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The Monkees - Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Mickey Dolenz - are often credited with being the first boy band back in 1965. The made-for-TV group caught plenty of flak from haters who thought they were a weak Beatles imitation - but the teenage girls who bought their records and merchandise didn't care.
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In 2012, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon began their Unity Tour. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
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Andrew Ridgely, on the other hand, has shunned the spotlight. He retired from music in favor of race car driving and surfing, and pens the occasional tune under various pseudonyms. Here, he poses with his wife Keren Woodward in 2005.
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Irish boy band Westlife - discovered by Simon Cowell - was Britain's answer to the Backstreet Boys in the '90s ...
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The New Kids - Danny Wood, Jordan Knight, Jon Knight, Donnie Wahlberg and Joey McIntyre - certainly aren't the only group ever to sell out stadiums and perform to crowds of screaming girls ...
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Joey Fatone competed for the coveted mirror ball trophy in both 2007 and 2012. He also lent his voice to several episodes of "Robot Chicken" and had a stint hosting on "Family Feud."
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The New Kids on the Block are still hangin' tough: after a comeback tour with Backstreet Boys in 2012, they released their album "10" in April 2013.
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Philly vocal quartet Boyz II Men made the ladies swoon in the early '90s with a cappella-inflected tunes like "End of the Road" and "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday."
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Former Monkee Micky Dolenz, who turned 68 this year, has found his voice in recent years as a radio personality.
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... and just like Backstreet, they've never quite disappeared. Here, Westlife's Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne perform in China as part of the Westlife 2012 World Farewell Tour.
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The Temptations are a legendary Motown group - more critical acclaim than most boy bands could ever hope for - but they did help introduce us to matching costumes and synchronized dance moves.
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Sam Watters of Color Me Badd is married to Tamyra Gray of "American Idol" fame.
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Following *NSYNC, J.C. Chasez released his own solo album, "Schizophrenic." Currently, he works as a songwriter and producer in the industry. He also starred as a judge on MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew."
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In 2004, the group released their final Motown album "Legacy." In 2013, they received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Here, Bruce Williamson (who joined the group in 2007), Joe Herndon, Otis Williams, Ron Tyson and Terry Weeks take the stage in London in 2007.
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Martin went on to worldwide fame as an adult with songs like "Livin' La Vida Loca." In 2012 he took his career to Broadway where he starred in a revival of "Evita" and also had a guest-starring role on the FOX hit "Glee." He's the dad to twin boys.
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The Boys are still performing today. Although original member Richardson left to start a family in 2007, the rest of the group continued to put on shows, reuniting in 2011 to start a joint tour with New Kids on the Block. Richardson returned to the band in 2012. A year later, the group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They released their latest single, "In a World Like This," in 2013.
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*NSYNC members Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, J.C. Chasez and Joey Fatone were known for synchronized dance moves and catchy late '90s hits like "Bye Bye Bye." Now, they are bringing their act back to the stage. The legendary boy band is rumored to perform at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, which of course got us thinking ... what have our other favorite boy bands been up to? Take a look ...
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The Brits love boy bands, too! In the '80s, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley of Wham! adorned many a school locker and bedroom wall on both sides of the pond.
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All-4-One overcame the indignity of always being confused with Boyz II Men to make their own mark in the annals of boy band history. Their hits include "I Swear" and "I Can Love You Like That."
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While teenagers were crushin' on Justin and J.C., the tween set had Hanson: wholesome songwriting brothers Zac, Isaac and Taylor, who MMMBopped their way to radio ubiquity.
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Three of the Boyz - Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman - are still performing together. Fourth member Michael McCary retired due to health issues.
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Latin America had its own boy band idols in the '80s: Menudo, which featured a rotating cast of young hunks including Ricky Martin (l.).
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George Michael had a successful solo career, but has also been plagued with drug and sex scandals.
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Monkees bassist Peter Tork still performs and has also had small roles on "Boy Meets World," "7th Heaven," and "The King of Queens." He reunited with his Monkees bandmates in 2011 for "An Evening with the Monkees: The 45th Anniversary Tour."
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Justin Timberlake launched a solo career and is now a superstar in his own right - despite an infamous wardrobe malfunction involving Janet Jackson. The singer, who is married to Hollywood beauty Jessica Biel, has six Grammy Awards and four Emmys under his belt. He released his latest album, "The 20/20 Experience," in March 2013. He also found success branching out into the film world, starring in flicks including "The Social Network," "Bad Teacher" and "Friends with Benefits."
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Chris Kirkpatrick appeared on CMT's second season of "Gone Country" in 2008. It also looks like he's managed to tone down his infamous wacky hair in the last few years.
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Grown-up Tony member Raphael Saadiq (l.) has a solo career, but he's most successful as a producer for acts like D'Angelo and The Roots. Tony's Dwayne P. Wiggins (r.) resurfaced as the bandleader for "Weekends at the D.L.," a Comedy Central show hosted by D.L. Hughley. The entire group performed with Alicia Keys on her Top 10 song "Diary," released in 2004.
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Tony! Toni! Tone! (none of whom are named Tony) popularized the R&B/new jack swing sound of the late '80s and early '90s with danceable hits like "If I Had No Loot."
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Nick's bandmate and brother Drew was on the second season of "Dancing With the Stars," long before Lance showed up. Take that, *NSYNC! Jeff Timmons wasn't as lucky - he got busted for drunk driving in 2006.
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The Jackson Five were the number-one boy band of the '70s, with hits like "I Want You Back" and "I'll Be There." Randy, Tito, Marlon, Jackie, Michael, and Jermaine had it all: stickers, posters, coloring books, even a Saturday morning cartoon.
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The Backstreet Boys - AJ McLean, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell (l.-r.) - ushered in a new era of boy band bubblegum pop in the '90s. They're also famous for their sensitivity to the label "boy band." It's "male vocal group," OK?
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These days Hanson are still together, but they've gone indie! The group ditched their label, Island Def Jam, in 2001, and formed their own label. After touring Canada with Carly Rae Jepsen in 2012, Hanson returned to the recording studio to churn out their album, "Anthem," which was set to release in June 2013. This time around, the pop rock brothers are all grown up -- and also married. Sorry, ladies!
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Color Me Badd had a steamier image than the average boy band, thanks to their 1991 hit "I Wanna Sex You Up." At the height of their fame, they even guest-starred on "Beverly Hills, 90210."
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Fellow *NSYNCer Lance Bass made headlines when he came out on the cover of People magazine. "I'm more liberated and happy than I've ever been," he said at the time. Bass also took a twirl on "Dancing With the Stars," where he was the runner-up. But he isn't the only person from *NSYNC to take a turn on the ballroom floor ...
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O-Town was the first to combine two pop-culture phenomena: boy bands and reality TV. The group (named for Orlando, Fla., birthplace of many a boy band) was the focus of the first season of MTV's "Making the Band" in 2000.
The Monkees - Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Mickey Dolenz - are often credited with being the first boy band back in 1965. The made-for-TV group caught plenty of flak from haters who thought they were a weak Beatles imitation - but the teenage girls who bought their records and merchandise didn't care.
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Take a look at what your favorite boy band members are up to today …