Color Me Badd

They waited for him to leave the theater and then sang the 1961 doo-wop hit "Daddy's Home" a cappella for him.

Bon Jovi invited them to be his band's opening act the following night, to perform in front of 20,000 audience members.

Color Me Badd is an American contemporary R&B group that was formed in 1985 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by lead singer Bryan Abrams (born November 16, 1969), tenor Mark Calderon (born September 27, 1970), second tenor Sam Watters (born July 23, 1970) and baritone Kevin Thornton (born June 17, 1969).

The four met in the mid-1980s while attending Northwest Classen High School in Oklahoma City.

They were all members of the school choir.

The group originally formed in 1985 as Take One, but changed their name to Color Me Badd to avoid confusion with an a cappella band named Take 6.

Watters selected the name, after a horse at the racetrack named Color Me Bad.

They aimed to be a vocal group in the vein of New Edition and New Kids on the Block.

They first performed together in a school talent show, influenced by doo-wop a cappella groups of the past, such as Sam Cooke, The Temptations and the Four Tops.

The group came up with a plan to spontaneously audition for any big-name acts playing in Oklahoma City.

They met Robert Bell of Kool & the Gang on May 27, 1987, when they were in Oklahoma City for a performance.

They auditioned for him and he introduced them to his then-road manager, Adil Bayyan, who would become Color Me Badd's manager and convince them to move to New York City to pursue a record deal.

They also sang for Huey Lewis and the News, Sheila E.. and Ronnie Milsap, and opened for Tony! Toni! Toné! in Oklahoma City in 1988.

One afternoon in 1989, Thornton saw Jon Bon Jovi in a movie theater and called the other band members to join him.

They moved to New York City on September 23, 1989.

In 1990, they bumped into Tony!

Toni!

Toné!, who got them into the ASCAP Music Awards.

There, Color Me Badd approached producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and started singing for them.

The producers advised that, being a multicultural group, they write a half-English, half-Spanish song.

They wrote "I Adore Mi Amor" back in Oklahoma City with their producer and friend Hamza Lee.

Giant Records executive Cassandra Mills heard a tape of the band singing the song, and they signed with Giant on August 11, 1990.

After signing the group, Mills asked producer Dr. Freeze for a song for Color Me Badd to record for the New Jack City soundtrack, similar to "Do Me!" by Bell Biv DeVoe.

Freeze offered "I Wanna Sex You Up", which would become Color Me Badd's debut single, released on March 2, 1991.

The song wasn't originally intended to be a single, and had been turned down by other acts including Bell Biv DeVoe, Keith Sweat and Christopher Williams.

The biggest hit on the New Jack City soundtrack, it peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit number 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Due to the song's popularity, Giant Records wanted Color Me Badd to quickly record an album.

At the time, they only had four or five finished songs.

They were flown out to Los Angeles to work in the studio, recording the album in two or three weeks.

Their debut album, C.M.B., was released on July 23, 1991.

It would go on to sell over 6 million copies worldwide and become certified triple-platinum in the US, spending 77 weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at number 3.

"I Wanna Sex You Up" was included on the album.

The follow-up single "I Adore Mi Amor" hit number 1 on the Hot 100 and on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, "All 4 Love" hit number 1 on the Hot 100, "Thinkin Back" reached number 16 on the Hot 100 and number 31 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and "Slow Motion" reached number 18 on the Hot 100.

Color Me Badd performed at the 1991 Smash Hits Poll Winners' Awards in the United Kingdom, winning the Best New Group trophy.

They made a cameo appearance as themselves on a 1992 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210.

Thornton and Abrams became friends in junior high school, and Watters and Calderon became friends in grade school.

Color Me Badd broke up in 1998 before reuniting in 2010, with various lineups since.

Best known for their singles "I Wanna Sex You Up", "I Adore Mi Amor" and "All 4 Love", the group has sold over 12 million records worldwide, had two number 1 hit singles, nine Top 40 hits and a triple-platinum album.

They were nominated for two Grammy Awards, won two Soul Train Music Awards and one American Music Award, and were nominated for five others.

Their songs have been featured in movies and on television programs including New Jack City, Mo' Money, No Strings Attached and Glee.