Bell Biv DeVoe, also known as BBD, is an American music group from Boston, Massachusetts, formed from members of

New Edition New Edition is an American R&B/Pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a 'new edition' of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 19 ...

, consisting of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and

Ronnie DeVoe Ronald Boyd DeVoe Jr. (born November 17, 1967), is an American singer, rapper, and actor known as one of the members of the R&B/pop group New Edition, and the R&B/ hip hop group Bell Biv DeVoe. He was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Career DeVo ...

. The band is best known for their debut album, the multi-platinum selling '' Poison'', a key work in the new jack swing movement of the 1990s that combined elements of traditional

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

and R&B with hip hop. Two singles from the album, " Poison" and "

Do Me! "Do Me!" is a song by American musical group Bell Biv DeVoe. The song was released in 1990 as the second single from the group's debut album, ''Poison'' (1990). A remix is included on the group's '' WBBD-Bootcity!: The Remix Album'', released in ...

", both reached number 3 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streamin ...

in 1990. The band released three more albums, though none had the success of their debut. Their most recent album ''

Three Stripes Three stripes is a trademark of Adidas consisting of three parallel lines, which typically feature along the side of Adidas apparel. Adidas was known for this branding early in its history, with its owner, Adolf Dassler, describing it as "The t ...

'' came out in 2017. Despite only producing four albums of original material in a 31-year span, the group has continuously toured and performed live, both as an act on their own and on several New Edition reunion tours.

History

The trio of Ricky Bell,

Michael Bivins New Edition is an American R&B/Pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a 'new edition' of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 1980 ...

, and

has their origins as founders of the

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

-based quintet

, which had gained notice of famed producer Maurice Starr at a talent show in 1981, and as children had several hits with songs like " Candy Girl" and " Cool It Now". Throughout the 1980s, the line-up changed and the group matured and sought to branch out in new musical directions. During a hiatus in 1989, and at the suggestion of producers

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most ...

, the three decided to form a new group, and were signed by

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...

.Heyliger, Mike. "Popdose Flashback ’90: Bell Biv DeVoe, Poison" (Popdose.com. March 11, 2010. Web. March 25, 2010.) With help from

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

producers Eric Sadler,

Hank Hank is a male given name. It may have been inspired by the Dutch name Henk,The Origins of 10 Nicknam ...

and Keith Shocklee and several others, Bell Biv Devoe released its debut album ''Poison'' in 1990, an album credited as pioneering the " new jack swing" sound of the early 1990s, combining hip-hop, funk, soul, and pop music. This fusion of styles helped to expose them to a fan base which preferred a harder edged sound. ''Poison'' reached number 1 on ''Billboard''s R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and its title track, along with its second single, "

", both reached number 3 on ''Billboard''s Hot 100 chart. Shortly thereafter,

Richard Wolf Richard "Wolfie" Wolf is an American Emmy Award-winning film and television composer, multi-platinum-selling music producer, songwriter, remixer, and author. Wolf got his start writing songs for his band and various artists before working for ...

and Epic Mazur were responsible for the remix of "Do Me!" (which hit number six on the dance charts). ''Poison'' also spawned the singles " B.B.D. (I Thought It Was Me)?", " When Will I See You Smile Again?" and " She's Dope!" ''Poison'' sold over four million copies, and was followed up by a remix album titled ''WBBD-Bootcity''. Bell Biv DeVoe released ''

Hootie Mack ''Hootie Mack'' is the second studio album released by R&B group, Bell Biv DeVoe. It was released through MCA Records on June 1, 1993, and featured production from the group itself and some of R&B's top producers such as Chris Stokes (record produ ...

'' in 1993 on MCA Records, and the more hardcore rap/R&B influenced '' BBD'' in 2001 on

Biv 10 Records Biv 10 Records was founded by Michael Bivins in 1992, through a joint venture with Motown Records. History In the early 1990s, Bivins’ Biv Entertainment management firm scored multiple successes with developing new acts (Boyz II Men, Another Ba ...

. Neither album was as successful as ''Poison'', though ''Hootie Mack'' did reach Gold success. Despite the fact that the group has only released four albums, the members of Bell Biv Devoe continue to perform together as a group. They also participated in several New Edition reunions, and continue to perform with them on tour as part of the group. On May 30, 2013, Bell Biv DeVoe performed their hit song "Poison" for

Boston Strong "Boston Strong" is a slogan that was created as part of the reaction to the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. It is a variation on the term Livestrong, which was created in 2004. Since the phrase became popular it has been frequently placed on var ...

, a benefit concert to raise money for victims of the

Boston Marathon bombing The Boston Marathon bombing was a domestic terrorist attack that took place during the annual Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Two terrorists, brothers Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, planted two homemade pressure cooker bombs, w ...

. In 2016, BBD released their first track in 15 years, "Run," along with an accompanying music video. It was the first single off the album ''

'', which was released January 27, 2017.

Awards and nominations

In 1991, the group received the award for Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Album of the Year, Group, Band or Duo for ''Poison'' at the

Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of '' Soul Train'', the p ...

. The group also received an

American Music Award The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Produ ...

for Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group in 1992.

Discography

Studio albums

Remix album

Compilation album

Singles

Notes * a As it was not issued as a retail single in the United States, "Word to the Mutha!" was not eligible to enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100; however, it peaked at number 37 on the

Hot 100 Airplay The Radio Songs chart (previously named Hot 100 Airplay until 2014 and Top 40 Radio Monitor until 1991) is released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and measures the airplay of songs being played on radio stations throughout the United States acro ...

chart. * b Re-issued and remixed in 1995, and therefore classed as a separate Top 10 hit * cChart peak listed represent the Billboard

Adult R&B Songs The Adult R&B Songs chart (formerly called Adult R&B Airplay) is an airplay chart that is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on urban adult contemporary radio stations, whose playl ...

chart.

Music videos

References

External links

BBD-Music.com (Old official website)BellBivDevoe.com (Future official website)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell Biv Devoe African-American musical groups American contemporary R&B musical groups American hip hop groups New jack swing music groups * MCA Records artists Universal Records artists Musical groups from Boston Musical groups established in 1989 Musical trios