Ralph Edward Tresvant was born in Boston in 1968, and grew up with an older sister and a younger brother in the Orchard Park Projects. He is the lead singer of the Rhythm and Blues group New Edition, and has released some solo albums as well. He began his career in school as a youngster, singing with friends from about the age of ten.
High School Friends
In high school, at one of the local talent shows he had entered with childhood friends, he was seen by the songwriter Brooke Payne, who was just beginning to make a name for himself. He is the one who gave the four friends Ralph, Bobby Brown, Rickey Bell, and Michael Bivins, the name of New Edition. With this name, he meant to convey the concept that this group could be a new edition of the Jackson Five. This description enabled the group to be signed up by Maurice Starr who was looking for a new pop act based on the Jackson Five, and their songs were to appear on his independent Streetwise Records label. A fifth person, Ronnie DeVoe, was added to the group. The debut album of this fresh, exciting group New Edition was launched in 1983. Candy Girl was a great success for the group, and Popcorn Love and Is This The End followed. As teen sensations in the 80s, the four friends could move out of the housing projects of Boston.
Net Worth
Today, because of the successful singing career of New Edition, numerous singles and the 2008 touring initiative with the Head of State band alongside Johnny Gill and Bobby Brown, Ralph’s popularity has increased considerably, and his net worth is now about eight million dollars.
Successful Solo Career
All the members of the group have had their own solo reach number one on the charts, and Ralph Tresvant was the last one to release a song on his own. Bobby Brown had sung Girlfriend, and Bell, Bivins and DeVoe had combined with the song Poison. New Edition as a group had also had four number one songs, so Ralph Tresvant had certainly had some good successes to compete with. In one way, it was an advantage to him, as he could see what the fans were expecting, and what they would like. Tresvant is normally an introverted character, and was a bit nervous about going public with a solo effort, but his song Sensitivity, sold over a million copies and remained on the United States top ten R&B chart for weeks.
Films and a Radio Show
After arguments over money, New Edition left Starr’s record label and signed up with the leading MCA Records. New Edition’s second album was released and the success continued with the song Cool It Now. Tresvant’s smooth style of singing had become an acknowledged asset to the group. He was also asked to sing some numbers on the soundtracks for the film s Mo’ Money and The Preacher’s Wife, and even made a short debut into films by appearing in the comedy House Party 2.
Today Ralph Tresvant hosts a radio show in Boston, combining R&B with other categories of music like soul and hip hop. He is a generous man, and started his radio show with a charity drive.