The Quad

Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: Entertainment

Back in the late 1980s, a group of five boys came together and went on to be known collectively as New Kids on the Block. On Sept. 29, VH1 aired the premiere of "Behind the Music," the story of members Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood, Joe McIntyre, Jonathan and Jordan Knight. According to VH1, the Boston natives came together with the help of Maurice Starr, who had introduced boy band New Edition.

After revealing their stories from beginning days to breaking up, the story continued into first talks of a NKOTB reunion.

According to VH1, plans to start up a new boy band began as the result of Wahlberg and Starr meeting for the first time. Wahlberg told VH1 reporters that he had his friend, Wood in mind as another member for the future band.

The Knight brothers followed, and McIntyre was added for his ability to sing like Michael Jackson as a young boy, according to VH1 reports.

The band started out with the name NYNUK as VH1 reported; the name changed to what we know as New Kids on the Block. Early audiences of NKOTB, according to VH1, consisted of both male and female African Americans in their teen years.

The VH1 premiere revealed that NKOTB slowly struggled towards success with the first album, however one song finally hit it big. The song, "You Got It (The Right Stuff)," came from their second album titled, "Hangin' Tough."

During the VH1 premiere, Starr said that the band began to attract fans from an unexpected audience, teenage girls. From the perspective of a viewer and early NKOTB fan, it seems that was where they officially joined the popularity ranks of past boy bands.

Just as with previous widely popular boy bands, it seems like every teenage girl had a favorite member of NKOTB.

Not only that, NKOTB's fame brought on a level of merchandise featuring both the band and individual members.

There were t-shirts, hats, jackets, banners, school supplies and buttons.

As an early NKOTB fan, the amount of fan gear in stores and owned by friends and cousins at the time was witnessed first hand.

Despite the popularity of the band, NKOTB's time in the spotlight did not last through the rest of the 1990s.

According to VH1, the band's break up happened not long after Jonathan Knight began to feel that it was enough.

Knight revealed to VH1 reporters that he had suffered from some long-time anxiety problems throughout his life, something that many can relate to.

Continued...

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