Who Is the Oldest Member of Boyz II Men?
Boyz II Men burst onto the music scene in the ’90s. The group made up of Wanya Morris, Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, and Shawn Stockman turned out one hit after another and remain one of the most popular R&B bands today.
Even though they’ve been in the spotlight for three decades there is still a lot fans don’t know about the group including how they were discovered, who the oldest member is, and why Boyz II Men’s original name has been described as “gross.”
The star who discovered Boyz II Men
The members of the group met when they attended the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. They decided to start a group and began performing everywhere from bathrooms at their school to street corners in the city to the favorite hangout spots.
In 1989, they snuck into a concert venue where they tried to find Will Smith to perform for him. While looking for the rapper they ran into New Edition star Michael Bivens and performed “Can You Stand the Rain” for him. Bivens was so impressed that he decided to produce and manage the group.
Boyz II Men became a huge success with hits like “Motown Philly,” “End of the Road.” “On Bended Knee,” and “I’ll Make Love to You.” However, the quartet became a trio in 2003 when McCary left the group. He had been experiencing what he thought were back spasms but doctors later told him that he had multiple sclerosis. At the time, McCary did not tell his fellow bandmates about his diagnosis. His condition though had been affecting their performance schedule so he chose to leave the group.
The age of each Boyz II Men member
So who is the oldest of the three Boyz II Men members? The answer is Nathan, who was born on June 18, 1971. Stokman is a year younger as he was born on Sept. 26, 1972. The youngest member of the group is Wanya who was born on July 29, 1973. There have been rumors over the years that Nathan and Wanya are brothers because they both have the last name Morris but there is no relation between them.
When asked which of their songs stands out as a favorite, Stockman told People: “I don’t have a favorite. I love them all because they’re parts of the story that made us who we are.”
Stockman reveals the group’s ‘cheesy’ original name
Stockman also revealed to the publication that Boyz II Men originally went by a different name, one that he is glad they changed.
The tenor vocalist said that the group’s original name was Unique Attraction but that they decided to change it after hearing a New Edition song.
“It all began when we heard New Edition’s song ‘Boys to Men’ on the radio,” Stockman recalled. “Nate and I were on the phone talking about changing our name because we thought the one we had sucked …Thank God that song came on. It was an evanescent moment.”
Stockman couldn’t help but joke about the group’s former name saying: “Unique Attraction — ugh, so gross! It was such a Philadelphia name. If you grew up in Philadelphia, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It was cheesy, but it was the vibe back then.”
