A pioneering boy band that has since reunited, New Kids On The Block, ushered in a surge of teen pop performers that continues unabated to this day. The brainchild of producer Maurice Starr, New Kids were assembled in the mid 80s after open auditions were held in the Boston area, which attracted about 500 teenage boys. Starr ultimately decided on a lineup that consisted of
Donnie Wahlberg,
Jordan Knight,
Jon Knight, Danny Wood, and
Joe McIntyre. The boys came out with their debut album in 1986, when a few of the members were just 16 and McIntyre was only 12, but th
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eir youthful enthusiasm didn’t translate into a slick, macho pop sound until 1988’s Hangin Tough, an album that boasted an endless string of hits in 1988 and 1989 with five songs entering the Top 10.
Even the group's Christmas album went double platinum as it hitched along with Hangin Tough on a ride up the Billboard charts. Hangin Tough went onto to garner NKOTB two American Music Awards in 1990 for Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, or Group and Favorite Pop/Rock Album. By early 1990, New Kids on the Block had become one of the most popular acts in the world. The following May, they followed up Hangin' Tough with Step by Step, which featured slightly more than half of the songs co-written and produced by the members themselves. The first single, the title track, soared to number one on the Hot 100 Singles Chart and became their biggest selling single. It was followed up with the top ten "Tonight," which extended the consecutive top ten singles chart run to nine. The album was eventually certified triple platinum, selling close to twenty million copies worldwide
Step by Step would be the last NKOTB album to have any kind of wide success. Amidst jokes and allegations of lip synching, as well as the desires of members to launch solo careers, the group split up in 1994. Attempts to reunite the group in the early 2000s proved fruitless; however, the band surprisingly came back together in early 2008, announcing their decision to tour in support of a new album. The Block arrived later that year. Only time will tell if the new, more mature sound of New Kids on the Block will find a contemporary audience.
