At the peak of their success, the New Kids on the Block became the most celebrated teenage pop musical act since Menudo and The Jackson Five. Modeled after these precursors, New Kids on the Block consisted of five young men from Boston who sported a squeaky clean image, and whose eclectic musical styles and slick dance routines borrowed heavily from black performance traditions. By 1989, the group was the most successful act of its kind in the United States, but their popularity seriously waned only two years later and the members disbanded in 1995 to pursue solo careers. New Kids on the Block still maintain a sizable fan base, and their long-lasting effect on popular music became evident in 1997 and 1998 when copycat groups like Hanson, The Backstreet Boys, N'Sync and 98¹/4 Degrees ruled the pop charts.

The five young men who...