[youtube id=”P0FKzPfsxA4″]Bobby Brown’s “Every Little Step” was part of his Don’t Be Cruel explosion into the middle of pop culture in 1988-89 with New Jack Swing as its guide. Brown left New Edition and started his solo career in 1986 but it wasn’t until sophomore album Don’t Be Cruel that he became a star on his own. Brown’s dance performance in the video for the L.A. Reid and Babyface-penned “Every Little Step” enhanced its reception. The singer’s dance moves and Gumby haircut became signposts of the ’80s at its best. The hip-hop and R&B connection in New Jack Swing took off with Don’t Be Cruel two years after Janet Jackson’s Control which had Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis’s influence on the genre. Brown’s album became the most sold of 1989 and he earned first Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. He was an heir to Michael Jackson’s ability to own the stage with his charisma, movement and vocals. Bobby Brown’s inspiration from Jackson was passed on and artists like Usher and Chris Brown count Bobby as one of their influences. Bobby Brown’s history was presented twice in The New Edition Story in 2017 and The Bobby Brown Story miniseries in 2018.Â
