As we sit here now, it is sometimes difficult to remember just how big the vocal group Boyz II Men was. Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman and Michael McCary undoubtedly constituted the biggest soul group of the 90s, and blew open the doors for a generation of doo-wop influenced Soul groups, few of which remotely approached the group harmonies or strong material that Boyz II Men boasted in their prime.
Formed in Philadelphia at that city’s High School for the Performing Arts, the Boyz were discovered by New Edition member Michael Bivins when they broke into an impromptu routine for him at a Bell Biv DeVoe concert (the encounter was later recalled in the spoken word interlude of the group’s first hit, “Motownphilly”). Bivins, who had previously started his own production company, signed the group and landed them a contract at Motown. Their first album, 1991’s Cooleyhighharmony, was a smash, led by “Motownphilly,” an auspicious first single that blended the group’s classic harmonies with the hot New Jack sounds of early 90s radio. The follow-up single, an a cappella remake of G.C. Cameron’s “Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,” became the year’s hottest love song and the beginning of a supergroup.
Boyz II Men arrived as an anachronism to the increasingly edgy look and sound that dominated 90s R&B. Harkening back to the sophisticated look of classic soul artists, they also embraced a romantic sound that sounded like little else on radio. Their throwback approach and incredible, sophisticated vocal interplay positioned them for the kind of crossover success that Motown artists had two decades earlier.
In 1992 the group cut a song for Babyface’s soundtrack to the Eddie Murphy movie Boomerang. It turned out to be the then longest running #1 single of all time, “The End of the Road” — a ballad with a huge hook that the group brought to life. They followed it with another Babyface/L.A. Reid ballad, “I’ll Make Love To You,” which surpassed “Road’s” #1 run. It was the first single of the group’s sophomore album, II, which also teamed Boyz II Men with the other iconic production team of the era, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. It became the top album of 1994, selling over 12 million copies, and featured three more top hits, “On Bended Knee,” “Water Runs Dry” and “Thank You.”
As the late 90s arose, the success of Boyz II Men wasn’t lost on the rest of the music industry, and seemingly endless “boy bands” arose that would try to capture both the vibe of the Boyz — many of which were white groups like 98 Degrees and NSync that mined much of the same R&B/Pop lane.
The Boyz had another smash arrow in their quiver, releasing the duet with Mariah Carey, “One Sweet Day,” another record-setting smash. However, it became their last #1 hit. 1997’s Evolution included the hit “A Song For Mama,” but was commercially and critically a step down. For their next album, 1999’s Nathan Michael Shawn Wayna, group members took a more active writing and production role, but the disc failed to land a top 40 hit, resulting in the quartet leaving Motown.
Old friend L.A. Reid was at the helm of Arista, and signed the group for 2002’s Full Circle. It came and left the charts quickly, and their tenure on Arista was done after one disc. In 2004, group member Mike McCary left the group due to health issues, leaving Boyz II Men as a trio as they prepared to start their own record company. They launched MSM Records with their album Throwback, an album of covers of soul music classics. It was a modest success. They followed it a couple years later with another remakes album, Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville, was was received much more positively and sold well.
By the 2010s, Boyz II Men was largely a touring group, with several residencies in Las Vegas. Individually the members have worked on several outside diversions, such as Wanya Morris’ participation on Dancing With the Stars and Shawn Stockman’s popular On The Note music podcast.
It is uncertain whether future Soul groups will cite Boyz II Men with the kind reverence from the subsequent generation of Soul singers that groups such as The Temptations receive, but for a period these four talented young men from Philadelphia helped introduce millions to the mellifluous sounds of sweet soul music, and created a discography that helped define an era.
By Chris Rizik
