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 | From Chad Bowar, your About Music Editor As long as there has been popular music, there have been boy bands, even though they weren't always called that. Not boys any more, teen idols like Backstreet Boys and 98 Degrees are back together playing shows in front of multiple generations of fans. Our music guides take a closer look at the boy band phenomenon past and present. | |
Top 10 Boy Bands Of All Time
Any time a discussion of the genre of boy bands come up, it is the definition that is the biggest sticking point. The term "boy band" did not come into wide usage until the 1990s and the advent of the groups New Edition and New Kids On the Block. However, there were clearly earlier precedents. For the purposes of this list, boy bands, despite the word "band," are all male groups known primarily for vocals and not playing their own instruments. They frequently included choreography as part of their act and were marketed primarily to teens.
| Profile: The Jackson 5
It all started with a broken string -- specifically, a string on father Joe Jackson's guitar, which he'd instructed his six boys to leave alone. But when he realized that sons Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine were serious about music, he relented, forming a family band in their hometown of Gary, Indiana, which he managed. By 1967, they'd scored a local hit with a song called "Bad Boy." Bobby Taylor of the Vancouvers, a Motown act, helped them secure an audition with the label.
| Top 10 Asian Boy Bands
The boy band is alive and well in Asia. The top all male groups are some of the most successful pop stars in Asia today. This list of the top 10 Asian boy bands is subjective, but all of these groups are essential to know for anyone with more than a casual interest in today's Asian pop music.
| About Boyz II Men
In 1989, the group was discovered by New Edition and Bel Biv Devoe member Michael Bivins after singing acapella for Bivins backstage at a concert. Bivins landed a contract for the Boyz with Motown Records, but at some point before the group's debut album was released, member Marc Nelson left the group to start a solo career. The other four original members stayed in however, and their Bivins-produced debut album, Cooleyhighharmony, was released in February 1991. It was a smash hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard R&B albums chart and No. 3 on the pop chart.
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