Sometimes described as one of the first real boy bands in the world, New Edition first got together in Boston in 1978. Soon afterwards, they met Brooke Payne, a choreographer who was moving into management. Impressed by their audition, he decided to manage them.
Their breakthrough came in 1983, when they released their first album, “Candy Girl.” The title track topped the Billboard R&B Chart as well as the UK singles chart. Their influence on the R&B genre made it possible for the rise of New Jack Swing and bands like Boyz II Men.
A review said:
“New Edition knows how to put on a show!”
Also, Jodeci, a group that is known for its New Jack Swing sound, first got together in 1988, comprising two gospel-singing families, the DeGrates and the Haileys. The group went to New York City to try and meet Andre Harrell, the CEO of Uptown Records. He was so impressed he signed them the same day. Jodeci subsequently appeared on “Soul Train,” and released their first album, “Forever My Lady,” in 1991, which made it to No. 18 on the Billboard 200 chart.
A review enthused:
“JODECI is phenomenal!!! . . . The show was straight fire!”
The groups will appear on March 12 at the Heritage Bank Center. To advertise events like this, organizers can turn to poster printing.