Boyz II Men

Boyz II Men (pronounced boys to men) is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris alongside tenors Wanyá Morris and Shawn Stockman. During the 1990s, Boyz II Men were a quartet, including bass singer Michael McCary, who left the group in 2003 due to health issues that were eventually diagnosed as multiple sclerosis.The group gained international success in 1991, beginning with the release of top 5 singles "Motownphilly" and "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday." Their number one single "End of the Road" was released in 1992, and topped music charts across the globe. "End of the Road" set a new record for longevity, holding the number one spot on Billboard Hot 100 for thirteen weeks. Boyz II Men broke this record with the subsequent releases of "I'll Make Love to You" and "One Sweet Day" (with Mariah Carey), which, at fourteen and sixteen weeks, respectively, each set new records for the total number of weeks at number one. "I'll Make Love to You" topped the charts in Australia for four weeks and garnered international success. When "On Bended Knee" took the number one spot away from "I'll Make Love to You", Boyz II Men became only the third artists ever (after the Beatles and Presley) to replace themselves at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. These achievements were enough to earn Boyz II Men recognition as Billboard magazine's biggest boy band during the period of 1987 to 2012. Boyz II Men has received four Grammy Awards.Read More

Boyz II Men continue to perform worldwide, as a trio. Their most recent studio album, Under the Streetlight, was released in 2017. along with fellow schoolmates George Baldi, Jon Shoats, and Marguerite Walker. In 1987, Wanyá Morris, who sang in the school's choir along with the members of Unique Attraction, joined the group and became a permanent member as a freshman. In 1988, Baldi, Shoats and Walker all left the group due to graduation. They then recruited Shawn Stockman after seeing him perform a solo in the school's choir. After an encounter in a school bathroom, Michael McCary started singing along with the group and eventually became the group's new bass singer. With a permanent lineup of members, the group rehearsed in the high school's bathrooms, on the corners of their schools, and in other local areas. At CAPA, they were mentored by LaDeva Davis.Finding inspiration in New Edition's harmonies and routines, they eventually renamed the group "Boyz II Men", after New Edition's "Boys to Men", from the 1988 album Heart Break. After performing at a Valentine's Day party at school in 1989, they snuck into a concert put on by local radio station Power 99 at the Philadelphia Civic Center. Their plan was to find Will Smith backstage and perform for him. However, while looking for Smith, they happened to cross paths with New Edition member Michael Bivins, who along with fellow band mates Ricky Bell and Ronnie DeVoe, just announced they were forming a New Edition spin-off trio Bell Biv DeVoe. After they sang New Edition's "Can You Stand the Rain" for him, Bivins and everyone in attendance, including other celebrities, were impressed. He then gave the group his number and told them to give him a call. Nate eventually called him, and he agreed to manage and helped produce the group.

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 found international fame: Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanyá Morris and Shawn Stockman.