New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block enjoyed success in the late 1980s and early 1990s and have sold more than 80 million records worldwide, and are often credited for paving the way for future boy bands such as Take That, Backstreet Boys and NSYNC.[2] They won two American Music Awards in 1990 for Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, or Group and Favorite Pop/Rock Album.[3] In 1991, they performed the halftime show at Super Bowl XXV, a first for a popular music group.
This article is about the band. For other uses, see New Kids on the Block (disambiguation).
New Kids on the Block
NKOTB
1984–1994, 2008–present[1]
Columbia/CBS, Interscope, The Block, NKOTB Music
- Jamie Kelly
- Mark Wahlberg
Formed in 1984, New Kids on the Block achieved stardom in 1989, an achievement listed as number 16 on Rolling Stone's "Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments".[4] The group disbanded in 1994. In 2007, the group reunited to record an album and mount a concert tour in 2008. Since then the group has released two more studio albums and have continued to tour.
The group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014.[5][6]
History[edit]
1984–1985: Early career[edit]
In the early 1980s, Maurice Starr discovered pop/R&B quintet New Edition, and guided their early success. After breaking ties with them, Starr and his business partner, Mary Alford, sought to create a white counterpart act. Fifteen-year-old Donnie Wahlberg impressed Starr and Alford with his rapping skills, becoming the group's first member.[7][8][9] He was initially joined by his younger brother Mark, who left the group after only a few months.[7][10][11][12] Donnie then recruited his school friends Jamie Kelly, Jordan Knight and Danny Wood to join the group; Knight was followed into the group by his older brother Jonathan Knight, while Kelly left the group early on.[1][7][10]
When a search was made to find a Michael Jackson-esque singer to replace Kelly, Starr recruited 12-year-old Joey McIntyre, who initially struggled to fit in with the group.[7][10][13] With the final lineup in place, Starr rehearsed the boys after school and on weekends, and eventually secured the group a recording contract at Columbia Records.[7][8][10][12]
Originally, the group was called Nynuk (pronounced "na-nook").[10][11] Nikki Van Noy, author of the group's official biography, wrote in 2012 that the name Nynuk is "meaningless",[12] although a 1989 article by Rolling Stone suggested a possible connection to Nanook of the North.[9] Columbia demanded Starr change the name of the group. Subsequently, they settled on New Kids on the Block, after a rap song that Donnie Wahlberg had written and arranged for their first album.[7] The group was signed to Columbia's black music division and originally marketed to black audiences.[7][11][12][1]