Bell Biv DeVoe was a splinter group of New Edition that consisted of three previous members, Ricky Bell (a.k.a. Slick), Michael Bivins (a.k.a. Biv), and Ronnie DeVoe (a.k.a. R.D.). Bell Biv DeVoe began to take shape in the late '80s, but not until completing the tour in support of Heart Break did the threesome decide to make the break from New Edition official. At the suggestion of producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, they chose to chart their own course.
Bell Biv Devoe's debut album Poison has a variety of producers, including Jam and Lewis, Guy's Timmy Gatling, and Public Enemy's Hank Shocklee and Keith Shocklee. As a result, BellBivDeVoe's first album "Poison" has a larger new jack swing composition as compared to New Edition releases. The CD was released in 1990, and its title track became a #3 hit on the r&b chart. The equally successful singles "Do Me", "B.B.D. I Thought It Was Me", "When Will I See You Smile Again", and "Dope!" followed. Poison sold over three million copies. The remix album W.B.B.D.BootCity:The Remixes was released the next year.
Bivins took time off from recording to search for new talent and bring together the East Coast Family, discovering and producing debut albums for the groups for Another Bad Creation and Boyz II Men. BellBivDeVoe's sophomore album, "Hootie Mack", was released in 1993 and was largely ignored. In 1996, Bell, Bivins, and DeVoe participated in the reunion of New Edition and toured in support of the CD, Home Again. In 2001, BellBivDeVoe's third album, B.B.D., was released. This latest effort saw Bell Biv Devoe exploring a more, hardcore rap style/r&b approach. It received mixed reviews and not much commercial success.
Ronnie DeVoe is now a real estate agent in the Atlanta, Georgia area.
