New Edition Reuniting for 2023 tour, Bringing New Jack Swing Powerhouses Guy and Keith Sweat Along for the Ride

Courtesy Photo

The members of New Edition (from left to right) are: Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill.

Following the success of last year's The Culture Tour, one of the preeminent boy bands of the '80s is ready to hit the road again for another reunion — and it's bringing some very special friends along with it.

New Edition is launching its Legacy Tour in 2023. The 30-date engagement is scheduled to begin on March 9 and run through April 30.

In addition to the group, which will feature all six of the original members, the tour will serve as a reunion for prominent New Jack Swing era acts.

Guy, featuring its original lineup of Teddy Riley, Aaron Hall, and Damion Hall, along with R&B crooners Keith Sweat and Tank, round out the performers.

“Few recording artists can attest to a superior 40-year career that stands the test of time, but New Edition can,” said Black Promoters Collective CEO Gary Guidry in a statement. "When we partnered with NE for “The Culture” tour, although I knew it would be stellar, their show exceeded my expectations, the guys were nothing short of miraculous. We are excited about partnering with New Edition to further the legacy of the foundation they have already laid.”

With their founding inspired by the Jackson Five, since dropping their debut album "Candy Girl" in 1983, the Boston-bred group has sold nearly eight million albums worldwide. Several group members have enjoyed successful solo careers, including breakout star Bobby Brown, along with Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant.

The group's remaining members formed the multi-platinum hip-hop act Bel Biv DeVoe in 1989.

In 2022 New Edition was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

Find the complete list of Legacy Tour dates below:

New Edition Legacy Tour 2023

Thursday, March 9: Columbia, SC – Colonial Life Arena
Friday, March 10: Charlotte, NC- Spectrum Center
Saturday, March 11: Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena at BJCC
Sunday, March 12: Memphis, TN – FedExForum
Thursday, March 16: Washington, D.C. – Capital One Center
Friday, March 17: Hampton, VA – Hampton Coliseum
Saturday, March 18: Atlantic City, NJ – Boardwalk Hall
Sunday, March 19: Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Thursday, March 23: Chicago, IL – United Center
Friday, March 24: Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Saturday, March 25: Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Sunday, March 26: Cincinnati, OH – Heritage Bank Center
Thursday, March 30: Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
Friday, March 31: New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
Saturday, April 1: Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Sunday, April 2: Fort Worth/Dallas, TX – Dickies Arena
Thursday, April 6: San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena
Friday, April 7: Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
Saturday, April 8: Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum
Sunday, April 9: Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Thursday, April 13: Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
Friday, April 14: Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
Saturday, April 15: St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
Sunday, April 16: Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
Thursday, April 20: New York, NY – UBS Arena
Saturday, April 22: Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Arena
Sunday, April 23: Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum
Friday, April 28: Miami, FL – FTX Arena
Saturday, April 29: Jacksonville, FL – Vystar Arena
Sunday, April 30: Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena

Velvelettes' Bertha McNeal Dies at 82, Following Battle With Colon Cancer

Photo Courtesy  Helen L. Fox Gospel Music Center

Bertha Barbee-McNeal, of the Motown group the Velvelettes, has died. She was 82.

The Motown Museum broke the news Sunday on its official Twitter account.

"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Motown alumnus Ms. Bertha Barbee-McNeal, a founding member of the Motown group The Velvelettes," it wrote.

The Motown Museum added, "A true pioneer of American girl groups, Bertha helped promote the Motown sound and style worldwide."

According to reporting from The Detroit News, Barbee-McNeal passed away Thursday in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where she had been in hospice care for several weeks after her colon cancer advanced.

Founded by Western Michigan University students Bertha Barbee-McNeal and Mildred Gill Arbor in 1961, the Velvelettes were best known for their 1964 hit “Needle in a Haystack."

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Motown alumnus Ms. Bertha Barbee-McNeal, a founding member of the Motown group The Velvelettes. pic.twitter.com/ffXeSOsjXC

— Motown Museum (@Motown_Museum) December 18, 2022

Overseen by Motown super-producer Norman Whitfield, the single reached No. 45 on the Billboard 100 chart and charted internationally in Canada and Australia.

Another hit, “(He Was) Really Saying Something,” was covered by the British group Bananarama.

“She was an angel. I’ve lost my dearest friend,” Cal Gill-Street, lead singer for the Velvelettes, said in a statement. “She was the group historian, and the glue that kept us together.”

Gill-Street, the younger sister of Velvelettes' co-founder Mildred Gill, was recruited to the group as a 14-year-old when she was in ninth grade along with her friend Betty Kelley, a junior in high school, and Barbee-McNeal's cousin Norma Barbee, a freshman at Flint Junior College, to round out the group's original lineup.

RCA Drops Official Soundtrack for 'I Wanna Dance' Days Before the Release of Whitney Houston Biopic

The official movie poster for "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."

Whitney Houston fans are receiving an early Christmas present this weekend to help get them in the mood for the new biopic about the music legend that opens in theaters on Dec. 23.

On Friday, RCA Records dropped an official 35-song soundtrack for the film, "Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody," which "serves as a musical memoir of the cinematic voyage," it said in a press statement.

"We think the fans will be excited to hear some incredible music they know and love, as well as some new never-before-released tracks, including 'Far Enough' and the incredible 'Don't Cry For Me,' which ends the film," said Pat Houston, President of The Estate of Whitney E. Houston, of the tracklist which spans 20 years of Houston's remarkable career.

It includes nearly two hours of remixed and original versions of the diva's songs, punctuated by special guest features by a sterling lineup of music-industry stars including BeBe Winans, Clean Bandit, Kygo, Lucky Daye and more.

Super-producer Clive Davis, who discovered Houston, said the album "brings many of Whitney's classics into 2023 and beyond."

He added, "Contemporary, current and often scorching, if you love Whitney's music, you must own this album!" 

The first female artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, Houston sold over 200 million records and is one of the best-selling artists of the 20th century.

Click here to listen to the soundtrack. Find the complete tracklist below:

I Wanna Dance With Somebody Soundtrack Tracklisting

1. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Whitney Houston & P2J)
2. Don't Cry For Me (Whitney Houston & Sam Feldt)
3. Higher Love (Whitney Houston & Kygo)
4. The Greatest Love Of All (Whitney Houston & Jax Jones)
5. I'm Every Woman (Whitney Houston & SG Lewis)
6. How Will I Know (Whitney Houston & Clean Bandit)
7. I Love The Lord (Whitney Houston, BeBe Winans, Great John)
8. Don't Cry For Me (Darkchild Film Version)
9. Honest (Heartbreak Hotel) [Whitney Houston & Lucky Daye]
10. Okay (Whitney Houston, Oxlade, Pheelz)
11. You'll Never Stand Alone (Moto Blanco Remix)
12. Love Will Save The Day (MATVEI Remix)
13. Tomorrow (Whitney Houston & Samaria)
14. Home (Live from The Merv Griffin Show)
15. You Give Good Love
16. Saving All My Love for You
17. If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful (Whitney Houston & Jermaine Jackson)
18. Far Enough
19. I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)
20. So Emotional
21. Where Do Broken Hearts Go
22. Moment Of Truth
23. I'm Your Baby Tonight
24. The Star-Spangled Banner (Live from Super Bowl XXV)
25. One Moment In Time
26. I Will Always Love You (Live from The Concert for a New South Africa)
27. Medley: I Loves You, Porgy / And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going / I Have Nothing (Live from The        21st Annual American Music Awards)
28. Run To You
29. Impossible Things (Whitney Houston & Leikeli47)
30. Why Does It Hurt So Bad (from the "Waiting to Exhale" – Original Soundtrack)
31. It's Not Right, But It's Okay
32. My Love Is Your Love
33. I Didn't Know My Own Strength (Live from The Oprah Winfrey Show)
34. Clive's Message
35. Don't Cry For Me (A Cappella)