1985–1990: Group formation and beginnings The group, originally named "Unique Attraction," was formed in 1985 by Nathan Morris and
Marc Nelson at the
Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA). Morris and Nelson joined with fellow schoolmates
George Baldi, Jon Shoats, and Marguerite Walker to create the original lineup. Two years later, in 1987, the group added freshman Wanyá Morris (who has no blood relation to Nathan), a singer in the school choir. In 1988, Baldi, Shoats and Walker left the group upon graduating from the school. Later that year, the group added Shawn Stockman after his impressive solo performance as a fellow member of the school choir. The fifth and final member to join the group was Michael McCary, who one day in 1988 encountered Unique Attraction rehearsing in a school bathroom (because of the acoustics), when he added some bass notes. With this five-person lineup, the group began to attract many fans and significant support at their high school, where they were mentored by the renowned CAPA teacher
LaDeva Davis. The group was heavily inspired by
New Edition, so much so that they renamed the group as "Boyz II Men," after New Edition's hit song "Boys to Men" (from their 1988 album
Heart Break). However, while looking for Smith, they happened to cross paths with New Edition member
Michael Bivins. On the spot, they sang their
a cappella rendition of New Edition's "
Can You Stand the Rain" for him. Bivins and everyone else who witnessed the impromptu performance (including other celebrities) were impressed. Despite having no experience as a manager, Bivens gave the group his telephone number, and invited them to call him sometime soon. Nathan Morris took Bivens up on that invitation, calling Bivens on the telephone repeatedly. Eventually, Bivens agreed to help get Boyz II Men signed to a record contract, and to help manage the young artists. After some time, Bivens successfully worked to get Boyz II Men signed to a major label:
Motown Records. The president of Motown at the time was
Jheryl Busby, who personally met with Boyz II Men and approved their initial contracts. However, it took over a year before Boyz II Men would find their way into a studio to record an album. During that time, the group worked with Bivens on several projects (including contributing vocals to songs with other Bivens-led groups like
Another Bad Creation). The delay before Boyz II Men would record their own material, among other unspecified conflicts, led to the departure of founding member Marc Nelson. Nelson left Boyz II Men before the recording sessions for their debut album. Boyz II Men moved forward as the quartet that would soon find international fame: Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanyá Morris, and Shawn Stockman.
1991–1993: Cooleyhighharmony and "End of the Road" Boyz II Men's first album,
Cooleyhighharmony, was released on Motown in 1991 and was mainly produced by
Dallas Austin.
Cooleyhighharmonys drum-heavy
new jack swing sound and multi-layered
sampled backdrops were similar to that of New Edition offshoot
Bell Biv DeVoe (BBD), but Boyz II Men featured classic-soul styled vocals in place of BBD's
rapping and brassier
singing. This style was dubbed "
hip hop doo-wop" by the group and Bivins, who presented Boyz II Men and Another Bad Creation to the public as BBD's protégés. From the beginning, Boyz II Men featured all four members as leads, avoiding the typical R&B group arrangement of one or two lead singers and a team of background singers. The multiple-lead arrangement became a Boyz II Men trademark: Wanyá Morris' melismatic
tenor, Shawn Stockman's crystal-clear falsetto, Nathan Morris' husky
baritone, and Michael McCary's true
bass (often featured in spoken-word sections) trading bars in each song. The album's liner notes identified unique nicknames for each group member. These nicknames were devised in collaboration with Bivins in an attempt at marketing. Wanyá was "Squirt," Shawn was "Slim," Michael was simply "Bass," and Nathan assumed the name "Alex Vanderpool," after a soap opera character who brandished a nerdy style. Boyz II Men's debut single, "
Motownphilly," featured a rap cameo by
Michael Bivins that describes how he discovered Boyz II Men. The single's release was accompanied by a
music video that presented the group in hip-hop style. (The video also included cameos from fellow CAPA alumni
Black Thought and
Questlove of
The Roots.)
Cooleyhighharmonys second single was an a cappella cover of a classic Motown tune,
G.C. Cameron's "
It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" from the 1975 film
Cooley High. The sensual "Uhh Ahh" served as the third single.
Cooleyhighharmony achieved remarkable commercial and critical success, selling over nine million copies and winning the
Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the
1992 Grammy Awards. That year, Boyz II Men were also nominated for
Best New Artist, along with British singer-songwriter
Seal, fellow R&B group
Color Me Badd, and dance group
C+C Music Factory, but the Grammy was awarded to singer-songwriter
Marc Cohn. In 1992, Boyz II Men joined
MC Hammer's high-profile
2 Legit 2 Quit Tour as an
opening act. While traveling the country, their tour manager Roderick 'Khalil' Rountree was murdered in
Chicago, and the group's future performances of "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" were dedicated to him. As a result of this unfortunate experience, the song helped advance their success. While touring during 1992, Boyz II Men returned briefly to the studio to record the single "
End of the Road," co-written and produced by
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, for the soundtrack to
Eddie Murphy's film
Boomerang. This song, released as a single on June 30, 1992, would become one of the most successful songs of the decade. It reached the number one position on the
Billboard Hot 100 on August 15, remaining there for a record-setting 13 weeks, until November 14, 1992. The unprecedented success of "End of the Road" instantly transformed Boyz II Men from up-and-coming R&B stars into mainstream music celebrities. A revamped
Cooleyhighharmony was reissued during 1993, with "End of the Road" added as a special bonus track. Later, the song was also included in a collection produced by Michael Bivins, featuring his most celebrated acts, called "East Coast Family, Vol. 1". Shortly after the release of this compilation, Boyz II Men and Bivins parted ways professionally. Boyz II Men continued to work with Babyface and other high-profile record producers over the next several years.
1994–1996: II and "I'll Make Love to You" After releasing a Christmas compilation,
Christmas Interpretations in 1993, Boyz II Men returned to the studio for their highly anticipated sophomore effort. In 1994,
II was released.
II sold more than copies in the United States alone, becoming one of the best-selling albums ever released by an R&B group act, and one of the biggest albums of the decade.
II later won two awards at the
1995 Grammy Awards, including
Best R&B Album. Most of the tracks on
II were written and produced by
Tim & Bob—Tim Kelley and Bob Robinson (5), Babyface (2) and the successful team of
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (2). Several of
IIs tracks became major singles, among them Jam & Lewis's "On Bended Knee", and Babyface's "
I'll Make Love to You" and "
Water Runs Dry". "I'll Make Love to You" broke "End of the Road's" 13-week record at number 1, by spending 14 weeks at the top of the chart (a feat equaled earlier that year by
Whitney Houston's cover of "
I Will Always Love You"). "On Bended Knee" replaced "I'll Make Love to You" at number 1, making Boyz II Men the second act ever to replace itself at number 1 on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart after the Beatles. In 1995, the group appeared as backing vocalists on "
HIStory" from Michael Jackson's Grammy-nominated ninth
album of the same name. In 1995, Motown issued
The Remix Collection, a compilation of
remixes of various Boyz II Men songs from
Cooleyhighharmony and
II. The group itself had opposed the release of the collection because they felt the compilation did not represent Boyz II Men's best work. After the label released the album without their permission, there was a dispute between the company and the group. Boyz II Men initiated their own recording company Stonecreek (which released material by artists such as
Uncle Sam), and they arranged for Stonecreek's distribution by
Epic Records, not Motown.
1997–1998: Evolution and label conflicts Boyz II Men's third studio album,
Evolution, was released during 1997 to mixed reviews and sold three million copies, far below the stratospheric success of
IIs ( copies) and
Cooleyhighharmony (). Only one of
Evolutions singles, the Jam/Lewis-penned "
Four Seasons of Loneliness", reached number 1 on the Hot 100 chart. The second single, the Babyface-helmed "
A Song for Mama" (the theme song to the Babyface-produced film
Soul Food,) was a Top 10 success, but the follow-up "Can't Let Her Go" underperformed. The global tour began in 1997 to promote
Evolution was successful in terms of ticket sales, but behind the scenes, Boyz II Men was wracked by conflicts, with their record label and internal conflicts among the members of the group. Making matters worse, health problems began to take their toll on the group. While on tour to support the
Evolution album, Wanyá Morris developed a
polyp on his
vocal cords, and the group was forced to postpone part of the tour until he recovered. McCary's multiple sclerosis meant that he was unable to participate in most of the group's dance routines. Boyz II Men were nominated for 2 Grammys in 1998: Best R&B Album for
Evolution and Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "
A Song for Mama".
1999–2001: Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya In 1999, Motown's parent company,
PolyGram, was bought by
Universal Music Group. Amidst the major corporate restructure, Motown was merged with UMG's Universal Records, where Boyz II Men found themselves reassigned. Their only studio LP album for Universal, 2000's
Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya, was chiefly written and produced by the group itself, in an attempt to update their sound and ward off critics who questioned the group's reliance on Babyface's hit-making songcraft. While the critics were more receptive to
Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya than they had been to its predecessor, the LP sold only 500,000 copies in the US, copies worldwide, and although its two singles, "Pass You By" and "Thank You in Advance," received media attention, neither became hits. Boyz II Men departed from Universal in 2001, ending their relationship with the company that brought them to international stardom in 1991. The label released a
greatest hits compilation,
Legacy: The Greatest Hits Collection, to close out their contract.
2002–2003: Full Circle, "The Color of Love" and Michael McCary's departure Signing a new deal with Arista Records in 2002, Boyz II Men began recording the
Full Circle album, and they recruited Babyface for the lead single, "The Color of Love," which was released in the summer of 2002. In an attempt to recapture the massive success the group had enjoyed a decade earlier, the album received a significant promotional budget. Arista commissioned a high-quality music video, shot in four different locales by four different directors: supervising director
Little X filmed scenes featuring Michael McCary in India,
Hype Williams filmed Shawn Stockman in
Tokyo,
Benny Boom filmed Nathan Morris in
Ghana, and
Chris Robinson filmed Wanyá Morris in
Puerto Rico, and finally all four members were filmed in New York City. The resulting music video had a debut on
BET, but failed to have a great effect, and
Full Circle, like
Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya before it, sold slightly more than 500,000 copies in the US and copies worldwide. To date,
Full Circle is Boyz II Men's last album as a quartet. On , 2003, Michael McCary left Boyz II Men due to chronic health challenges resulting from
multiple sclerosis and reported personal problems. In 2006, Boyz II Men's seventh studio album,
The Remedy, was released exclusively in Japan, where they found a thriving fan base. In other regions,
The Remedy was made available online through the group's website on , 2007.
2007–2009: Hitsville USA & Love In mid-2007, the group re-signed with Universal Records and released the LP
Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA through the
Decca Records label. The LP is a
cover album featuring songs from the Motown Records catalog, co-produced by
Randy Jackson of
American Idol fame. The
Motown album includes covers of songs by The Temptations ("
Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)"),
Marvin Gaye ("
Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing", "
Mercy Mercy Me"),
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles ("
The Tracks of My Tears"), and even Boyz II Men themselves (an a cappella version of "End of the Road"). Commercially,
Motown found some success. It peaked at number 6 on the US R&B chart and was certified Gold in the UK. The album was also a critical success. For the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009, Boyz II Men received two nominations for the album
Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA (Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "Ribbon in the Sky"). In 2008, Boyz II Men's three members appeared on Celebrity ''
Don't Forget the Lyrics'' and created a sensation with their performance. They earned $500,000 for their two nominated charities; the appearance also generated interest in their next release. In 2009, Boyz II Men announced plans for a new cover album that covers "artists I don't think people would expect us to cover!" according to Shawn Stockman. Entitled
Love, the album was released on , 2009. The album contains remakes of love songs from outside the R&B genre.
2010–2012: Love Cruise and Twenty in January 2012 Boyz II Men headlined a "Love Cruise" in honor of their 20th anniversary and in observance of
Valentine's Day. The cruise took place –14, 2011, and traveled from
Miami, Florida, to
Nassau, Bahamas. Cruise passengers received a Boyz II Men welcome cocktail party, a concert performance by Boyz II Men, an additional fan appreciation concert by Boyz II Men, a photo session with Boyz II Men (in small groups), a formal
prom night, a
poker tournament, a deck party with Boyz II Men and a guest DJ, a singles mixer, a gift bag, and onboard drawings for other Boyz II Men events. Couples were able to renew their
wedding vows in a special ceremony with Boyz II Men.
Twenty, named in recognition of Boyz II Men's twenty years in the music business, is a double CD album with thirteen original songs and eight rerecorded Boyz II Men classics. It was released on October 25, 2011.
Twenty is the group's fourth release through MSM Music Group. It was released in Japan 13 days before its official US release date with the help of
Avex Group, the biggest Japanese
independent record label. Originally, Boyz II Men announced a reunion with original member Michael McCary for the
Twenty album. On September 6, 2009, at a concert in
Virginia Beach, Virginia, Stockman announced that their upcoming 20th anniversary album would "include all 4 members", sparking a tremendous applause. But soon after that announcement, McCary reportedly declined, and in the end, he did not join the project. The album was released on October 25, 2011. Later in 2011, Boyz II Men performed as special guests on
VH1's highly rated
VH1 Divas Celebrate Soul concert. In 2012, Boyz II Men contributed a cover of Japanese rock band
L'Arc-en-Ciel's song "
Snow Drop" on their tribute album.
2013–2019: Las Vegas residency, Collide and Under the Streelight On January 22, 2013, the group appeared on
The View along with
New Kids on the Block and
98 Degrees to announce a joint tour that took place in summer 2013. Shortly thereafter, Boyz II Men announced that beginning later in 2013, they would stop touring and begin a multi-year residency in
Las Vegas, Nevada, at the
Mirage Hotel and Casino. That residency, which included multiple performances each week, ran until 2018. On January 13, 2014, the trio appeared at the end of an episode of
How I Met Your Mother titled "
Slapsgiving 3: Slappointment in Slapmarra", performing an a cappella version of the show's song "You Just Got Slapped". Their eleventh album, titled
Collide, was released on October 21, 2014. In 2016, the trio appeared in
Grease: Live as the Teen Angels and sang
Beauty School Dropout. Wanyá placed 4th for the
22nd season of the
ABC reality competition series
Dancing With The Stars. They also did music for an animated adaptation of
The Snowy Day. In 2017, the group began starring in television commercials for
GEICO Auto Insurance. On June 24, 2017, a section of Broad Street in Philadelphia, from Christian to Carpenter Streets, was renamed “Boyz II Men Boulevard” by the city council. Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, where the members of Boyz II Men were once students, is on this section of Broad Street. In August 2017, it was announced that Boyz II Men would release a new album titled
Under the Streetlight in the fall. The album, a collection of covers from the 1950s, along with one original track, "Ladies Man," was released on October 20, 2017, debuting and peaking at number 58 on the US
Current Album Sales chart. On January 4, 2018, the group was featured in a new track released by
Charlie Puth, titled "
If You Leave Me Now", created for Charlie Puth's album
Voicenotes. On September 6, 2018, the group performed at the NFL 2018–2019 season kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. On October 2, 2018, the group performed "Ladies Man" on ABC's
Dancing with the Stars. DeMarcus Ware and Lindsay Arnold danced a quickstep to the song. The group is featured on a re-imagined version of
Take That's song ''
Love Ain't Here Anymore'' from their number one selling album
Odyssey.
Howard Donald revealed during an interview with
Magic Radio that "he fulfilled a dream when they recorded this song". On December 15, 2018, the group staged a concert at the
Smart Araneta Coliseum with Filipina singers
Kyla,
Yeng Constantino,
KZ Tandingan and
Angeline Quinto titled Boyz II Men with DIVAS. On September 18, 2019, it was reported that the group would play themselves on the ABC comedy series
Schooled. On September 30, 2019, Boyz II Men announced their Asia Tour, which took place after returning from their US tour and the end of their long-term residency at The Mirage in Las Vegas. They visited cities such as Kuala Lumpur (December 1), Bangkok (December 7), Singapore (December 9), and Manila (December 12).
2020–present: Reported biographical film and occasional reunions with McCary In 2021, Boyz II Men's career became the focus of the first episode of the
Netflix music documentary mini-series
This Is Pop. The name of the episode is, "The Boyz II Men Effect." In the episode, music critics and historians evaluate the reasons why Boyz II Men's influence on American popular music have been often overlooked. The episode contains extended interviews with all three members of Boyz II Men, and shows several highlights of recent performances. They later performed an
a cappella version of the anthem at the
2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, which was widely panned by fans. In 2024, Boyz II Men competed in
season twelve of
The Masked Singer as "Buffalos" where
Nick Lachey (who competed as "Piglet" in
season five) served as their Mask Ambassador. Shawn played the Buffalo named Maroon, Nathan played the Buffalo named Olive and Wanya played the Buffalo named Goldie. Originally, there was one "Buffalo" in the first appearance before the other two came out during their performance of
Cutting Crew's "
(I Just) Died In Your Arms". They became the first group to win a season of the show while member Nathan Morris became the oldest winner in the show's history at the age of 53, beating out the record held by
Wayne Brady in
season two.
Robin Thicke,
Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg,
Ken Jeong,
Rita Ora,
Nick Cannon, the entire audience, and
Mario as "Wasp" (who finished in second place) figured out that Boyz II Men was "Buffalos". Boyz II Men did an encore performance of "Motownphilly". In 2024, Boyz II Men returned to Las Vegas for a brief residency at
The Chelsea. They returned for week-long residencies at the same venue in 2025 and 2026, becoming what one local publication called an "annual tradition." On August 30, 2024, at The Chelsea, Michael McCary made a surprise appearance on stage with Boyz II Men, when he was called up to the stage and embraced by all three current members. McCary did not sing, but this moment marked the first time McCary had been seen publicly with Boyz II Men since 2012 (when they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame). On November 14, 2024,
Variety reported that work on a Boyz II Men
biopic had begun, with development led by Compelling Pictures (which produced the 2018 Academy Award-winning biopic
Bohemian Rhapsody among other films). On November 22, 2024, the charity Christmas album
A Philly Special Christmas Party by
The Philly Specials was released, featuring Boyz II Men on the song "It's Christmas Time (In Cleveland Heights)". In 2025, Boyz II Men was part of the show
KPopped, performing with k-pop group
Blackswan. They performed "Roll Up", "Motownphilly" and "End of the Road". On August 9, 2025, again at The Chelsea, McCary again appeared on stage with Boyz II Men, and this time he joined them in performing part of "
In The Still of the Nite" and "
I'll Make Love to You", marking the first time McCary had sung publicly with Boyz II Men since 2002, more than twenty years earlier. On January 30, 2026, McCary surprised the audience and performed "
End of the Road" with Boyz II Men on stage at the
T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, during their North American tour with New Edition. These repeated appearances of McCary with his former bandmates, starting in 2024, led to speculation that a full reunion might be possible in the near future. == Style and influence ==