Color Me Badd - Another Jon Discovery
 

I don't think most of you are old enough to remember this Epic group but I was a junior in High School when these guys emerged on the music scene and believe it not, they were somehow considered cool. There were kids in my school who actually dressed and styled after these guys. I think it was after their cameo on Beverly Hills 90210 when my entire High School looked like these guys. I, of course had the Bon Jovi Blaze Of Glory look....

Anyway, they were an all-star look-a-like group stealing looks from legendary performers such as Milli Vanilli, Kenny G, Vanilla Ice, & George Michael (This guy actually made the real George Michael seem straight)

Some of their bigger hits were below. The dancing in All 4 Love is the best. AKA Junior Prom flashback...

- I Wanna Sex You Up
- I Adore Mi Amor
- All 4 Love

We could all thank our Rock Genius for bringing these fine musicians into our lives. See Below:


When the four young men were barely out of high school, a chance encounter with a popular musician gave them a boost. Bryan and Kevin were both working at a local movie theatre at this point in time, but this particular night it was just Kevin. As he tore tickets for every Larry, Harry and Mary that walked through the door, in walked Jon Bon Jovi, along with a group of friends (including Bon Jovi band mates).

Kevin thought the man was a look-alike at first, until he noticed a Bon Jovi logo on someone's jacket. Kevin immediately played sick to get off of work, then called Watters, Abrams and Calderon to come to the theatre for a possible chance to perform for Jon.

So, after sitting through "two long, boring movies," they had Bryan introduce Color Me Badd to Jon, and ask for a few minutes of his time to hear them sing. "Go ahead fellas, show me what you've got." he replied. The guys then broke out their flawless harmonies and performed an a cappella arrangement of "Daddy's Home" right there in the lobby. Jon listened, thought it over, then answered, ‘How would you guys like to open up in front of 20,000 people tomorrow night?’ And we’re like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ So they let us open on stage, and that’s pretty much how everything went,”

With that statement, Color Me Badd secured a place on stage in front of 20,000 Bon Jovi and Skid Row fans at OKC's Myriad Convention Center. They were well-received by the audience, until they mentioned their high school... apparently the crowd was full of students from a rival school, and they were boo'ed for mentioning Northwest Classen.

Soon after the Bon Jovi encounter, the young men met Robert "Kool" Bell of Kool and the Gang, who took a listen and then took action. Bell hooked them up with part of his management team, including couple Myles Sanders and Linda Phillip. The guys moved cross-country to New York City in September 1989 and lived with Sanders for a year and a half (in a one-bedroom apartment) while they tried to get a record deal.

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There is an interview with Bon Jovi where he talks about the above story. He then goes on to say that he didn't even remember who they were until someone reminded him some time later at an awards show while the group was receiving multiple awards.

I Wanna Sex You Up was a pretty big song. lol

Color Me Badd was the piece of poop that just won't come out of boy bands. They were too shitty for the toilet.

They were my first concert experience; I was 14 in 1991. I didn't know about the Jovi connection.

Being from Oklahoma I had heard this story before, but I never knew if it was true.

Glad to know it's true... and there's something comforting knowing Jon was even fudging seat numbers back then. :)

Sorry, this time Jon failed. That 'band' sucks big time.

Jon did well with Cinderella. CMB? Nahhhh.

Jon didn't really discover them, he gave them the opportunity to open for them. He didn't actively help them get a recording contract. Jon lets unknown artists open for Bon Jovi a lot, even turned it into a competition. I wouldn't say he discovered those artists either.

Hey, like the band or not, it's still pretty cool that Jon gave these unknowns a chance. Guess he never forgot that if it wasn't for someone giving him a shot by playing runaway on the radio, he wouldn't have made it.

On a side note, I don't remember everyone in my school looking like these guys, all the dudes looked like Vanilla Ice in my school around this time. Lol.