christmas they released a Christmas songs album. But this is not the end of their musical carrer; In 1990 they released their album Step By Step. They sold more than seven millionjust in The States. Placing the singles "Tonight", "Step By Step" and "Let's try it again" in the Top 10. At the end of 1990 was published No More Games, a record with the most famous songs of the group in remix version. In 1991
they released HITS, a record with their greatest hits and just a new song: "If you go away".
New Kids On The Block were touring all over the world (except through Spain) during more than three years. In this time they received a huge number of awars: American Music Awards, Boston Music Awards, Smash Hits Awards... They had their own series of cartoons, and all kind of stuff with their names and pictures: caps, sweters, games, towels, plates, glasses... There were whole stores just to sell New Kids On The Blockīs stuff (there was more than 140 different products). There wasnīt any other artist who sold that numbers of merchandising. All their shows were sold out, more than 60 millions of records, singles and videos placed them at number one of the list as the artists with biggest earns on 1990 and 1991. With these numbers they found enemies everywhere; people that just pretended to get money from them. The most famous was Mcpherson who accused them of not sing in their songs. And the criticism about being just a product appeared from everywhere.
After all this madness they took two years to rest, but it was a fact that the American society was saturated of seeing the name and faces of the five boys from Boston everywhere; and those that before loved them began to hate them. Their last record, Face The Music meant their independence of those that controlled them during all this years before. Face The Music was the music they made only by theirselves and to show that they truthfully had talent. Face The Music was without any doubt the greater quality New Kids OnThe Blockīs recod and, however, the one with less success. It was released in January 94 and the group decided to use just their initials: NKOTB. The single "You've got the flavor" started to sound in American radio stations hiding the group who belonged to. The song was a hit `till was known that was a New Kids OnThe Block song, then it disappeared automatically from the list of sales. The promotion of the record over Europe was wondeful. Overalls in Spain `cause was the first time that the group visited the country and all their fans were even waiting for them. But the record company decided to begin the tour through the United States; and, as was imaginable, it was a failure, so the record company didnīt want to carry out the tour through Europe, where probably it had been successful. That was the end of NKOTB who finally decided to split.
In 1999 when NKOTB turn again to the media because of Jordan Knight and Joe McIntyre solo carrers it was released Greatest Hits. This record had the most famous songs of New Kids On The Block but wasnīt included any single from their last album Face The Music.
And that was all we knew of them `till last month of July. Then was a NKOTBīs fan convention in Framingham, a location near Boston. Danny Wood atended to this convention and he said that this year NKOTB had an opportunity become together again. Some important people from the music bussines proposed them to join again to make three new songs and appear at MTV Awars. They wanted to make a special Millenium show also with BSB, 'NSYNC... NKOTB would perceive a million or million and half dollars each one. But it was imposible to make it because one of the members declined the idea. Danny didn't want to say the name of that member, but it seems that Jordan Knight was who didnīt want. Probably if they join again probably will be without Jonathan Knight who at Face The Music time wasnīt practically part of the group. Anyway Danny leave an open door about that. He said we have to wait he release his record, and Joe and Jordan make the same with their and perhaps...
What we donīt have to forget is that New Kids OnThe Block was the first group of white boys who only sing (no play instruments) to have this unsurpassable world successful. Lots of groups has tried to imitate them; with more or less successful. But by the moment no one has arrived where they arrived: filling twelve serial days the Wembley Arena Stadium of London, receiving 30,000 fans letters a day, solding out tickets in the biggest soccer stadium of the world: the Maracaná. Have in USA a speciall day in their name for their great work against drugsand also their great support to numerous beneficent causes; And after six years new kidsīsplit their loyal fans still arrive to their home town from every part of the world to meet them, still having them in their minds and hearts.