Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Bobby Brown was one of the hottest R&B artists in the industry. The Boston native got his start performing in talent shows until he and his friends landed a record deal and made the group New Edition a household name.
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But Brown’s star was often overshadowed by his erratic behavior, including drinking and drug use that landed him in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. And of course, there was his unpredictable love story with R&B hitmaker Whitney Houston. Despite the highs and lows of his career, the artist known for hits like “My Prerogative” and “Don’t Be Cruel” has solidified his place as one of the GOATs
This is the story of Bobby Brown.
A Troubled Childhood
Bobby Brown was born Feb. 5, 1969, in Boston, Mass. One of three children, he’s only recently opened up about some of the trauma he experienced as a kid.
In the 2022 documentary, “Biography: Bobby Brown,” he talks about growing up in the Roxbury section of Boston, Massachusetts, an area rich in Black culture. He recalled watching his mother being beaten by police while trying to help neighbors, and the abuse he experienced at the hands of a priest when he was placed in temporary custody as a child – experiences he now believes contributed to some of his self-destructive behavior over the years.
“That really, really bothered me as a child, and as a grown adult,” Brown told PEOPLE in an interview.“I think it was part of the reason I did things, other things, drugs, alcohol, why I abused myself.”
Early Influences
Brown was first introduced to music by his grandmother, who he says listened to everything from gospel to R&B and jazz. In an interview with Shawn Stockman’s “On That Note” podcast, Brown said he counts Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and Rick James among his earliest musical influences.
Starting New Edition
Brown’s love of music led him to the stage. He started as a dancer performing and lip synching to songs by his favorite artists. But by age 12, he found his singing voice and never missed a chance to perform in front of an audience.
“School talent shows, cookouts, fish frys, any time, anywhere, I would perform,” he told Shaw Stockman.
During one of his talent show appearances, Brown said he was told he would have a better chance of winning if he performed with a group. That led Brown to enlist his friends Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ralph Tresvant to form New Edition. Ronnie DeVoe joined the group later, when he was brought in by their choreographer and manager Brooke Payne, who is DeVoe’s uncle.
Getting a Deal
New Edition was making a name for themselves on the talent show circuit when they were discovered by songwriter and record producer Maurice Starr. Starr, who also wrote hits for New Kids on the Block and LL Cool J, helped New Edition secure a deal with Streetwise Records in 1983.
With their deal in place, the guys got to work on their first album, “Candy Girl.” The title track gave them their first hit and erased any doubt that New Edition had serious star potential.
“Cool It Now”
One year later, New Edition’s star was on the rise. They released a self-titled album that included bangers like “Cool It Now” and “Mr. Telephone Man.”
But while the group was churning out hits, they weren’t seeing any big changes in their bank accounts. On an episode of “Club Shay Shay,” Brown said the group got screwed by the terms of their deal, which barely gave them enough to get by.
“Our royalty checks were, like, $1.68,” Brown told Sharpe. “We got $500 to sign and a VCR. Actually, it was a Betamax at the time.”
Signature Style
New Edition became known for their clean-cut image and tight choreography, which was inspired by groups like The Temptations and The Jacksons. But Bobby Brown was known to break character, including not wearing underwear on stage to make sure that when they performed, all eyes were on him.
“That was my time to get the screams,” Brown told Shawn Stockman. “Ralph had the ladies screaming all the time, just his cuteness and his smoothness had the ladies going, so I had to have a little something. It was my junk.”
Voted Out
But Bobby’s bad boy image is what ultimately led to his departure from the group. His onstage antics, which were a departure from the group’s image of a well-oiled machine, forced the group to make a difficult choice.
Brown told Shawn Stockman that Ricky Bell, Michael Bivens and Ronnie DeVoe voted to him out of New Edition. Brown told Shawn Stockman that Ralph Tresvant opted not to participate in the vote.
“The way that it was presented to us at the time was if we didn’t get rid of him, everything was in jeopardy,” Ricky Bell said in an episode of “Where Are They Now?”
Solo Success
It didn’t take long for him to find success on his own. Bobby Brown released his debut solo album, “King of Stage,” which produced the hit ballad “Girlfriend.” But his label wanted more, so Brown brought in some producing heavy-hitters like Teddy Riley, L.A. Reid and Babyface to help him with his next solo project, 1998’s “Don’t Be Cruel.” Besides the title track, the album included hits like “My Prerogative” and “Every Little Step,” which allowed Brown to show off his vocals and his dance moves in his music videos.
That Unforgettable Haircut
Along with his music, Bobby Brown was also setting trends with his style. Who could forget his signature sloped fade? But while brothers were lining up in the barbershop to get their Gumby cut, Brown recently admitted during an appearance on Club Shay Shay, that the style was actually a mistake.
“The barber f’d me up,” he said. “I had to shoot a video, and it stuck.”
A Bad Boy in Real Life
Bobby Brown’s bad boy image wasn’t just for the stage. His drinking and drug use frequently got him into legal trouble, including a 1998 DUI arrest. In 2000, he spent just over two months in jail for violating the terms of his probation.
Meeting Whitney Houston
Bobby Brown met Whitney Houston in 1989 at the Soul Train Music Awards. Although not everyone understood the love affair between the bad boy and the R&B diva, the two seemed inseparable. Bobby and Whitney got married on July 18, 1992, but according to Houston’s longtime assistant, Robyn Crawford, it wasn’t long before there was trouble in paradise. In her memoir, “A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston,” she wrote about asking Whitney about a scar on her face she noticed when the couple returned from their honeymoon.
“I asked her to tell me what happened,” Crawford wrote. “[She said,] ‘We had a disagreement. I threw a glass, the glass hit the wall, shattered, and that’s how the cut happened. Couples argue all the time and it’s never a big deal.’ “
In an infamous 2002, interview with Diane Sawyer, Houston defended her husband from rumors that he was abusive.
“He’s never hit me,” Houston said. “I’ve hit him, in anger.”
In the 2008 book, “Bobby Brown: The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing, But…” Brown said he believed their relationship was “doomed” from the start.
“I think we got married for all the wrong reasons. Now I realize Whitney had a different agenda than I did. I believe her agenda was to clean up her image, while mine was to be loved and have children.”
“Being Bobby Brown”
In 2005, Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston gave fans unprecedented access to their relationship with the Bravo reality series “Being Bobby Brown.” Filmed over six months in 2004, the 10-episode show followed Bobby, Whitney, and their family as they tried to be ordinary—going on vacations and dining out. The series produced some memorable quotes, including Whitney’s famous “Hell to the no,” but critics were unimpressed: Variety called it ‘a bad home movie crossed with an image-polishing infomercial.’
After a decades-long tumultuous relationship, the couple ultimately divorced in 2007.
Losing Whitney
Bobby Brown experienced tremendous loss when his love Whitney Houston passed away on February 11, 2012, at age 48. She was found unresponsive in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel the day before the GRAMMY Awards were scheduled. Brown says he will always have a special place in his heart for Houston.
“She taught me a lot about life and love and about living right,” he told Jennifer Hudson during an appearance on her show.
More Tragedy Strikes
Tragedy struck Brown’s family again in 2015 when his daughter, Bobbi Kristina tragically passed away at age 22. In a situation that was eerily similar to her mother’s untimely death, Bobbi Kristina was found unresponsive in the bathtub at her home on January 31, 2015. She spent six months in hospice care at a rehab facility, before passing away on July 26, 2015.
After toxicology reports found a combination of substances, including marijuana, alcohol and anti-anxiety medications in her system, the Fulton County Medical Examiner ruled Bobbi Kristina’s death a combination of drowning and intoxication.
In his memoir, “Every Little Step,” Bobby Brown reflected on the poor example he and Whitney set for their daughter, writing:
“She often saw her mother and father high and was around the two of us when we were f—– up … When I think about it now, I just feel enormous pain. We failed her.”
Just five years later, Brown experienced even more loss, when his son, Bobby Brown Jr., died of a drug overdose in November 2020 at age 28.
Moving Forward
Since 2012, Bobby has been happily married to his manager, Alicia Etheredge-Brown. The two were long-time friends before things got romantic. She even helped him get over a case of cold feet before marrying Whitney Houston.
“All of his groomsmen and his brother could not get him out the bathroom, so I was like, ‘Listen! We’re getting this show on the road. We’re here, and this is happening,’” Etheredge Brown said during a 2022 appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”
The couple have three children together, and Bobby credits Alicia with helping him find his way out of the darkness after so much tragedy.
“She makes me want to live,” he told PEOPLE.
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