Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men is a four-time Grammy Award-winning American R&B/soul singing group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1988 as a quintet which originally included Marc Nelson, Boyz II Men found fame as a quartet, with members Nathan Morris, Michael McCary, Shawn Stockman, and Wanya Morris, on Motown Records during the early 1990s. Nelson left the group before their first recording to pursue a solo career.
Based on sales, Boyz II Men is the most successful R&B male vocal group of all time. It recorded five #1 R&B hits between 1992 and 1997 and has sold more than 60 million records . Three of its #1 hits, "End of the Road", "I'll Make Love to You", and "One Sweet Day" (with Mariah Carey), set and broke records for the longest period of time a single remained at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100; the last of them still holds the record. Although "On Bended Knee" did not break any records, it was still an immensely popular song that reached #1 and made Boyz II Men the third artists (behind Elvis and The Beatles) to replace themselves at the number one spot of the Billboard Hot 100.
Boyz II Men was signed to Motown Records from 1990 to 2000, at which point it was moved to parent label Universal Records. After the 2000 album Nathan Shawn Michael Wanya, Boyz II Men moved to Arista Records. In 2003, Michael McCary left the group due to chronic back problems resulting from scoliosis. As of 2005, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, and Nathan Morris continue to tour and record as a trio. At the 1995 Grammy Awards, the group received four Grammy Award awards for their work, including two for their 1994 sophomore album, II in 1995.
Where are they now?
Still performing here and there but mainly small venues. They have been seen preforming at 6 flags theme parks around the country. Lately Boyz II Men recorded a duet of Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing with German singer Joana Zimmer for her third album Showtime released on May 30, 2008
On a February 21, 2008 episode of the FOX music-themed game show Don't Forget the Lyrics!, the group appeared as contestants on the show, playing for charity. After blazing through categories such as Motown, R&B, and even one named Boyz II Men, the group won $500,000 and split the sum between two charities. As a promotion for the Hitsville CD, everyone in the audience got a free copy of the album.
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Origin: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Member(s): Nathan Morris
Shawn Stockman
Wanya Morris
Labels: Motown (1990-1999)
Universal (1999-2001)
Arista (2002-2003)
MSM Music Group/Koch (2003-2007)
Decca/UMG (2007-present)
Career years:
Biography
The group that later became Boyz II Men was founded in 1986 at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, friends Nathan Morris and Marc Nelson had put together several various R&B singing groups, all of which fell through. Eventually, they recruited tenors Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman and bass Michael McCary
The members idolized New Edition, one of the most popular R&B groups of the 1980s. They found inspiration in New Edition's harmonies and routines, and eventually renamed the group "Boyz II Men" after one of New Edition's songs. Sneaking backstage after a 1989 concert performed by Bell Biv DeVoe (a New Edition spin-off group), Boyz II Men performed an a cappella rendition of New Edition's "Can You Stand the Rain" for New Edition/BBD member Michael Bivins. Bivins was impressed by the group, and began plans to sign them to Motown Records through a production deal with his Biv Ten Records company. But before the group began recording, Marc Nelson left because of personality conflicts, reducing the quintet to a quartet.
A year before releasing their debut album, they made an appearance on a solo album by Robbie Mychals. They are listed in the credits as singing background vocals on the song "One Mile From Paradise" as "Boy's To Men".
Reference/Source(s):
Boyz II Men. (2008, June 11). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 01:22, June 18, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Boyz_II_Men&oldid=218720011
