Editing Boyz II Men (section)

=== 1991–1993: ''Cooleyhighharmony'' and "End of the Road" ===
Boyz II Men's first album, ''[[Cooleyhighharmony]]'', was released on Motown in 1991 and was produced by Dallas Austin and the Characters. ''Cooleyhighharmony''{{'}}s drum-heavy [[new jack swing]] sound and multi-layered [[sampling (music)|sampled]] backdrops were similar to that of [[Bell Biv DeVoe]]'s own work, but featured classic-soul styled vocals in place of BBD's [[rapping]] and brassier [[singing]]. This style was dubbed "[[hip hop music|hip hop]] [[doo-wop]]" by the group and Bivins, who presented Boyz II Men and adolescent R&B group [[Another Bad Creation]] to the public as BBD's protégés.

From the beginning, Boyz II Men featured all four members as leads, avoiding the usual R&B group arrangement of one or two lead singers and a team of background singers. The multiple-lead arrangement became a Boyz II Men trademark, and it became typical to hear Wanyá Morris' vibrato-heavy [[tenor]], Shawn Stockman's tenor voice, Nathan Morris' [[baritone]], and Michael McCary's [[Bass (vocal range)|bass]] (often used in spoken-word sections of many Boyz II Men hits) trading bars in each song.

The album's liner notes identified unique nicknames for each group member. These nicknames were devised in collaboration with Bivins in an attempt at marketing. Wanyá was "Squirt," Shawn was "Slim," Michael was simply "Bass," and Nathan assumed the name "Alex Vanderpool," after a soap opera character who brandished a nerdy style.<ref>The character in question, Alfred Vanderpool, appeared on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[All My Children]]''.</ref>

Boyz II Men's first single, the [[Dallas Austin]]-produced "[[Motownphilly]]," featured a rap cameo by [[Michael Bivins]] that tells of how he met Boyz II Men. The single's release was accompanied by a [[music video]] that presented the group in hip-hop style. (The video also included cameos from fellow Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts alumni [[Black Thought]] and [[Questlove]] of [[The Roots]].) ''Cooleyhighharmony''{{'}}s second single was an a cappella cover of a classic Motown tune, [[G.C. Cameron]]'s "[[It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday]]" from the 1975 film ''[[Cooley High]]'', while "Uhh Ahh" served as the third single.

''Cooleyhighharmony'' achieved major success, selling over nine million copies and winning the [[Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals]] at the [[Grammy Awards of 1992|1992 Grammy Awards]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/09/arts/boyz-ii-men-at-the-head-of-the-class.html|last1=Rule|title=Boyz II Men at the Head of the Class|access-date=9 November 2017|newspaper=New York Times|date=October 9, 1994}}</ref> Boyz II Men were also nominated for [[Grammy Award for Best New Artist|Best New Artist]], along with British singer-songwriter [[Seal (singer)|Seal]], fellow R&B group [[Color Me Badd]], and dance group [[C+C Music Factory]], but the Grammy was awarded to singer-songwriter [[Marc Cohn]]. "Motownphilly" and "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" were number 1 R&B hits and top five U.S. pop hits.

In 1992, Boyz II Men joined [[MC Hammer]]'s high-profile [[Too Legit to Quit|2 Legit 2 Quit]] [[Concert tour#Concert tour|Tour]] as an [[opening act]]. While traveling the country, their tour manager Roderick 'Khalil' Rountree was murdered in [[Chicago]], and the group's future performances of "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" were dedicated to him. As a result of this unfortunate experience, the song helped advance their success.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.vh1.com/shows/behind_the_music/episode.jhtml?episodeID=60634 |title=Ep. 180 &#124; Boyz II Men &#124; Behind The Music &#124; Episode Summary, Highlights, and Recaps |website=VH1.com |access-date=2011-02-26 |archive-date=2011-03-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110308172930/http://www.vh1.com/shows/behind_the_music/episode.jhtml?episodeID=60634 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

While touring during 1992, Boyz II Men returned briefly to the studio to record the single "[[End of the Road (Boyz II Men song)|End of the Road]]," co-written and produced by [[Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds]], for the soundtrack to [[Eddie Murphy]]'s film ''[[Boomerang (1992 film)|Boomerang]]''. This song, released as a single on June 30, 1992, became Boyz II Men's biggest hit. It reached the number one position on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on August 15, remaining for a record-setting 13 weeks, until November 14, 1992. The success of "End of the Road" instantly transformed Boyz II Men from up-and-coming R&B stars into mainstream music celebrities.

A revamped ''Cooleyhighharmony'' was reissued during 1993, with "End of the Road" added as a special bonus track, but "End of the Road" initially appeared only on the ''Boomerang'' soundtrack. Later, the track was included in a collection of singles produced by Michael Bivins called "East Coast Family, Vol. 1".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000006K52 |title=East Coast Family 1: Various Artists: Music |website=Amazon.com |access-date=2011-02-26}}</ref> Shortly after the release of this compilation, Boyz II Men and Michael Bivins parted ways professionally. Boyz II Men continued to work with Babyface and other high-profile record producers over the next several years.