They emerged from their native Oklahoma City with that record into a degree of stardom that, in the nineties at least, afforded them an impressive fanbase on both sides of the Atlantic, with the group scooping the coveted Best New Group award at the Smash Hits Awards here in the United Kingdom back in 1992. number two single ‘I Wanna Sex You Up’, or indeed their American chart-topper I Adore Mi Amor, even if they did do their best to confuse us by segueing into a different language on their 1991 debut album C.M.B. Thankfully, though, the R&B five-piece had the good manners to ensure that we wouldn’t encounter similar problems with their recorded output I don’t think any deep philosophical debates are going to be required to ascertain the true meaning behind their smash hit, U.S. If you’re not entirely sure exactly what it is that ‘Color Me Badd’ is supposed to mean, then I’d like to think you’re in good company - I’d be lying if I told you I knew, either. However, Abrams and Calderon revived the band as a duo in 2010, and were soon able to convince Thornton back into the fold as well, they’ve been touring ever since, and they still come highly recommended. However they still weren’t selling, and after the commercial failure of 1998’s “Awakening”, the band split in 2000. The band stayed at a more manageable level of fame for the rest of the decade, occasionally scoring top twenty hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and releasing albums that got far more critical acclaim than they ever did at their commercial peak. The band spent the years of 19 as one of the biggest names in pop music but it wasn’t to last. July 1991 saw the release of their debut album “C.M.B” which spent a total of 77 weeks on the Billboard 200, selling a million copies in its first two months of release. It was also huge in the U.K and New Zealand, marking an international breakthrough for the band as well.

In time, the song became an astonishing hit, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and staying there for four weeks. The band debuted in 1991 with the release of their debut single “I Wanna Sex You Up”, which came out on the soundtrack of a crime film called New Jack City and made a name for the group immediately. This manager relocated the group to New York City, New York but found that in the big city, they were one of many, many acts trying to make a name for themselves.Īfter a year and a half’s worth of concerts and label showcases, the band signed to Giant Records in 1990. One of their early champions was Robert Bell of Kool and the Gang, who saw the groups potential and signed them up with a manager that he knew personally. They formed a band together just before high school after discovering their similar tastes in music and spent their high school years singing together, building a reputation with their doo-wop style harmonies. The original line-up of Bryan Abrams, Sam Watters, Mark Calderon and Kevin “K.T” Thornton met while singing in the same church choir in Oklahoma. It might surprise you to know that even Color Me Badd, an outfit that on the surface seem utterly tailor made, actually formed naturally.

Color badd