According to the RIAA, Boyz II Men are the most commercially successful R&B group of all time. Boyz II Men’s break came in 1989, when they snuck backstage at a Bell Biv DeVoe concert and wowed Michael Bivins with an a cappella version of “Can You Stand the Rain.” Bivins offered them a deal on the spot and soon they recorded their debut album, Cooleyhighharmon. It’s first single, “Motownphilly,” rocketed up the charts, going number one R&B. The a cappella ballad, “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,” also hit the pop Top Five. The album won a Grammy, although nothing could have foreshadowed the group’s Midas touch over the next few years. Entering the studio between concert gigs, Boyz II Men cut “End of the Road” for the film Boomerang. It’s one of the biggest singles in history and spent 13 weeks at number one, an incredible run that broke the record of 11 weeks Elvis Presley had held since 1956. Boyz’ next album, II, was an instant smash in 1994 with sales of over 12-million copies. The first single, “I’ll Make Love to You,” wound up tying Whitney Houston’s record, with 14 weeks at number one. “On Bended Knee” replaced “I’ll Make Love to You” at number one for a six-week run of its own. Their bigges hit, however, was a song with Mariah Carey. “One Sweet Day” spent 16 weeks at number one. In 2011, Boyz released Twenty. They continue to tour the globe.
