11-08-2025
Boston R&B legends New Edition get an official day
Aug. 30 will be New Edition Day in Boston, honoring the homegrown R&B group on the 42nd anniversary of its founding.
Why it matters: New Edition's 1983 breakthrough hit " Candy Girl" pioneered R&B-hip hop fusion, and the group's members have maintained deep community connections to Roxbury and the rest of Boston.
New Edition continued to influence contemporary music from the 1980s into the 21st Century through successor group Bell Biv Devoe and Bobby Brown's solo career.
State of play: Mayor Michelle Wu announced tribute events for Aug. 30, including renaming Dearborn Street "New Edition Way."
A party honoring the group will be at the Orchard Gardens Boys & Girls Club.
Zoom in: The ceremony is set to honor the group's Roxbury origins at the Orchard Park housing projects, now known as Orchard Gardens, where founding members Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill started singing in 1978.
