Boyz II Men

Boyz II Men biography

Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary left the group in 2003 due to health issues. Currently the group is a trio signed to Decca Records, with members Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, and Shawn Stockman. The group won four Grammy Awards in the 1990s, and the trio was nominated for two Grammys in 2009.

Boyz II Men formed at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts in 1988 as a quintet; however, original member Marc Nelson left the group before its first studio recording to pursue a solo career. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men gained international celebrity behind unprecedented success on the pop charts. The group's first single to reach number 1, 1992's "End of the Road", a phenomenal hit, reached the top of charts across the globe. "End of the Road" would set a new record for longevity, staying at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks, breaking a decades-old record held by Elvis Presley.

Boyz II Men would exceed even that record later in the decade with hits "I'll Make Love to You" and "One Sweet Day" (with Mariah Carey), which each exceeded records for the longest period of time a single remained at number 1. As of 2011, "One Sweet Day" still holds the all-time record with 16 weeks at the top of the Hot 100. Although "On Bended Knee" did not exceed any records, it was still a very popular song that reached number 1 and made Boyz II Men the third artist (after The Beatles and Elvis) to replace themselves at the number one rating of the Billboard Hot 100. Because of this, Boyz II Men are among the only artists that have stayed at the number one spot cumulatively 50 times, just fourth behind Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Mariah Carey. They also hold the numbers one, three and four spots for 3 of the longest running singles in music history with "One Sweet Day," "I'll Make Love to You" and "End of the Road." These achievements were enough to earn Boyz II Men recognition as Billboard Magazine's most successful musical group of the 1990s.

On January 5, 2012, Boyz II Men were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

History

Beginnings

The group, known originally as Unique Attraction, was founded during 1988 at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, friends Nathan Morris and Marc Nelson organized several R&B singing groups, most of which ended quickly. Eventually, they found a winning formula by recruiting tenors Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman and bass Michael McCary. The group would rehearse in the high school's bathrooms, due to the excellent acoustics. 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. In 1989, the group managed to go backstage after a concert performed by Bell Biv DeVoe, a New Edition spin-off group. In a famous episode that would be retold in Boyz II Men's first hit, while backstage, they met Bell Biv DeVoe member and aspiring record producer Michael Bivins. On the spot, Boyz II Men performed an a cappella rendition of New Edition's "Can You Stand the Rain". Bivins was impressed by the group, and began plans to contract them to Motown Records through a production deal with his Biv Ten Records company. The group signed shortly thereafter. Some time would pass, however, before Bivins was able to secure Boyz II Men recording time for their first album. A year before releasing their debut album, in 1990, 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". The delay before recording their own material and reported personality conflicts led founding member Marc Nelson to leave the group, making Boyz II Men into the quartet that would find international fame: Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, and Shawn Stockman.

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