About
New Kids on the Block is a multi-platinum American boy band that rose to popularity in the late 1980s, known for their reinterpretations of R&B-styled street music.
The group was formed when producer Maurice Starr assembled a group of young teenagers between the ages of 12 and 16 through a citywide talent search. Settling on Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood, Joe McIntyre, Jon Knight, and Jordan Knight, Starr got the group a deal with Columbia Records and produced New Kids on the Block’s self-titled debut in 1986.
NKOTB’s second album, Hangin’ Tough, featuring a slicker sound, was a smash success. Between 1988 and 1989, the album saw five of its singles hit the Top Ten, and eventually sold over 8 million copies. Its success also caused the group’s subsequent Christmas album to go double platinum. With the help of a successful re-release of a song from the first album, both Hangin’ Tough and New Kids on the Block went multi-platinum before 1990.
The band’s momentum continued with 1990’s Step by Step, selling over three million copies domestically and over 16 million worldwide. Thanks to a tour sponsored by Coca Cola and a line of licensed merchandise, the members of NKOTB became the highest-paid entertainers of 1991, ahead of Madonna and Michael Jackson.
Following a few significantly less successful singles throughout the early 90s, the band attempted to distance themselves from their kid-oriented past with 1994’s Face the Music, a remarkably mature album. Face the Music did not reach the success of previous albums, however, and the group disbanded in 1994 to pursue solo careers.
NKOTB returned fourteen years later with The Block, which debuted at number two on Billboard and sold over 100,000 copies in its first week. The group launched a number of tours over the course of the next few years, co-headlining with the Backstreet Boys in 2011. After another hiatus, NKOTB came back in 2017 with the successful single “One More Night,” and another American tour. NKOTB performs regularly and can be booked for corporate entertainment events and private parties.
