What is Ricky Bell's Net Worth?
Ricky Bell is an American singer who has a net worth of $1.5 million. Ricky Bell is best known as a member of the R&B groups New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe. He also released an album as a solo artist in 2000. In addition to recording music with his groups, Bell appeared with them in a number television shows and films, including "Knight Rider," "Family Matters," and "Krush Groove."
Early Life
Ricardo Bell was born on September 18, 1967 in Roxbury, Massachusetts as the youngest of 11 siblings. He was raised in the Orchard Park projects. As a youth, Bell sang with his friend Ralph Tresvant under the name Ricky and Ralph.
New Edition
In 1978, singer and songwriter Bobby Brown formed the R&B group New Edition. The original lineup consisted of him, Bell, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, and Ralph Tresvant. New Edition got its big break in 1982 when it performed in a talent show at the Strand Theatre in Boston. Although the group came in second place, record producer Maurice Starr was so impressed that he invited the group to come to his studio the next day to record an album. That album, "Candy Girl," was released in 1983 as New Edition's debut. It spawned the hit singles "Is This the End," "Popcorn Love," and the title track, which reached number one on the charts in both the US and the UK. After signing with MCA Records in 1984, New Edition released its self-titled second album, which launched the hit songs "Cool it Now" and "Mr. Telephone Man." The next studio album was "All for Love," released in 1985; its hit singles were "Count Me Out," "A Little Bit of Love (Is All it Takes)," and "With You All the Way." At the end of 1985, New Edition released the holiday EP "Christmas All Over the World."
After Brown was booted from New Edition in late 1985 on account of behavioral issues, the group recorded the album "Under the Blue Moon," featuring covers of popular doo-wop songs from the 1950s. The group subsequently brought on Johnny Gill for its next album, 1988's "Heart Break." Becoming the group's most commercially successful album yet, it launched such hit singles as "You're Not My Kind of Girl," "Crucial," and "N.E. Heartbreak." Following a long hiatus during which members of the band pursued other musical projects, New Edition returned with its full six-person lineup in 1996 to record "Home Again," which became the group's first and only album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. However, the subsequent tour was ill-fated, ending before schedule due to violent tensions within the group. New Edition has had various reunions in the years since, and released its seventh and final studio album, "One Love," in 2004.
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Bell Biv DeVoe
Inspired by the success Brown had with his breakthrough 1988 solo album "Don't Be Cruel," the members of New Edition decided to branch off to pursue other musical projects in the early 1990s. With the encouragement of producers Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam, Bell teamed up with his fellow New Edition members Bivins and DeVoe to form the R&B trio Bell Biv DeVoe. The group had immediate success with its debut studio album, "Poison," which reached number five on the Billboard 200 and went on to become certified quadruple-platinum by the mid-1990s. Moreover, the album launched the Billboard Hot 100 hit singles "Do Me!" and the title track. "Poison" has been credited with being a formative album in the new jack swing movement, a fusion genre combining elements of R&B, hip hop, and traditional soul.
Bell Biv DeVoe released its second studio album, "Hootie Mack," in 1993. Failing to reach the commercial heights of the group's debut, it peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200. Bell Biv DeVoe's third album was the more hardcore-leaning "BBD," which didn't come out until the end of 2001. After another, even longer break, Bell Biv DeVoe released "Three Stripes" in 2017. The album was the group's most successful since its debut, peaking at number 18 on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Independent Albums chart.
Television and Film Appearances
In addition to recording with New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe, Bell appeared with them in a number of television series and films over the years. They appeared on the small screen in episodes of "Knight Rider," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Family Matters," and "New York Undercover," among other shows. The members of New Edition also appeared in the 1985 film "Krush Groove" alongside several other popular musical acts, including Sheila E., Run-DMC, LL Cool J, and the Beastie Boys.
Solo Career
As a solo artist, Bell released his debut studio album, "Ricardo Campana," in 2000. After that, he went back to focusing on Bell Biv DeVoe and New Edition.
Personal Life
In 2004, Bell wed actress Amy Correa in a double wedding with his New Edition bandmate Ralph Tresvant.
In 2017, the members of New Edition were the subjects of the BET biographical miniseries "The New Edition Story." The miniseries revealed that Bell had struggled with severe substance abuse in the 1990s, losing his home and nearly his life before he entered rehab.
