Michael Sean McCary (born December 16, 1971) is an American musician known for being a former
bass singer of the
R&B group
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men ( ) is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. Formed in 1985, they have been a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris, tenor Wanya Morris, Wanyá Mo ...
(in which he was sometimes known as Mike Bass).
Boyz II Men
After an encounter in a school bathroom with the members of
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men ( ) is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. Formed in 1985, they have been a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris, tenor Wanya Morris, Wanyá Mo ...
, McCary started singing along with the group and eventually became the group's new bass singer. After signing to
Motown
Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
in 1991, they released their debut album, ''
Cooleyhighharmony
''Cooleyhighharmony'' is the debut studio album by American R&B group Boyz II Men, released by Motown Records on April 30, 1991. The album was written mainly by Boyz II Men members Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman, and produced b ...
.'' Boyz II Men would quickly start to climb music charts with songs such as;
I'll Make Love to You
"I'll Make Love to You" is a song by American R&B group Boyz II Men for the Motown label. Written and produced by Babyface, it was released on 26 July 1994 as the lead single from the group's second album, '' II'' (1994). The song was a commer ...
(1994) and
Water Runs Dry (1995). In 1996, the group released the single
One Sweet Day with
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...
. Boyz II Men are best known for their vocal harmonies. McCary sings bass in the group.
Departure
In 2003, McCary left Boyz II Men due to back spasms that were eventually and ultimately diagnosed as
multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...
.
McCary kept his condition from the other band members and did not make it public until 2016. On an interview with
Oprah, band member
Wanya Morris
Wanyá Jermaine Morris ( ) (born July 29, 1973) is an American singer, best known as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B group Boyz II Men. He competed on the Dancing with the Stars (American season 22), twenty-second season of ''Dancing wit ...
stated that there was a rift in the group caused by McCary's lack of motivation. Morris accused McCary of not showing up to work altogether and that the group eventually had to carry on without him. McCary said that he felt betrayed by his brothers and that he no longer talks to them.
He reunited with his former Boyz II Men band mates at their August 30, 2024 show, and hinted a reunion might be in the works.
Later works
He was shown in the pilot for a talk show with
Paula Poundstone called ''A Pound of Paula'', which wasn't picked up.
After a few years in retirement from performing, he returned to touring in 2007.
Boyz II Men discography
Albums
Singles
References
External links
*
*
Michael McCaryat
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
1971 births
Living people
Boyz II Men members
American basses
Singers from Philadelphia
American soul musicians
American contemporary R&B singers
20th-century African-American male singers
20th-century American male singers
20th-century American singers
21st-century African-American male singers
21st-century American male singers
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