Though Boyz II Men hit the jackpot as a quartet, they started as a quintet; Marc Nelson, the fifth member, left the group before they made their first recording. Considering that Boyz II Men became the most successful R&B male vocal group of all time, one may wonder if Marc Nelson has taken to beating his head against a brick wall on a daily basis.

The group assembled in Philadelphia in the mid-80s and was originally called Unique Attraction. The unfortunate Nelson and his friend Nathan Morris, recruited three more guys--Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman and Michael McCary--and named themselves after a Bell Biv DeVoe song.

Their first album was called Cooleyhighharmony, released by Motown Records in 1991, featuring drum-heavy beats and the smooth harmonies of the four singers. It was a major success and won a Grammy award; two singles from the album, "Motownphilly" and "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" topped the R&B charts and climbed to the Top 5 in pop charts.

During a tour to promote their first album, the group also recorded the  "End of the Road" single which stayed at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for a whopping 13 weeks, breaking a record held by Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel."

Their second album, II, released in 1994 was chock full of hit singles, like "I'll Make Love to You," "On Bended Knee" and "Water Runs Dry." "I'll Make Love to You" broke the group's own record by spending 14 weeks in the #1 spot. The guys were basically magnets for Grammys that year as well.

Boyz II Men's self-described 'hip hop doo wop' sound won them fans in the US and abroad and proved to have major crossover appeal. In 1996, Motown released The Remix Collection, which remixed songs from their first two albums but the group was not entirely happy with their label's move. Friction and tension ensued between label executives and the talent.

Evolution came next but it didn't live up to the accolades of the group's previous albums. Problems with management and record sales were compounded by Wanya Morris's health problems which postponed Evolution's accompanying tour.

Another album, Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya, was released in the midst of more record company upheaval (Motown was bought out by another company) and more health problems (McCary had scoliosis). Two more albums had a lukewarm reception but the group bounced back with Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA, a collection of classic Motown hits covered by Boyz II Men. The boys even launched their own clothing line so if their phenomenal album sales ever dry up, they'll have that to fall back on.