Boyz II Men
from WikiMusicGuide, the free music guide. Your music wiki.
Boyz II Men is the award-winning R&B/soul group that gave us the hits “I’ll Make Love To You,” “On Bended Knee,” and “One Sweet Day,” which is a duet with Mariah Carey.
Contents |
About
Boyz II Men started as a quintet in 1988 in Pennsylvania, but they were called Unique Attraction at the time, composed of Nathan Morris, Marc Nelson, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman,and Michael McCary. Just like many bands groups who were influenced by other musicians before them, Unique Attraction was inspired by New Edition, an R&B group of the 1980s. The band’s name was changed to Boyz II Men, which was taken from one of the songs by New Edition.
Their record deal with Motown was due to the help of Michael Bivins, a member of New Edition / Bell Biv DeVoe, who was impressed by the quintet's a cappella version of New Edition's "Can You Stand the Rain" backstage in one of Bell Biv DeVoe's concerts. Even before they came uo with their debut, Marc Nelson left, leaving Boyz II Men a quartet.
It was in 1991 that the group released their first album, Cooleyhighharmony under Motown. "Motownphilly," "It's So hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday," and "Uhh Ahh" were the first singles off the album. Michael Bivins, being the executive producer of the Cooleyhighharmony, seemed to have exerted too much of an influence since the sound was very similar to BBD's, save for the soul singing. Boyz II Men and Bivins dubbed this style as hip hop doo wop. This album was a success not only for the group and Bivins, but also for Motown, selling over nine million copies, and hitting the charts. It also won for the group a Grammy Award in 1992 for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Ever since they started, the group featured multiple leads instead of the usual one or two leads plus singers in the background. This made them distinct from other groups.
In 1992, Boyz II Men stopped touring for a while to record "End of the Road" which was in the soundtrack of Boomerang. For thirteen weeks, it took the number 1 spot in the Billiboard Hot 100, and it became such a success that the group had to re-issue Cooleyhighharmony with "End of the Road" as a bonus track.
The highly anticipated second album of the group was released in 1994, entitled II. While Bivins focused on supporting new acts, other people came to write and produce songs for the album, like Babyface who wrote "Water Runs Dry" and "I'll Make Love to You" and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis' "On Bended Knee" was also included in the album, with the latter two becoming #1 in the U.S. Surpassing their debut, II sold over 12 million copies in the US alone.
After II, the group made several collaborations with other artists, the biggest of which was a duer with Mariah Carey entitled "One Sweet Day." This was included in Mariah's Daydream LP in 1995. Like their previous songs, it also topped the charts for a long time and was even nominated for a Grammy Award in 1996.
With Boyz II Men's incredible vocal talent and impressive interpretations in their entire career, they have gained popularity in both the blacks and whites, and all over the world, setting very high standards for R&B and singing groups in general.
Before the release of Evolution, which was their third, the relationship between the group and Motown was not so smooth-sailing due to Motown's decision to release The Remix Collection even when the group has made known their intention not to release the said album. Despite this though, Evolution was released in 1997, selling two million copies, and obviously way below II's phenomenal success. The tracks included were "Four Seasons of Loneliness," "A Song for Mama," and "Can't Let Her Go."
Boyz II Men found themselves reassigned with Universal Records in 1999 due to restructuring of the company. In 2000, they came up with Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya, their fourth album. This was written and produced mainly by the group, in contrast with their previous albums which were mainly by Babyface. It included "Thank You in Advance" and "Pass You By," and sold only 500,000 copies, the lowest since they started in the industry. They then released Legacy: The Greatest Hits Collection in 2001 to close their contract with Universal, and signed a deal with Arista in 2002. The band came up with Full Circle which featured "The Color of Love," again another Babyface composition. Just like their previous release though, Full Circle sold a little over 500,000 copies.
Due to his scoliosis, Michael McCary had to leave the group in January 2003. Arista also terminated their deal in April of that same year. After a year out of the business, Boyz II Men came back and released Throwback Vol. 1, now under the independent label MSM Music and distributed through Koch Records. It is a collection of covers which include "Human Nature" by Michael Jackson, and "Let it Whip" by The Dazz Band. Throwback Vol. 2 is expected anytime soon.
Members
Current:
- Wanya Morris
- Shawn Stockman
- Nathan Morris
Former:
- Michael McCary
- Marc Nelson
Awards & Certifications
Awards
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | American Music Award | Favorite Soul/R&B Band |
| 1998 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Duo or Group and Outstanding Song for "A Song For Mama" |
| 1996 | Sammy Davis Jr. Award | Entertainer of the Year |
| 1996 | NAACP Image Award | Best Group |
| 1996 | American Music Award | Favorite Soul/R&B Album for "II" and Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group |
| 1995 | VH1 Honor | Helping in the Big Brother/Sisters Foundation |
| 1995 | World Music Award | Best International Group |
| 1995 | Soul Train Music Award | R&B/Soul Album Group, Band or Duo for "II" and R&B/Soul Single Group, Band, or Duo for "I'll Make Love to You" |
| 1995 | Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Award | Best Musical Group |
| 1995 | Blockbuster Entertainment Award | Favorite R&B CD for "II" and Favorite CD for "II" |
| 1995 | American Music Award | Favorite Pop/Rock Single for "I'll Make Love To You", Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "I'll Make Love To You", and Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group |
| 1995 | Grammy Award | Best R&B Album for "II" and Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "I'll Make Love To You" |
| 1993 | World Music Award | Best International Group |
| 1993 | NAACP Image Award | Best Vocal Group |
| 1993 | Soul Train Music Award | Best R&B Music Video for "End Of The Road," R&B Song of the Year for "End of the Road," and Best R&B Single - Group, Band or Duo for "Please Don't Go" |
| 1993 | Grammy Award | Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "End Of The Road |
| 1993 | American Music Award | Favorite Pop/Rock Single for "End Of The Road," Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group, and Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist |
| 1992 | Grammy Award | Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "Cooleyhighharmony" |
| 1992 | NAACP Image Award | Best New Artist |
| 1992 | Soul Train Music Award | Best R&B/Urban Contemporary New Artist for "Motownphilly" |
Certifications
| Year | Album | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Cooleyhighharmony | 9x Platinum, US |
| 1994 | II | 12x Platinum, US |
| 1997 | Evolution | 3x Platinum, US |
| 2000 | Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya | Gold, US |
| 2002 | Full Circle | Gold, US |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Adult Contemporary | The Billboard Hot 100 | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | What You Won't Do For Love | 60 | - | - | Throwback |
| 2002 | Relax Your Mind | 52 | - | - | Full Circle |
| 2002 | The Color of Love | 51 | 24 | - | Full Circle |
| 2001 | Thank You In Advance | 40 | - | 80 | Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya |
| 2000 | Pass You By | 27 | - | - | Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya |
| 1999 | I Will Get There | 23 | - | 32 | The Prince of Egypt OST |
| 1998 | A Song for Mama | - | - | 7 | Evolution |
| 1997 | 4 Seasons Of Loneliness | 2 | 30 | 1 | Evolution |
| 1996 | I Remember | - | - | 46 | II |
| 1995 | I Remember | 30 | - | - | II |
| 1995 | I'll Make Love To You | - | 1 | - | II |
| 1995 | On Bended Knee | 2 | 8 | - | II |
| 1995 | Thank You | 17 | - | 21 | II |
| 1995 | Vibin' | 27 | - | 56 | II |
| 1995 | Water Runs Dry | 4 | 3 | 2 | II |
| 1994 | I'll Make Love To You | 1 | 1 | 1 | II |
| 1994 | Let It Snow | 17 | - | 32 | Christmas Intepretations |
| 1994 | On Bended Knee | - | - | 1 | II |
| 1993 | In The Still Of The Nite | - | - | 3 | The Jacksons: An American Dream OST |
| 1992 | End Of The Road | 1 | - | 1 | Boomerang OST |
| 1992 | In The Still Of The Nite (From "The Jacksons") | 4 | - | - | The Jacksons: An American Dream OST |
| 1992 | Please Don't Go | 8 | - | 49 | Cooleyhighharmony |
| 1992 | Uhh Ahh | 1 | - | 16 | Cooleyhighharmony |
| 1991 | It s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday | 1 | - | 2 | Cooleyhighharmony |
| 1991 | Motownphilly | 4 | - | 3 | Cooleyhighharmony |
News
Tours & Concerts
No tours at the moment.
Announcements
Albums
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Singles
| Date | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| October, 04, 2005 | I Miss You | Koch |
| July, 16, 2002 | Relax Your Mind | Arista |
| November 14, 2000 | Pass You By | Universal |
| December, 12, 2000 | Thank You in Advance | Universal |
| March, 30, 1999 | 4 Seasons of Loneliness | Motown |
| March, 30, 1999 | Can't Let Her Go | Motown |
| March, 23, 1999 | Doin' Just Fine | Motown |
| March, 30, 1999 | Song for Mama [Australia] | Motown |
| February, 16, 1999 | Your Home Is in My Heart [Australia] | MCA International |
| December, 29, 1998 | I Will Get There | Dreamworks |
| November, 25, 1997 | Song for Mama [US] | Motown |
| November, 14, 1995 | I Remember | Motown |
| 1995 | Thank You | Motown, Digital Sound |
| 1995 | Vibin' | Motown, Digital Sound |
| 1995 | Water Runs Dry | Motown, Digital Sound |
| August, 02, 1994 | I'll Make Love to You | Motown, Digital Sound |
| 1994 | On Bended Knee | Motown, Digital Sound |
| November, 30, 1993 | Al Final del Camino | Motown |
| September, 28, 1993 | Let It Snow | Motown |
| July, 14, 1992 | End of the Road | Boomerang OST |
| November, 24, 1992 | In the Still of the Night | The Jacksons: An American Dream OST |
| February, 18, 1992 | Please Don't Go | Motown |
| August, 13, 1991 | It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday | Motown |
| June, 18, 1991 | Motownphilly | Motown |
| November, 12, 1991 | Uhh Ahh | Motown |
Compilations & Live Releases
 Legacy: The Greatest Hits Collection
Released: 2004 |
 Motownphilly Dance Collection
Released: 2003 |
 Greatest Hits
Released: 2001 |
|
 Ballad Collection
Released: 2000 |
 Extras
Released: 1999 |
 The Remix Collection
Released: 1995 |
Other artists
Similar artists
Influences
Contemporaries
Trivia
- Warner Brother's newest movie Happy Feet features five penguins singing "I'll Make Love to You."
- Boyz II Men performed "One Sweet Day" live with Mariah Carey as surprise guests at Mariah's concert at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA on October 8, 2006.
Reviews
External Links
Categories: Artist | R&B | Soul
