New Jack Swing Hall Of Fame:
Color Me Badd

This Oklahoma-based quartet was unique for its unprecedented racial diversity. Group members were: Bryan Abrams, Sam Watters, Mark Calderon and Kevin Thornton. Their slick and soulful Howie Tee-produced anthem “I Wanna Sex You Up” was easily the standout single from 1991’s New Jack City Soundtrack. They followed up with a debut album, and songs like “I Adore, Mi Amor,” “All for Love,” and “Thinking Back” were solid R&B/pop to the fullest.

After their initial success however, their 1993 follow-up (Time And Chance) failed to generate the listership their debut did nearly three years earlier. By 1995 – even though Color Me Badd were still recording – the group had been all but forgotten by the mainstream; perhaps due to a similarly styled group that emerged in 1994 called “All For One”...

In 1996, CMB returned with Now And Forever which brought them back to their pure R&B sound, in which they became known for. And it shows on songs such as "Sexual Capacity," "For All Eternity," "The Earth/The Sun/The Rain" (which was the first single off this album), and "Soft And Easy." The album features work from Boyz II Men and Faith Evans. "Sexual Capacity" was also featured in the Demi Moore movie, Striptease. CMB left Giant Records for Epic/Sony and released Awakenings in 1998 featuring the single, "Remember When." After that, the group disbanded and went on to other projects. Bryan has doing some solo work on the independent circuit, but Sam has achieved big success as a songwriter and producer,working with artists such as Jessca Simpson and 98 Degrees.

In 2006, Sam Watters married American Idol finalist Tamyra Gray. Around the same time period, Bryan Abrams joined the likes of Chris Kirkpatrick (of 'Nsync) for a VH1 reality series called "Man Band," coming together as a band named Sureshot. Mark Calderon is living quietly in Ohio, while Kevin Thornton is a Christian-based artist.

 

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