Boyz II Men

Boyz II Men are an R&B vocal quartet from Philadelphia who became one of the defining pop and R&B acts of the 1990s. The group grew out of a circle of students at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, where Nathan Morris brought together Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman and Michael McCary; an early lineup also briefly included Marc Nelson. Discovered in 1988 after an impromptu backstage audition for New Edition member Michael Bivins, they took their name from a New Edition song and signed to Motown Records, releasing their debut album Cooleyhighharmony in 1991.

The group built its sound on lush, close vocal harmonies rooted in gospel and doo-wop traditions, blended with new jack swing production on early singles like «Motownphilly» and stripped-down a cappella balladry on tracks such as «It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday». They reached their commercial peak in the mid-1990s with a run of chart-topping ballads, including «End of the Road», «I’ll Make Love to You» and «On Bended Knee», several of which set long-standing records for weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.

Beyond their solo catalog, Boyz II Men became known for high-profile collaborations, most notably with Mariah Carey on «One Sweet Day». Their emotive lead and backing vocal interplay, tight harmonic blend and ballad-driven songwriting helped define the sound of 1990s R&B and influenced a generation of vocal groups that followed.