New Kids on the Block Day

New Kids on the Block Day is chosen to celebrate on April 24th every year since 1989 by Governor Michael Dukakis.

History of New Kids on the Block Day

Today we celebrate boy band New Kids on the Block, one of the most successful groups of the late 1980s. They set the standards for future boy bands, such as the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC and One Direction. Massachusetts governor, Michael Dukak is proclaimed on April 24, 1989.

Maurice Starr, who had previously helped the R&B New Edition team achieve success, began a talent search in Boston in hopes of forming another group. He gathered Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan and Jon Knight, Danny Wood, and Joey McIntyre. After initially being called Nynuk, they became the New Kids in the Block. Starr held many roles with the group, being their manager and producer, as well as choreographer and lead songwriter.

In 1986, New Kids in the Block's self-titled debut album was released on Columbia Records. It did not get much attention, but its follow-up, 1988's Hangin' Tough, was filled with radio-friendly pop songs, five of which became top 10 hits. Then a single was released from their debut album, and it became a top 10 hit in 1989. In 1990, they released Step by Step and the title song became the top hit.

In the early 1990s, many of their fans changed to new genres of music. The group tried to change their image to appear more mature, in control of their creativity, and started calling themselves NKOTB. In 1994, they released Face the Music with these new elements, but it was not as successful as the previous work. They broke up the same year.

Several members began releasing solo albums in the late 1990s. Fourteen years after the band's disbandment, they released their comeback album, The Block, which peaked at number two on the Billboard charts. They started touring again, and in 2013 they released 10. With a career spanning decades, it's clear that Michael Dukakis wasn't too early in naming a date for the group, and there are plenty of reason to celebrate them today.

Celebrating New Kids on the Block Day

Do you have any ideas for celebrating this day? How about listening to New Kids on the Block! Clean up your old tapes or CDs, or buy the copies of them. You can also pick up some old New Kids on the Block merchandise like lunch boxes and dolls. The group has been organizing an excursion since 2009, you can sign up for. If it's sold out on their website, you can sign up for their newsletter, to stay updated on future excursions.