New Edition in 1985

Stars entertain us. Icons do something much more. They embody us. … They tell us something about who we are and who we want to be. They are both mirrors and shaping forces. Zeitgeist: For the spirit of the times, the general cultural, intellectual and political climate within a nation, or a specific group, in a particular period. They have the antennae, sensitivity, and intellect to become a thermometer of their era, and the talent to reflect the Zeitgeist through their art, because they’re immersed in the culture. They are in the clubs and the bars and on the streets, and they have their antennae up. They’re picking up signals about what’s going on in the world, showing the generation who they are: they are connectors, bringing together a giant tribe, inspiring the generation to become something.

—Toure, “I Would Die For You: Why Prince Became An Icon”

Artists live, lift, inspire, infuse us, and represent. So, for New Edition, 42 years later, to be celebrated with a street named after them is a community thank-you card and something to behold, now or at any time in our history. That’s particularly in need today in Boston. The six members of the legendary R&B group were honored late last summer by the City of Boston, with Mayor Michelle Wu declaring Aug. 30 “New Edition Day.”

When I knew them…

Rick Bell was a student of mine at Madison Park High School in 1981-82. Ricky was in two of my classes. As the director of guitar and electronic music, I was there at the Roland Hayes Division of Music. I remember him well; he was shy, focused and dedicated to music. But then, I also learned of his group. I heard of what they were doing, singing around the neighborhood, and that soon exploded into an immense and wondrous thing.

The R&B group New Edition was established in Roxbury in 1978, and its profound impact on the music industry is notable. I remember it well, how it felt to be in Roxbury in those years, and being a young musician myself, I was in awe of what this group had become, with local producer Maurice Starr, equally a major force. They were an explosion, and their rise to fame was something you only read about in stories somewhere else, not in Roxbury, Boston.

Then, New Edition helps drive global music expansion by successfully onboarding boy bands.

I was a Jackson Five kid in the 1970s, out of Detroit, and a product of Motown. So, I got it.

Michael Jackson and The Jackson Five, and then, New Edition, New Kids on the Block, Back Street Boys, Boys to Men, N’Sync, Justin Timberlake, the Jonas Brothers, Menudo, Ricky Martin, all were forces in the culture redefining R&B, American popular music and international popular music at the time.

New Edition was the epitome of relevance and a powerful contemporary to new music happening of note, and then, with the brand we got, Boyz II Men, produced by N.E. band members Bell Biv DeVoe.

This kind of honor, recognizing the “local-ness” of New Edition, can certainly resonate and create opportunities for residents and families to build community across Boston neighborhoods.

Wu thanked her city teams for “their work in putting on this vibrant series of events that will bring community members together in recognition of our local, homegrown group. This declaration is a unique opportunity to bring Boston’s neighborhoods together in a celebration of culture, pride and community, and I encourage every community member to join us to celebrate New Edition’s tremendous impact.”

Their roots are tied to the “Orchard Park Projects.” Around 1978, New Edition, Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill were a massive success in the recording world, even earning a star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame.

They were inducted into the Black Music Hall of Fame and, in 2023, the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.

“Boston is where it all began for us. This honor means the world to me,” said Bobby Brown.

There was a series of events, including a street-naming ceremony and a community block party in Roxbury. On Saturday, Aug. 30, the City of Boston designated Dearborn Street as New Edition Way, and Aug. 30 as “New Edition Day.” The street-naming ceremony took place at the corner of Ambrose and Albany streets in Roxbury, honoring the Orchard Gardens, formerly known as Orchard Park, where the founding members of New Edition grew up.

Local tributes, Streets where the stories are told

Let’s remember, too, Johnny Hodges and Harry Carney (both band members in the Duke Ellington orchestra). Leonard Bernstein, Roy Haynes, Elma Lewis, Donna Summer, Paul Goodknight, Dianne Walker and Wyatt Jackson are a partial list of arts luminaries whose walking and working in Boston defined the arts imprint, too often forgotten, and all the more reasons why the New Edition Way is of note.

In a letter of support for arts project proposals, Embrace’s Yully Cha, senior vice president of research and policy, wrote, “To Whom It May Concern: I am writing to express our enthusiastic support for public arts initiatives proposed for the Roxbury neighborhood. ... [Its] mission is to elevate local and national artists whose work reflects the vibrant, diverse fabric of our city. Where artistry and community meet — where stories are shared, identities are celebrated, and new legacies are born. … Art initiatives align powerfully with our vision. Roxbury is not just a neighborhood — it’s a cultural force. Its contributions to music, art, and social progress have shaped Boston in profound ways. The kind of intentional, community-rooted work that can transform public space and civic identity...the power to connect people, uplift neighborhoods, and tell truths that endure.”

Forty-two years later, New Edition is finally celebrated, remembered, too, as a street you walk down, a Boston street. This phenomenon is something to behold: streets are where people’s real stories are told.