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After many of the negative stories over the past few years, with particular divisions between Tresvant and Gill (who toured together) and Bell, Bivins and DeVoe, the iconic group’s fans were worried that this day might not come. But a performance at the American Music Awards a few weeks ago set the stage and now the tour is coming. Music lovers will undoubtedly be lining up to see the sextet performing again. The last time the group went on tour was at their “#ALLSIX” concert in 2012. The tour will feature all six members Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ralph Tresvant, and Johnny Gill and will hit 30 cities in the U.S., according to a news release from Business Wire. Music legend Charlie Wilson and the newly reunited Jodeci will also join the Grammy Award-winning group.
The iconic ‘90s R&B group announced earlier this month that they were returning as their original quartet Cedric “K-Ci” Hailey, Joel “JoJo” Hailey, Donald “DeVanté” DeGrate, and Dalvin “Mr. Dalvin” DeGrate and that they were now under new management. Last November, Johnny Gill spoke to VIBE about the narrative that the group was essentially “reuniting,” denouncing the term. “It’s so funny, people always say reunion. It’s not. Honestly, New Edition has been New Edition, and it’s been all of us here,” he told the outlet. “We decided to come together now and join back forces and give our fans something that they’re looking forward to seeing.” The R&B group burst onto the scene in 1983 with their smash hit “Candy Girl” off their eponymous debut album. They’ve released six studio albums and won several awards, including two American Music Awards for Favorite “Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group” in 1987 and again in 1997. Jodeci, meanwhile, is looking to start a new chapter in their musical journey, starting with the tour their first musical presentation, P Music Group founder and CEO Michael Paran told Billboard earlier this month. Paran revealed that the guys were inspired to reunite during the COVID-19 pandemic. “They’re ready to build something new, done the right way without continuing the missteps of the past,” Paran told the music outlet. “I want to be long-term with them and help them show the world that they’re back to begin a whole new era.”
Jodeci Formed in 1989 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci's members began their musical careers as two duos of brothers and, after years of limited success, joined forces. After signing with Uptown Records in 1991, the group began to work on their debut album, Forever My Lady, which brought them mainstream success with the Billboard Hot 100 single "Come and Talk to Me" and the album's titular track. The group's critical and commercial success continued with the releases of Diary of a Mad Band (1993), and also with The Show, the After Party, the Hotel (1995), where the group experimented with various musical styles typically not associated with traditional R&B. Jodeci would incorporate hip hop soul, gospel and new jack swing into their music, which led to the group featured prominently with hip hop artists during the 1990s. Each album released by the group during this period attained platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and helped to redefine the genre, allowing for developments in thematic and musical content within R&B. In 1996, they announced a hiatus - though continuing to work on music as a group which prompted K-Ci & JoJo to branch off as a duo, releasing five albums until 2013, when the group re-united for their fourth studio album, The Past, the Present, the Future (2015). Jodeci has sold more than 20 million records worldwide to date. Complex magazine ranks the group 1st on their "1990s Male R&B Group Pyramid of Excellence" list in 2014, one of the most influential groups of the 1990s, and the best R&B group of all time. Damon Hart was the last manager.
Very few artists can lay claim to Charlie Wilson’s hitmaker status. Twice named Billboard’s Top Adult Male R&B Artist, Wilson kick-started the new decade with not one but two No. 1 Adult R&B Songs hits: “Forever Valentine” and “One I Got.” Then he wrapped the year by also breaking that chart’s record as the Top Adult Male Artist with the most No. 1’s in three decades. In 2021 Wilson also won the Certified Soul Award at the Soul Train Awards.
Since scoring his first top 10 R&B hit in 1979 as co-founder/lead singer for R&B/funk pioneers the Gap Band, Wilson continues to defy the odds. For in a career that stretches more than four decades and multiple generations of fans Wilson has not only become a force on the charts but also onstage. And he has simultaneously become the go-to collaborator for many fellow stars. What ties it all together, says the 13-time Grammy Award nominee, is being able to tap back into the passion that bubbled to the surface when he began performing in church at four years old. “It was fun and felt good,” Wilson recalls with a laugh. “That’s when singing first became something I didn’t want to ever let go.”
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