Bell Biv DeVoe

Bell Biv DeVoe was a successful splinter group of New Edition that consisted of three previous members, Ricky Bell (also known as Slick), Michael Bivins (also known as Biv), and Ronnie DeVoe (also known as R.D.).

History

Bell Biv DeVoe began to take shape in the late '80s, but not until completing the tour in support of Heart Break did the threesome decide to make the break from New Edition official. At the suggestion of producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, they chose to chart their own course. Bell Biv Devoe's debut album Poison has a variety of producers, including Dr. Freeze and Spyderman, Wolf & Epic (Richard Wolf & Bret "Epic" Mazur), Guy's Timmy Gatling, and Public Enemy's Hank Shocklee and Keith Shocklee. As a result, Bell Biv DeVoe's first album "Poison" has a larger new jack swing composition as compared to New Edition releases. BBD was a pioneering group that was the first to successfully combine hip-hop with R&B & pop. The CD was released in 1990, and its title track became a #1 hit on the R&B chart. The singles that followed were "Do Me!", "B.B.D. (I Thought It Was Me)?", "When Will I See You Smile Again", and "Dope!" (the latter was retitled "She's Dope!" upon release due to the rising drug abuse among children). Poison sold over three million copies. The remix album , with the Wolf & Epic produced "Word To The Mutha!" as accompanying single, was released the next year and was certified gold. Bell Biv Devoe sold in excess of 4 million albums, prompting performances on the 1990 American Music Awards and other such ceremonies. Bivins took time off from recording to search for new talent and bring together the East Coast Family, discovering and producing debut albums for the groups for Another Bad Creation and Boyz II Men. Bell Biv DeVoe's second album, Hootie Mack, was released in 1993 and spawned the singles "Gangsta", "Above The Rim", "Something In Your Eyes" and "Show Me the Way". In 1996, Bell, Bivins, and DeVoe participated in the reunion of New Edition and toured in support of the CD Home Again on the MCA record label. In 2002, Bell Biv DeVoe's third album, B.B.D., was released. This latest effort saw Bell Biv Devoe exploring a more, hardcore rap style/R&B approach. It received mixed reviews and not much commercial success. Ronnie DeVoe is now a real estate agent in the Atlanta, Georgia area but still remains with New Edition. [1]. He is very passionate about nutrition, especially healthy eating, and is currently collaborating with the group Viking Pimps on their up-coming album.

Discography

Albums

• 1990: Poison #5 US (3x Platinum)
• 1991: WBBD-Bootcity! The Remix Album #18 US
• 1993: Hootie Mack #19 US
• 2000: Greatest Hits
• 2001: BBD
• 2002: The Millennium Collection

Singles

Cultural references

• In October 2004 Poison appeared in the popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on R&B, Soul radio station CSR 103.9. Michael was also the DJ of that station. He is known as Phillip "P.M." Michaels in the game.
• Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine makes fun of the "Do Me" song on their 2005 album "Aperitif for Destruction".
• The song "Poison" was featured on My Half Acre, episode 9 of Scrubs season 5 in 2006.
• The group was referenced in the Scrubs episode My Kingdom, mentioned in the pilot episode of the CBS show Northern Exposure, and also featured in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air episode "The Butler Did It".
• The group was referenced as "number one in the charts" in a Kids in the Hall sketch from 1991.
• In the first episode of Halfway Home, Sebastian says "a salam aleikum" to Alan, who replies, "Umm... Bell Biv DeVoe."
• On the animated show Drawn Together, the main black character, Foxxy Love, mentions on at least two occasions that she has a chance to see Bell Biv Devoe in concert.

External links

• Official website (Contains some broken links)
• Michael Bivins Official MySpace page
• "Poison" featured on Scrubs