By Dave Gil de Rubio
Given Boyz II Men's status as the most successful R&B male vocal group of all time (based on record sales), is it any surprise the Philly outfit is celebrating its 20th anniversary in the music business? Now down to a trio, following the departure of Michael McCary in 2003 due to health reasons, the Boyz will still be flexing those golden pipes and trotting out hits like “Motownphilly,” “It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,” “I'll Make Love to You” and “End of the Road.” In the meantime, the success of the Boyz served as a bridge between boys bands of the past and a number of successors.
Menudo – Despite being largely overlooked by the Anglo world, this Puerto Rican boy band got its start in 1977. In addition to being the launching pad for the likes of Ricky Martin and Robi Draco Rosa, Menudo instituted the idea of rotating members out once they turned 16, their voices changed, they grew facial hair or got too tall.
New Edition – The predecessors to Boyz II Men, New Edition are often credited with kicking off the whole boy band craze back in the '80s. A ridiculously fertile well of talent, New Edition spawned the likes of Ralph Tresvant, Bell Biv DeVoe, Johnny Gill and, of course, Bobby Brown, whose personal travails have managed to make him his own one-man reality show.
New Kids on the Block – The third best-selling boy band of all time, (80 million record over 12 years), NKOTB enjoyed their heyday in the late '80s and early '90s. Despite a number of unsuccessful reunions, it seems the most recent may have actually stuck after the five-some released The Block in 2008 and recently played a string of Radio City Music Hall dates.
'N Sync – Broken up since 2007, 'N Sync sold more than 56 million records worldwide during their dozen years together. This was also the entity that gave us business mogul/amateur golfer/serial celebrity dater Justin Timberlake and Miley Cyrus backup dancer Joey Fatone.
Backstreet Boys – The best-selling boy band of all time, the Backstreet Boys have more lives than Jason Voorhees and have proved it by releasing their seventh album, This is Us, despite the departure of Kevin Richardson.
Take That – Best known for giving the world Brit bad boy Robbie Williams, the current quartet sold more than 25 million records from 1991 to 1996, with the bulk of their success coming on the other side of the pond.
O-Town – Spun off from the MTV-produced reality show Making the Band, O-Town enjoyed a brief three-year window of success from 2000 through 2003, barely eking out a pair of hits (“Liquid Dreams,” “All or Nothing”) despite having the backing of music mogul Clive Davis.
98 Degrees – This rare boy band quartet featuring the Lachey brothers, Drew and Nick, (aka the former Mr. Jessica Simpson), was originally signed to Motown records and somehow managed to spawn eight American Top 40 singles. A 2004 appearance on Nick & Jessica¢s Family Christmas TV special was the last time the foursome reunited.
Westlife – Wildly successful in Europe but barely a blip on the American market, this pop group is the only act in UK history to have their first seven singles go straight to No. 1.
Fingerbang – Not a flesh-and-blood group of guys, but the fictional foursome created by Eric Cartman on episode 56 of South Park, the five-some consisted of Cartman, Stan, Kenny, Kyle and Wendy (since all boy bands have five members). The name came from Cartman's interpreting it to mean the act of someone pretending their hand is a firearm.
Credit/Source: www.longislandpress.com
Pre-order Westlife's new perfume 'Westlife With Love'
PRE-ORDER 'WESTLIFE WITH LOVE' ONLINE:
FROM JIGSAW ESL || FROM FACTOR MEWestlife with love by Westlife
AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 2010 - PRE-ORDERFabulous new perfume Gift Set from the Westlife Boys which contains:
- 100ml Perfume EDP
- 150ml Luxury Body Lotion
Following on from the success of the Westlife X fragrance, Westlife are proud to unveil their eponymous fragrance "Westlife with love...".
The second fragrance, which will be released in September 2010, is a modern classic and reflects the band's mood of where they are in the modern world and the ever present demand of both their fans worldwide and the wider public for Westlife.
The fragrance notes include top fruity floral notes of green, grapefruit, cassis, apricot with transparent floral heart notes of muguet, rose, jasmin, apple and dry basenotes of dry green, musks, blond woods and skin scent.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS PRODUCT WILL NOT BE DESPATCHED UNTIL SEPTEMBER 2010
Credit/Source: jigsawesl.co.uk / www.factorme.co.uk
Stellar line-up just a train ride away
by TIM FLETCHER
SOME of the biggest names in pop music are heading to Staffordshire for a major music festival taking place just one train stop away from Burton.
The Midlands Music Festival comes to The Castle Pleasure Grounds, in Tamworth, on Saturday and Sunday, July 17 and 18, with proceeds going to Just 1 Life, the premature baby care charity.
The two-day event features a stellar line-up of pop talent on the Sunday, with appearances from
Westlife, The Saturdays, Alexandra Burke, Peter Andre, Scouting For Girls, Chipmunk, Taio Cruz, Olly Murs and McLean.
The previous day features some of the biggest names of the 1980s, namely Billy Ocean, Level 42, Sister Sledge, Alexander O¢Neal, Hot Chocolate, The Christians, Kajagoogoo, Shakatak and Aswad.
The line-up is a big coup for Staffordshire and a chance for fans to see some of the biggest names in pop for a knock-down price, according to festival operations director, Adam Bridge.
He said: “This year¢s festival is certainly a step up from 12 months ago. The quality of acts across both days is summed up by the fact that collectively they have topped the charts 27 times.
“The Saturday event features some of the biggest 80s artists, several of whom are flying in especially from America.
“The fact you can get all this in Tamworth for less than you would pay to see them individually at the big UK arenas is amazing.”
Tickets range from £29.50 or £50 for two days, while a group ticket for four can be obtained for £100. Tickets are available at
www.themidlandsmusicfestival.co.uk and
www.seetickets.com.
Credit/Source: www.burtonmail.co.uk
Extra reserve tickets released for Westlife gig
Mansfield Town Football Club bosses have released extra reserve seating for the Westlife concert at Field Mill on 21st August.
The tickets are priced at £40 and are for seats in the lower tier of the Ian Greaves stand.
Chairman Andrew Perry said: "A lot of people are phoning in to reserve a particular place in the ground, so we have done this upon request.
"The concert's certainly not sold out at present. 4,000 tickets have been sold and we're looking for a 15,000 sell out," he added.
Unreserved tickets are £36 and can be purchased or upgraded to reserved seats by contacting the club's box office on 01623 482482.
Credit/Source: www.chad.co.uk
