It goes without saying that the Jacksons from Gary, IN, captured the hearts of America with a quickness during the first two years that nearly rivaled that of the Beatles some six or seven years earlier. Those unforgettable bubblegum hits were “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There.” Their fifth and sixth singles (“Mama’s Pearl” and “Never Can Say Goodbye”) came damn close, both peaking at #2 pop in 1971, with “Never Can” managing to reach #1 soul. The J5 came hot out of the box in 1970 with their first four singles not only topping the soul music charts, but also the pop chart – the Billboard Hot 100. There probably isn’t a soul over the age of 25 who hasn’t at least heard of the Jackson 5, who originally consisted of the five oldest brothers – Jackie, Jermaine, Tito, Marlon and Michael – before Jermaine was replaced by Randy and the name was changed to simply the Jacksons when they left Motown for Epic/CBS Records. The Jackson 5, circa 1970, clockwise from left: Jermaine, Tito, Marlon, Jackie and Michael

I’ll begin with the group who came first – the Jackson 5 (later billed as the Jacksons). That said, I think this discussion calls for an examination of the three main contenders’ achievements over their historic careers.

Now, before you revoke my music blog card and throw Motown greats like the Jackson 5 or Boyz II Men into this argument, I’ll acknowledge both those groups’ accomplishments and concede that, other than New Edition, they represent the only other two acts who even belong in this conversation (sorry B2K, Force MDs, Hi-Five and Troop fans).

With BET’s airing this week of its three-part series documenting the storied career of one of the best known and most well-loved R&B “boy bands,” and with that band getting its long overdue “star” on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 23, 2017, it made me wonder: is New Edition the greatest “boy band” in black music history? BET is airing “The New Edition Story” beginning Tuesday, January 24, 2017.

New edition music