The Boys (band)
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The Boys was an American R&B group comprised of the four Abdulsamad brothers, Khiry (born in 1973), Hakim (born in 1975), Tajh (born in 1976), and Bilal (born in 1978). The group started out singing in Carson, California. The group had several #1 singles on the R&B charts but never had a mainstream pop #1. As the group featured four young male vocalists, it could be considered an early example of a boy band.
The Boys appeared to have a lot of talent and were encouraged by their parents to pursue their dreams. The group initially included only Khiry and Hakim, but Tajh and Bilal joined the group when they started to perform publicly. Together, they pushed their dreams further, performing to raise money for a Father's Day present. They began at the beach in Venice, California and quickly earned over 50 dollars. They started going to the beaches on a weekly basis in 1984. Through 16 shows, the kids made over $12,000.
Only allowed to perform over summer break, their earnings continued to grow as their parents tried to shape them into productive adults. In 1986, the boys moved their talents to try to make records. Their parents Jabari and Angela enrolled in a course in Entertaining Management at Los Angeles Trade Tech and used their learnings to help their kids develop. The kids began working talent shows and performing private parties. It was at one such talent show where the group got their name. Nameless up until that point, the announcer asked Angela what the group's name was. She responded with "my boys" and then quickly changed her answer to "The Boys." The name stuck.
The group sent their demo tape to MCA, Motown and Solar Records and were given offers by all of them. Jheryl Busby signed the group while he was employed at MCA Records. However, when MCA purchased Motown records, Busby made a move up the ladder and the boys found themselves under the Motown label. Working with The Boys, Busby sought to bring the group to Jackson Five fame.
As an act, the group was very self-sufficient, writing and producing their own music. The group befriended Babyface in 1985 when he was starting to become known for his work in the group The Deele. Together with L.A. Reid, the two men crafted the tracks "Lucky Charm," "A Little Romance," and "Dial My Heart." While The Boys weren't impressed with the songs, they changed their minds after seeing Babyface perform them. The public loved the songs as well as "Dial My Heart" reached #1 on the R&B charts in 1988.
The Boys released their debut album, Messages From The Boys during the same year and it performed very well. The album's second single, Babyface's "Lucky Charm," topped the R&B charts in 1989.
The Boys second album was their self-titled The Boys, which was released in 1990. The album featured a hit single with "Crazy" which reached #1 in the same year. For a time, the single was featured in Pepsi commercials, helping the group establish further.
In 1993, the group's deal with Motown expired and they were offered a new six-year contract. However, the group was upset over their treatment on the label, as Motown ignored the group's self-produced album Saga Continues... and the acts produced by The Boys such as Small Change. The group seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth and while everyone believed Motown had dropped them, they in fact, dropped Motown.
As the 90s progressed, the members of the group moved to the Western Africa state of Gambia, where they set up a recording studio. Learning the native tongue, the group began to develop a new sound and became known as The Suns Of Light. The gorup continues to produce music and release albums on a regular basis.
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Western African Country of Gambia
