<P> After having already lost a member when Bobby Brown was terminated from the group, New Edition's future became uncertain when murmurings began to surface that lead singer Ralph Tresvant was eyeing a solo career as well . To pad his potential departure, singer Johnny Gill was voted into the group by Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ron DeVoe in 1987, despite Tresvant ultimately deciding to remain in place . A native of Washington, D.C., Johnny Gill is the only non-Boston native among the group's six members . According to IMDb: </P> <P> "Ralph (who was working on a solo album at the time) felt uneasy with Johnny taking Bobby Brown's place . After Ralph and Johnny laid some vocals, the two became very close friends and have been that way ever since ." </P> <P> New Edition's fifth studio release, Heart Break--which also featured Gill as the co-lead vocalist--was released in the summer of 1988 . Primarily produced by the production team of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, the album was a departure from the group's previous bubblegum sound, and instead took on a smoother, stronger, and more adult resonance . Spinning off five hit singles: "If It Isn't Love," "You're Not My Kind of Girl," "Can You Stand The Rain," "Crucial" and "N.E. Heartbreak"; Heart Break became New Edition's most commercially successful album up to that point, certified double platinum in the United States, with worldwide sales of close to four million . The success of Heart Break would launch the group on a successful concert tour as well in the closing months of 1988; with N.E. serving as the headliners while Al B. Sure and former member Bobby Brown served as the opening acts . </P> <P> Inspired by the substantial success Bobby Brown was having with his multi-platinum 1988 breakthrough album Don't Be Cruel, after the run of Heart Break, New Edition went on hiatus to pursue side projects away from the group . At the suggestion of producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ron DeVoe formed a trio, Bell Biv DeVoe . Their 1990 debut album, Poison, went quadruple platinum . The same year, lead singers Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill (who had already recorded as a solo act prior to joining New Edition) also released self - titled solo albums, which also achieved multi-platinum success . Later that year, the group (including Bobby Brown) had a semi-reunion of sorts when they performed at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards . In 1991, all six members again reunited to record a remix of the Bell Biv DeVoe track "Word to the Mutha!"; Brown, Gill and Tresvant also appeared in the music video . Prior to this, Brown also appeared in the music videos for Bell Biv DeVoe's "BBD (I Thought It Was Me)" video, as well as Tresvant's "Stone Cold Gentleman" and "Sensitivity" remix videos . In 1992, the band later appearance on Bobby wedding with Whitney Houston, who he met in 1989 in music awards . </P>

Where do the members of new edition live