Before American Idol artists dominated the radio and The Backstreet Boys and *NSync ruled TRL on MTV, New Kids on the Block (NKOTB) posters and pictures covered teenage girls bedroom walls in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The New Kids were put together in Boston in 1984 by New Edition producer Maurice Starr. Originally named "Nynuk", Jordan Knight and Jonathan Knight, Joe McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood would go on to sell over 70 million albums around the world.

Auditions were held around Boston to form the group. 15-year-old Donnie Wahlberg was the first member and helped bring in other group members, including his friend Danny Wood, classmates Jordan and Jonathan Knight, and Donnie's younger brother Mark (better known as rapper Marky Mark and later actor Mark Wahlberg). The style of music wasn't for Mark and he eventually left the group. One of Donnie's childhood friends Jamie Kelley temporarily took the spot until Joe McIntyre impressed the group's management. This lineup would dominate the pop music world for much of the next decade.

Columbia Records signed the group, but the group's first album "New Kids on the Block" was a bomb. Sales were poor. Radio stations didn't take notice until a song from the group's second album "Hangin' Tough" hit the charts. "Please Don't Go Girl" became the most requested song on Top 40 stations around the country and it reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

As the New Kids toured with Tiffany, the New Kids machine began to churn out more top 10 singles, music videos, and most importantly... merchandise sales. Teenage girls around the world were singing along to "Cover Girl," "Hangin' Tough," and "This One's For The Children" from a very rushed Christmas album called "Merry Merry Christmas." After "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)" reached #1, soon Tiffany was opening for the New Kids. There was a New Kids on the Block TV cartoon and merchandise from t-shirts to marbles dominated store shelves in shopping malls across America.

After grueling tour schedules year after year (some 200 shows a year) and constant media scrutiny, the group decided to take a break after "Step By Step." During the New Kids downtime, the tide of the music industry changed. Manufactured "bubble gum pop" was replaced by Nirvana and Seattle grunge rock. When the New Kids returned in 1994 as "NKOTB," the group's fan base had moved on. "Face The Music" was considered the group's best work, but nobody seemed to notice. After seeing dismal sales of Face The Music and empty seats on a tour of much smaller venues than in years past, the group began to fall apart.

Jonathan Knight was the most hesitant "Kid" to re-form the group and was the first to quit NKOTB. An excuse was made up when he began missing concert tour dates that he was recuperating from a horse riding accident. Fans didn't buy it. The remaining four members finished the Face The Music tour.

Soon after, the group members moved on to pursue their own interests. Donnie, like his brother Mark, moved on to a successful acting career. Jordan, Danny and Joe all worked on solo material. Jonathan kept out of the spotlight.

Reporters and fans frequently asked about a reunion. The possibility seemed bleak after VH-1 and MTV both failed to get all 5 members on board. But the rumor mill started going crazy in early 2008. By spring, a full tour and release of a new greatest hits collection and original CD were announced.

Since then, it just keeps getting better and better. More tours, cruises, parties, solo albums and much more! And it's only the beginning.....