Boyz II Men BiographyThe Philadelphia quartet, Boyz II Men also seen as Boyz 2 Men, Boys II Men and Boys 2 Men, formed at the High School of the Creative and Performing Arts in 1988. It started as just Nathan Morris and Marc Nelson, who then recruited Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman and Michael McCary to their cause. Performing as Unique Attraction, the group did not go by their current name until hearing the song 'Boys To Men' by New Edition, of the groups inspirations.
They finally had their chance to record after performing an a capella version of 'Can You Stand The Rain' for Bel Biv DeVoe leader Michael Bivins. Bivins got the group on Motown Records but not before Marc Nelson left due to personality conflicts.
Boyz II Men's first album together, Cooleyhighharmony was released in 1991 and had a heavy new jack swing sound. The group had a smooth sound and called their style 'hip hop doo wop.' The album's first single, Motownphilly featured BBD and reached #3 on the charts. The second single had similar success and was 'It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.' The group became known for swapping solo's on songs, avoiding the common trend in groups to have one dominant lead. The album was a huge success, selling over nine million copies.
In 1992, Boyz II Men had its first #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 when they recorded the single 'End of the Road.' This single was #1 for thirteen weeks, breaking the previous record and was added to Cooleyhighharmony on a reissue.
The most popular album by Boyz II Men, was released in 1994 and was called II. The album featured #1 singles 'On Bended Knee' and 'I'll Make Love To You' and the other hit single, 'Water Runs Dry.' I'll Make Love To you broke the record set by 'End of the Road,' spending 14 weeks at #1 (also done by Whitney Houston earlier that year). Boyz II Men was one of only three groups to replace themselves at #1 on the charts, in a high class group alongside Elvis and The Beatles. While the feat has since been done several more times, it is still a tremendous achievement. The album was huge, selling over 12 million copies.
In 1995, the group broke the chart records again, collaborating with Mariah Carey on the song 'One Sweet Day.' The song was at #1 for sixteen weeks.
Conflicts arose then between Motown and the Boyz as Motown put out The Remix Collection against Boyz II Men's wishes. When the group released their third album 'Evolution' tensions were high. The album featured the group's last #1 hit, 'Four Seasons of Loneliness' and sold two million copies.
Under the merged label Universal Records, the group tried their efforts and writing and producing their own album. The result came out in 2000 and was Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya. While the album was a critical success, it sold on 500,000 copies, continuing the group's drop.
In 2002, Boyz II Men released Full Circle with a high profile music video 'Color of Love.' While the single didn't fair well, the album managed to sell just over 500,000 copies. This was Michael McCary's last album with the group before he left due to back problems.
In 2004, the group released Throwback on their own independent label. The album featured a collection of covers and the group mentioned plans to do future albums of the same style. From the album, the single 'What You Won't Do For Love' reached #60 on the R&B charts.
The group has also released an album exclusively in Japan, called Winter/Reflections in 2005. They then released an album The Remedy which featured the single 'Muzak.' It was released solely through the group's website.
In 2007, Boyz II Men released a new album, Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA. The album was covers of tracks by various artists in Motown's history, and included songs like 'Just My Imagination,' and 'Ribbon in the Sky.' The album scored a charting single with 'Track of My Tears' which reached #25 on the Adult Contemporary charts.
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