On this day, September 18, 1967, Ricardo Bell, AKA Ricky Bell was born in Boston, Massachusetts.
Ricky Bell is a singer, musician, and songwriter, primarily recognized as a member of the R&B group New Edition and lead singer of Bell Biv DeVoe..
New Edition was formed in the late 1970s and gained fame in the 1980s with hits like “Candy Girl” and “Cool It Now.” Ricky Bell was one of the lead vocalists for the group, alongside other members like Bobby Brown, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, Ralph Tresvant, and Johnny Gill, who joined later.
In 1989, New Edition decided to part ways and Bell Biv DeVoe was formed. Bell, Biv, DeVoe also known as BBD consisted of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe. BBD were very successful and released several albums and hit songs including “Poison,”, “Do Me!” and “When Will I See You Smile Again.” The group’s music was known for blending R&B with hip-hop.
New Edition as well as BBD are still performing today.