A journey through Philly music history with Boyz II Men and John Morrison

Few artists have gone from humble Philly roots to a global impact in quite the same way as R&B sensations Boyz II Men did in the 90s. Fueled by an east coast doo-wop heritage and a high-energy hip-hop production style, the band made smash hits, collaborated with major names in pop music, and rode the ups and downs of the music industry on a career that continues to this day.

WXPN’s own John Morrison explores all of that, as well as all the history that surrounds it, in his debut book, Boyz II Men: 40th Anniversary Celebration, out now on Epic Ink and Quarto Publishing. In it, Morrison traces the journey of Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman, Wanyá Morris, and Michael McCary from Philly students to world-touring stars. Morrison also weaves in adjacent history and context at every opportunity. When he talks about how the group met at Philly’s High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, he takes a beat to talk about the founding of CAPA and what it meant to Philly; when illustrating how Boyz II Men landed on their retro-contemporary style, he gives a brief history of Philadelphia International Records.

On an interview for the WXPN Local Show, Morrison explains that providing all that backstory helps us as listeners. When you know where a piece of music came from, and the social, political, and cultural dynamics around it, you can appreciate it in a deeper way.

“That’s how I understand music,” Morrison says. “I don’t want just a song without any context or an album without any context. My ears can enjoy it, but for me to fully be invested I gotta know a little bit about it, and that’s bled into my writing style.”

Morrison chats about the book, the Boyz, and plays three songs from their catalog on this WXPN Local special; you can listen to it in the player above.