SMASH HITS - NOVEMBER 1994
They're due on our shores in just seconds (approx.) for their first-ever Australian visit, so you'd better make sure that you brush up on the life and times of BOYZ II MEN with our essential guide!
SOME OF THESE FACTS MAY BE OUT OF DATE AS THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN OVER THREE YEARS AGO
*Boyz II Men are Shawn Stockman (21), Michael McCary (22), Wanya Morris (21) and Nathan Morris (23). Wanya and Nathan are not related, despite having the same last name!
*They all have "interesting" nicknames. Shawn's is "Slim" for (obvious reasons), Wanya's is "Squirt" (once again, for obvious reasons), Michael is called "Bass" (because of his deep voice) and Nathan is "Alex Vanderpool" for his great love of and interest in fashion!
*They all met each other in 1988 at Philadelphia's high school of Creative and Performing arts where they spent their days honing their vocal and songwriting talents. "School set high standards for us," recalls Wanya.
*The Boyz were discovered by New Edition/Bell Biv DeVoe member Michael Bivins, who later became their manager. They sneaked backstage at a New Edition concert in 1989 and sang a capella for him and he signed them to his nearly started Biv Entertainment company on the spot. But when Boyz II Men became more successful than his own group, he quit as their manager to concentrate on his own flagging career instead. Bad move, Mikey.
*Their name comes from a New Edition song of the same name.
*Their first album, Cooleyhighharmony, which came out in 1991, sold seven million copies in the States alone. The follow-up - the cleverly titled II - has now chalked up sales of three million in only three months and is still hovering near the top of the charts over there (not to mention here in Oz too).
*"End Of The Road" is the second longest running No. 1 hit in the American charts. It was at the top for 13 weeks - only Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" has topped it with 14 weeks. It originally came from the Boomerang soundtrack, but was later added to a repackaged version of Cooleyhighharmony.
*"I'll Make Love To You" is the biggest selling single of 1994!
*They recently re-signed to their American record label, Motown (the record label of the 1960's!) for a reported $40 million! That puts them in the same league as Madonna and Michael Jackson!!
*They've sung background vocals on records for people like Stevie Wonder and stablemates Another Bad Creation (hence the "Boyz II Men, ABC, BBD" bit in their first single, "Motownphilly").
*When it comes to the future of the band, expect them to be around for a very long time to come. "We were group members before we were friends," says Shawn. "We all have a different vibe," is how Wanya puts it. "Now we're the best of friends," Shawn interrupts, "but we still argue, hahaha!"
*BUT!!! "I don't have a best friend," Nate disagrees with a smile. "I have three of them - Shawn, Michael and Wanya. They're all I could ask for in a friends. I mean, what one doesn't have the other does!"
*Nate reckons he's the "big brother of the group". Since he started the group off he might be right, after all!
*Wanya usually does most of the lead singing on their songs!
*Amongst the many awards that they have picked up in their glittering career so far are three Grammy awards and three American music awards.
*They often disagree about the colour of each other's socks. "But we always come to some agreement," laughs Shawn.
*They like to wear suits, "We wear different kinds of suits, but they're still suits," Shawn titters.
*The boys are considered so well dressed that they were even voted amongst America's 10 best dressed celebrities earlier this year!
*Their tour manager, Khalil Rountree, was murdered a few years ago, and the boys dedicated their song "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye" to him.
*They performed their hit "In The Still Of The Nite" in the TV mini-series The Jacksons which was on TV last year. They played a do-wop street quartet!
*They used to dress like they do now at High School ("We're preppy, but hip" they reckon!) and decided to make it onto their "style" when they became pop stars. They call their look the "Alex Vanderpool" - besides it being Nathan's nickname - after a yuppie character on the US soapie, "All My Children". "Alex looked like we did," says Shawn. "We wore the same things he wore!"
*When Nate was asked recently who exactly he would like to make love to he said "Right now, there's no one specific in mind. Actually at the moment I'm just in the process of making love to my music!" Sounds messy, eh?! Then when he was asked how good, on a scale of one to ten, he was at making love he replied, "Er, I can't really say. You know I'm not the judge of that. Er, I guess I'm okay!"
*They reckon that the best song to make love to is Janet Jackson's "Any Time Any Place". The pervs!
*All four members of the band still live at home!
*All four were raised by single mothers, that's why their music is so full of love for women. "Women go through a great deal," Shawn blethers. "And we feel the man should be the one to say ' hey relax, I'm going to do the things you want to be done!'"
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