Boyz II Men

Boyz II Men, American vocal quartet that emerged in the 1990s and became one of the most successful rhythm-and-blues groups, dominating the charts during the first half of the decade.

Friends in Philly

The members of Boyz II Men grew up in separate neighborhoods of Philadelphia and came together as high-school friends at the Philadelphia High School for the Performing Arts, where they studied classical music and vocal arts. The name Boyz II Men came from a song that had been recorded by the pop quintet New Edition. In 1989 the quartet managed to meet Michael Bivins—who had been a member of New Edition—and gave him an impromptu audition. Bivins later signed on as their manager and helped define their gentlemanly image.

Cooleyhighharmony

In 1991 Boyz II Men debuted on Motown records with the album Cooleyhighharmony, which went on to sell more than seven million copies and won a Grammy Award. In 1992 their recording of “End of the Road,” from the movie soundtrack of Boomerang, spent 13 consecutive weeks in the number one slot on Billboard’s pop chart, eclipsing by two weeks the previous record set by Elvis Presley—“Don’t Be Cruel” backed with “Hound Dog”—in 1956.

Britannica Quiz

90s Music Quiz

II

In 1994 the group helped write and produce the album II. After Whitney Houston broke their record by spending 14 weeks at number one with “I Will Always Love You,” Boyz II Men came back to tie her with “I’ll Make Love to You.” The release of their follow-up single, “On Bended Knee,” put them with an elite group of artists (Presley and the Beatles) who succeeded themselves at the number one spot. In 1995 they recorded “One Sweet Day” with Mariah Carey. The song was a massive hit, spending 16 weeks at the top of the pop chart.

Other albums

After a world tour, the band started work on their next album, Evolution, which was released in 1997. While it had several hits—notably, “4 Seasons of Loneliness” and “A Song for Mama”—the album failed to sell as well as their previous efforts. Their next albums, Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya (2000) and Full Circle (2002), also saw declining sales. In 2003 McCary left the group because of health issues.

Boyz II Men continued to tour, and their later albums include Throwback (2004), which features covers of their favorite songs, and The Remedy (2007). After a few more covers collections, Boyz II Men recorded original material for Twenty (2011) and Collide (2014), but they returned to reinterpreting classics for Under the Streetlight (2017).