Editing New Edition (section)

===1978{{ndash}}1985: Rise to stardom===
[[File:New Edition, 1985.jpg|thumb|New Edition in 1985.]]
The group was formed by Bobby Brown and his childhood friends in the Orchard Park Projects of Roxbury, Boston. The group then scored its big break in 1982, performing at the local Hollywood Talent Night held at Boston's [[Strand Theatre (Dorchester, Massachusetts)|Strand Theatre]] by singer/producer [[Maurice Starr]].<ref name="Starr">{{cite book|author=John Seabrook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kOdwBgAAQBAJ&q=new+edition+sign+with+maurice+starr+in+1982&pg=PT45|title=The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory|date=2015-10-05| publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |isbn = 9780393241938|access-date=2019-11-08}}</ref> The first prize was $500 and a recording contract. Although the group came in second place, an impressed Starr decided to bring the group to his studio the following day to record what would become their debut album, ''[[Candy Girl (album)|Candy Girl]]''.<ref name="Starr"/> Released on July 19, 1983 on New York producer [[Arthur Baker (musician)|Arthur Baker]]'s Levi Belt Streetwise Records, the album featured the hits: "[[Is This the End]]", "[[Popcorn Love]]", and the title track [[Candy Girl (New Edition song)|"Candy Girl,"]] which went to number one on both the American R&B singles chart and the UK singles chart.<ref>{{Citation
 | title = Sources: The Streetwise Records Anthology 
 | publisher = Demon Music Group
 | location = London
 | date = 20 November 2015
 | url= http://www.demonmusicgroup.co.uk/catalogue/releases/sources-the-streetwise-records-anthology/
}}</ref><ref>{{Citation
 | title = New Edition's "Candy Girl" Turns 30: A Retrospective (Deluxe Edition) 
 | publisher = Bastard Swordsman
 | url= http://bastardswordsman.tumblr.com/post/45668934531/new-editions-candy-girl-turns-30-a
}}</ref>

Returning from their first major concert tour, the boys were dropped off back at their homes in the projects and were given a check in the amount of $1.87 apiece for their efforts.<ref name="Starr"/> Tour budget and expenses were given as the explanation as to why they were not paid more. Due to these financial reasons, New Edition parted with Starr in 1984. Starr responded by promptly creating the group [[New Kids on the Block]], essentially formatted after New Edition, but with white teenagers. Meanwhile, the group employed the law firm of Steven and Martin Machat and sued Streetwise for release from a contract that was unenforceable as well as materially breached by Streetwise. The Machats won the legal game and then secured the group a bigger recording deal with major label [[MCA Records]], which won the bidding war among various other major labels. In need of management, the group signed with [[Steven Machat]] and his two management partners Rick Smith and Bill Dern. The management company, AMI, proceeded to escalate the group's profile in both the urban and pop music worlds. Through the production affiliate of AMI, Jump and Shoot, MCA released the group's self-titled [[New Edition (album)|second album]] the same year. Eclipsing their debut album, ''New Edition'' spun off the top five hit "[[Cool It Now]]" and the top twenty "[[Mr. Telephone Man]]", and went on to be certified double platinum in the United States.

While promoting their second album, the group was dismayed to realize that they were not actually signed to MCA Records, but instead with the production company Jump and Shoot, which had its own deal with MCA; subsequently, all business matters pertaining to the group were controlled by the former. To buy themselves out of the stifling production deal, each of the five members borrowed $100,000 from MCA. Though it effectively separated the group from Jump and Shoot and allowed them to sign a new long-term contract to record for MCA directly, they were now in mortgage to the label. As a result, the group would be forced to continually record and tour during this period in order to pay off its debt.

New Edition's third album, ''[[All for Love (New Edition album)|All for Love]]'', was released in the latter half of 1985. While not duplicating the success of its predecessor, the album was certified platinum, and spawned the hits "[[Count Me Out (New Edition song)|Count Me Out]]", "A Little Bit Of Love (Is All It Takes)", and "With You All the Way". The growing popularity of the group led to a guest appearance (as themselves) in the 1985 film ''[[Krush Groove]]'', performing "My Secret".  Toward the year's end, ''[[Christmas All Over the World]]'', a holiday EP, was released as well as an [[Under the Blue Moon|oldies album of tunes from the '50s sung by the group with an '80s production style]].