Boyz II Men back again

Later today, the legendary R&B group, Boyz II Men, will perform on the lawns of The University of the West Indies, Mona campus, where the concert is being presented by Live and Direct Promotions. Joined by Tessanne Chin and Lila Iké, the group will surely put on a special performance for music fans. Still, this is not the group’s first performance on the island.

Boyz II Men was formed in Philadelphia in the 1980s when Nathan Morris and Marc Nelson started singing in high school. As time passed, they were joined by Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman. The quartet was soon signed by Michael Bivins – a member of another all-male band, New Edition. Boyz II Men's big break came in 1991 with the release of Cooleyhighharmony. Thanks to the mega-hit, End of the Road, the album sold over 10 million copies worldwide while the single was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 13 weeks. In the same year, the group made their first trip to Jamaica. To further round up a successful year, they took home three Grammy Awards at the 1992 ceremony.

By 1994, the team followed up with their sophomore album, II. It spawned the Billboard chart-topping hits, I’ll Make Love to You, On Bended Knee, and Water Runs Dry, and as a result, the album sold over 12 million copies in the United States. II went on to win Best R&B Album at the 37th Grammy Awards. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked it at #495 on the September 22, 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

As the years passed, the group toured and made multiple international appearances. As such, in 1997, they touched down in Jamaica once more. This time, they performed at Spring Break in Negril. Months later, it was announced that the group would be the international headliner at the 1998 staging of Sumfest. They were booked alongside fellow R&B group, K-Ci & JoJo, who were on tour with the group then. This billing marked a turning point in the festival’s history. Up to this point, the show only booked reggae and dancehall acts. As one of the festival’s organisers, Johnny Gourzong, told The Gleaner in 2013, they had to reposition the festival, which included “presenting the best reggae acts across the globe and the top-charting hip-hop and R&B acts”. Thus, the tradition of international acts at the festival started with Boyz II Men's performance, which coincidentally is one of the festival’s most lauded. As The Gleaner reported in a July 13, 2016, article:

“While primarily a reggae festival, Reggae Sumfest has had a long history of showcasing the megastars of other genres. In fact, fans still argue that the greatest performance in the annals of the festival was given by a non-reggae act. The performance in question was the smashing set played in 1998 by the incredible R&B trio, Boyz II Men, who answered the call of the promoter to add a fresh flavour to the event by delivering a blockbuster one-hour-plus set, which not only had the fans dazzled, if not totally mesmerised, but also made on indelible mark on the history of the event”.

As one avid festival goer, Sharon Williams, told this newspaper:

"Who could ever forget that amazing Boyz II Men performance? ... . It was out of this world ... the crisp vocals, the dance moves, the stage presence... I have seen the reggae [greats] and the R&B acts like Usher, Joe and Lionel Richie, but Boyz II Men were just awesome."

Just a month later after their Sumfest performance, the group released their third evolution LP, Evolution, and went on to further success – a streak that continued into the new millennium. They also returned to the island for other performances. In 2005, they were one of the headline acts at the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival in Montego Bay, and then returned two years later to perform at I-Scream, held at James Bond Beach. In 2010, they performed at the benefit concert, Shaggy and Friends, at Jamaica House.

By January 2012, the group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Other honorary awards include inductions in the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the R&B Music Hall of Fame.

Tonight, the group will break their drought on the island and their excitement to do so is infectious. As the group told The Gleaner this week:

“It’s been a while since we’ ve been to Jamaica, and although we’re not going to be there for a long time, we’re looking forward to hanging out for a little bit, enjoying the weather, the sights, and just having a great time. We’re gonna sing our hearts out, and hopefully, the people will enjoy it.”

If their past performance on the island is anything to go by, we are sure that patrons are in for a treat.

J.T. Davy is a member of the historical and political content collective, Tenement Yaad Media, where she co-produces their popular historical podcast, Lest We Forget. She is also a writer at the regional collective, Our Caribbean Figures. Send feedback to jordpilot@hotmail.com and entertainment@gleanerjm.com.