Boy Bands have been a staple in the music industry for some time. They have often been marketed to teen girls and young women by record labels–which brought in major cash to label executives. CDs and cassette tapes flew off the shelves of record stores, and merchandise and ticket sales brought in millions. These guys frequented covers at magazine stands, which always featured pull-out posters (Remember buying magazines?). For these singers, taking off their shirts came with the territory. Longevity was never on the side of boy bands; however, they often made a huge impact in their short time in the limelight. For the next few weeks, we will take a look back at the top band bands throughout the years.
First up is Backstreet Boys…
There is no discussion about boy bands without the Backstreet Boys. They are one of the biggest acts in history. AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, Kevin Richardson and Nick Carter have dominated the charts–with 9 Studio albums–that have produced countless hits. Top 10 hits include “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart),” “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back),” “All I Have to Give,” “I Want It That Way” and “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely.”
B2K
From 2000 to 2004, Omarion, J-Boog, Raz-B and Lil Fizz dominated radio. There was not a teen magazine or music video countdown that their songs were not on. “Uh Huh” and “Gots Ta Be” peaked at #37 and #34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the lead from their second album Pandemonium!, took them to the Top of the chart. “Bump, Bump, Bump” (featuring P. Diddy), hit number 1 on the Hot 100, which was fueled by Mainstream Top 40 Radio play.
One Direction
Between 2010 to 2016, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson made quite the impact, with 5 Studio Albums. Their debut single “What Makes You Beautiful” peaked at #4 on Billboard’s Hot 100. They went on to score multiple Top 10 hits, including “Live While We’re Young,” “Best Song Ever” and “Drag Me Down.”
98 Degrees
Between 1997–2000, Jeff Timmons, Nick Lachey, Justin Jeffre and Drew Lachey put their stamp in history, as one of the Top boy bands of all time. The band had Top 10 hits the likes of “Because of You,” “The Hardest Thing” and “Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche).” They scored their only #1 hit as a featured artist on Mariah Carey’s “Thank God I Found You.”
Shai
Numerous R&B groups will be featured in our Top Boy Bands of all-time. Most write-ups online seem to just feature Pop groups–groups like Shai are often forgotten. Between 1992 to 1995, the group had 7 entries on Billboard’s Hot 100. The biggest of their hits, “If I Ever Fall in Love” peaked at #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B charts. The song peaked at #5 on United States Mainstream Top 40 and #1 on Rhythmic radio. It ranked #7 on Billboard’s Year-end charts.
Other Top 10 hits included “Baby I’m Yours” and “Comforter” which both peaked at #10 on the Hot 100 in 1993. In 1995, “Come with Me” peaked at #43, and “I Don’t Wanna Be Alone” featuring Jay Z peaked at #89.
Honorable Mention…
Soul for Real
Like with Shai, the band members of Soul for Real did not become house-hold names. Most 90’s R&B groups were not able to crossover to Top 40 radio. And the ones that did, left us with that one hit we all know; however, the general public today couldn’t even recall the name of the artist (Those who grew up in the 90’s would!).
In Soul for Real’s case, it is their mega-hit “Candy Rain.” This song gets stuck in your head. The song peaked at #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100, and hit #1 on the R&B charts. The song ranked #25 on Billboard’s top songs of 1995. Their follow-up single “Every Little Thing I Do” peaked at #11 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and #45 on the 1995 Year-end chart. The singles that followed from their 2nd and 3rd albums were not able to chart on the Hot 100. Lead singer, Jason “Jase” Oliver Dalyrimple has been releasing solo music in recent years.
Which boy bands should be featured next?