In 1953 many legends were born, but only one musical genius would create an international frenzy with a group of boys from North Dorchester and Jamaica Plain in Boston. Larry Johnson would become Maurice Starr, surrounded by love and music from day one, and destined to become a hit-making songwriter and producer responsible for culminating 70 million record sales worldwide. Before the Legend-The Rise of New Kids on the Block...and a Guy Named Maurice Starr: The Early Years is a remarkable true story as told by author Tony Rose, the primary architect along with Maurice Starr of the Boston/Roxbury Music Scene. When the fairy tale began, like a cosmic force, the entities were destined by fate to be in place where the dream would unfold.

Tracing the roots of the world's biggest-grossing boy band and their zealous record producer Maurice Starr, this New Kids on the Block biography is the true behind-the-scenes story of the teenage boys that paved the way for boy bands of the 1990s. Giving a firsthand look at the dedication, success, and many failures of Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Danny Wood, and Joe MacIntyre, this biography chronicles the beginnings of the five working-class boys living in the blue-collar districts of Boston, striving to make their way to the top of the music industry to become one of the top-selling musical groups of their time.

Five working-class boys who lived in the blue-collar districts of Boston called north Dorchester and Jamaica Plain and Maurice Starr, a record producer from Roxbury would go to the dizzying heights of the music world at a speed so phenomenal that it shattered most existing record sales and concert tour sales. This is the true, undoctored, hard-hitting, fact-filled story of Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight, Danny Wood, and Joe McIntyre...