History

Ricky Bell

Michael Bivins

Ronnie DeVoe

Bell Biv DeVoe, known for their pioneering sound that blends "hip-hop smoothed out on the R&B tip with a pop-feel-appeal to it," emerged as a breakout act from the iconic New Edition following the group's tour in support of their 1988 album, "Heart Break." The trio—Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe, all original members of New Edition—formed on the advice of producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to explore a more street-oriented approach to contemporary R&B.

Michael Bivins also cultivated the East Coast Family during this time, achieving mainstream success with debut albums from Another Bad Creation and Boyz II Men. In 1992, BBD collaborated with Ralph Tresvant on the number one R&B/hip-hop single “The Best Things in Life Are Free” with Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson for the “Mo’ Money” soundtrack. The group released their second album, “Hootie Mack,” in 1993. After a hiatus and the reunion of New Edition, BBD returned in 2001 with the album “BBD.”

Celebrating New Edition’s 30th anniversary in 2011, they received a Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award the following year. In 2017, coinciding with the BET mini-series “The New Edition Story,” BBD released “Three Stripes.”

Despite producing only four albums of original material over 31 years, Bell Biv DeVoe has maintained a strong presence, headlining arenas, fairs, festivals, and joining New Edition reunion tours. Recently, they won an Emmy Award for their documentary “BBD @ Fenway” in 2023, performed with The Boston Pops at the NHL’s Winter Classic, released the first single. “Act Like You Know” from the soundtrack of Mike Bivin’s #1 streamed docufilm “The Hustle of @617Mikebiv,” and performed in the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade