Gary Evans is a fictional character in BET’s The New Edition Story. In the mini-series, Evans is portrayed by actor, Michael Rapaport. Many believe the character is based on Steven and Martin Machats. New Edition hired the law firm of Steven and Martin Machat in the 1980s to sue Streetwise Records.
New Edition signed to Arthur Baker’s Streetwise Records after winning multiple talent contests. Baker gave the group $500 and a Betamax, an old school video player. After being released from the contract the group signed with Streetwise, the Machats secured a contract with MCA Records.
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| Gary Evans Music Manager Of New Edition |
Steven Machat
Steven Machat was born on October 18, 1952 in Manhattan, New York. His father, Marty Machat, was an entertainment lawyer who represented The Rolling Stones, James Brown and of course, New Edition. After signing with MCA Records, New Edition signed a management contract with Steven and two of his business partners: Rick Smith and Bill Dern.
The tweet below explains that Machat was the group’s manager from 1983 to 1989:
JUST FINISHED PART 2 OF MY INTERVIEW WITH STEVEN MACHAT, MANAGER OF NEW EDITION 1983-1989. TO BE CONTINUED— NewEditionHistorian (@ROBNEHISTORIAN) September 15, 2010
In 2015, Steven’s son, Barron, sadly passed away in a car crash. Barron founded the record label, Hippos in Tanks in 2015.
@Daisijayne @cruzrobert777 Did Steven Machat manage Quiet Riot he was a rock & roll manager & managed New Edition in the 80’s too?— Jermaine Harding (@JermaineHarding) March 3, 2016
Machat’s political affiliations is most likely why he didn’t want to be included in The New Edition Story. In 2015, Steven ran for the U.S. Senate in Florida.
Bobby Brown
In 1985, Bobby Brown left New Edition but decided to maintain his relationship with Machat. Steve secured Brown a record deal with MCA. A year later, Brown released his debut album, King of Stage. In a 1989 interview with Rolling Stone, Brown claimed that Steve, Bill Dem and Rick Smith ripped him off.
