What is Michael Bivins's Net Worth?
Michael Bivins is an American R&B artist who has a net worth of $4 million. Michael Bivins is best known for being a member of the R&B vocal groups New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe. The former group achieved the peak of its success in the 80s with such hit songs as "Candy Girl," "Cool it Now," and "Mr. Telephone Man." Later, with Bell Biv DeVoe in the early 90s, Bivins recorded the hit singles "Poison" and "Do Me!"
Michael Bivins founded New Edition. The group formed in 1978 and released their first studio album, "Candy Girl", in 1983. They gained popularity for hit singles such as "Candy Girl", "Telephone Man", "and Cool It Now". The band split up in 1989 and didn't reunite until 1996. New Edition released seven studio albums from 1983 until 2004 and is credited with paving the way for pop boy bands of the '90s, including New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys.
When the band broke up, Bivins formed Bell Biv DeVoe. Their debut album, "Poison", was part of the New Jack Swing movement and climbed to number five on the Billboard charts with more than four million copies sold. Bivins later became a manager and producer, working with acts such as Boyz II Men, MC Brains, and 702. He also carved out an acting career with appearances on "Friday After Next", "Apollo Live", "Crossover", and the video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas". He has been credited as a writer on several TV and movie soundtracks, including "Beverly Hills, 90210", "Full House", "40 Days and 40 Nights", "Tropic Thunder", and "Community".
Early Life
Michael Bivins was born on August 10, 1968 in Boston, Massachusetts to Gerard and Shirley. He has a sister named Tanya.
(Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame )
New Edition
In 1978, singer and songwriter Bobby Brown formed the R&B group New Edition, composed of him, Bivins, Ricky Bell, Ronnie DeVoe, and Ralph Tresvant. The group had its big break in 1982 when it performed in a talent show at the Strand Theatre in Boston. New Edition came in second place, but 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 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." Next came "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 ejected from New Edition in late 1985 due to behavioral issues, the group recorded the album "Under the Blue Moon," featuring covers of popular doo-wop songs from the 50s. New Edition 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.
(Photo by Steve Snowden/Getty Images)
Bell Biv DeVoe
Inspired by the great 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 90s. At the encouragement of producers Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam, Bivins teamed up with Bell and DeVoe to form the trio Bell Biv DeVoe. The group had an immediate smash 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-90s. Meanwhile, it launched the Billboard Hot 100 hit singles "Do Me!" and the title track. The album has been credited with being integral to 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 "Poison," peaking at number 18 on the Billboard 200.
Personal Life
In 2006, Bivins married realtor Teasha, whom he had been dating for several years. She went on to become the CEO of Bivins Realty Group and Lifestyle. Together, the couple has four children: Savannah, Shilah, Starla, and Sanaah.
