New Kids on the Block

After his success with New Edition, producer Maurice Starr decided to replicate the singing group by substituting suburban white kids for the young black teenagers. The result was New Kids on the Block, a pioneering boy band that eclipsed the popularity of Starr's previous group while laying the groundwork for the teen pop boom of the late '90s. During the New Kids' heyday, the group reportedly earned over one million dollars per week, and their string of hit singles -- the bulk of which reinterpreted R&B-styled street music for a young female audience -- made them one of the ...