Events

City of Boston to honor Roxbury’s own New Edition with their own day – and street

"New Edition Day" will honor the band with a street naming and a block party.

Former members of the band New Edition celebrate after receiving a proclamation from Mayor Marty Walsh at the premiere of "The New Edition Story" at Lowes Cinema in Boston in 2017. Justin Saglio/The Boston Globe

By Madison Lucchesi

1 minute to read

Dearborn Street in Boston will be renamed “New Edition Way” later this month when Boston marks the first-ever “New Edition Day,” honoring the pop R&B group that formed in Roxbury in 1978 and notched a string of major hits throughout the ’80s and ’90s.

“New Edition Day” will kick off Saturday, Aug. 30, at 10 a.m., with the official street naming at the corner of Ambrose and Albany streets in Roxbury.

Following the naming, a block party will take place at 11 a.m. at the Orchard Gardens Boys & Girls Club. The block party will include a special appearance by members of New Edition, along with free food, music, activities, and a backpack giveaway for school-aged kids.

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“It is an honor to welcome home Roxbury natives New Edition to celebrate their global impact, from our communities here in Boston to the music industry worldwide,” Mayor Michelle Wu wrote in the “New Edition Day” announcement.

“This is a unique opportunity to bring Boston’s neighborhoods together in a celebration of culture, pride and community, and I encourage every community member to join us to celebrate New Edition’s tremendous impact,” Wu wrote.

Founded in 1978 in the Roxbury’s so-called Orchard Park projects, New Edition influenced the pop and R&B scene well beyond Boston. Three of their songs  — “Candy Girl,” “Cool It Now,” and “Mr. Telephone Man” — topped the R&B chart in the early 1980s, and they scored a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with 1996’s “Home Again.”

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In 2017, New Edition received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“Boston is where it all began for us. This honor means the world to me,” said Bobby Brown, who went on to solo success with hit albums like 1998’s “Don’t Be Cruel” and its monster hit single, “My Prerogative.”

“I am truly grateful for the privilege of being made a permanent fixture in our city that has played such a significant role in shaping our lives and career,” said member Ricky Bell. “02119 IS and WILL always be my home.”

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