Who said watching television doesn't pay off? The vocal quartet Color Me Badd may want to debate that idea, since the pop hitmakers discovered their artistic ability while singing a Levi's jean commercial for a high school talent show.
Singer Mark Calderon, preparing for a concert at ParkWest on Thursday, June 25, told the Deseret News the four knew they had potential when the song made their peers rise to their feet, asking for more.Their first single, "I Wanna Sex You Up," skyrocketed to the top of the charts so fast that Calderon said finishing the rest of their first album, "C.M.B.," became a major challenge. The end result offered so much style, enthusiasm and vocal ability that Color Me Badd has become one of the hottest a cappella-oriented groups on the pop charts today.
Each of the four members of Color Me Badd has his own personality, style and ideas. They came together as teens, searching, not even entirely sure they wanted a career in music. Bryan Abrams and Kevin Thornton have been friends since junior high school. Calderon and Sam Watters have been bosom buddies since their elementary days.
When deciding to form a group, Watters had the least interest and the least experience. However, Calderon would not join without him. Things finally came together, and the rest, as they say, is music history.
Featuring an updated doo-wop sound, Color Me Badd appeals to many age groups and nationalities. The four members come from different ethnic backgrounds, which contributed to their group name and their appearance and style.
Today Watters and Calderon are 22, and Thornton and Abrams are 23. On the heels of their first single came the No. 1 hit "I Adore Mi Amor," followed by "All 4 Love" and "Thinkin' Back." Color Me Badd earned three Grammy and three Soul Train award nominations. They won the American Music Award this year. The album "C.M.B." has been certified double-platinum and is a best seller around the globe.
Color Me Badd is hard at work on album No. 2, trying out a slightly more modern sound. "We are concentrating more on funk and acoustic rhythm, for a real sound and real music," Calderon said. "We haven't been given a deadline, so we can take our own time now to think about the music and our sound that we have been working so diligently to perfect."
Although the four have opened for many different artists on tour, the upcoming ParkWest show will be one of the first times Color Me Badd has headlined its own show, attracting crowds in its own right.
Color Me Badd auditioned and worked with such hit artists as Paula Abdul, Bon Jovi, Toni! Tony! Tone!, Huey Lewis, Robert "Kool" Bell of Kool and the Gang, and the O'Jays. Kool and the Gang urged them to pursue a professional career.
After making it to New York, "all four of us were living with our manager in Manhattan until we were able to make it on our own," Calderon said.
In a day when popular music is dominated by head-banging and rap music, Color Me Badd rose to stardom showing music and talent go hand in hand.
Tickets for the June 25 concert, at 7:30 p.m. at ParkWest, are available at all SmithTix and Datatix outlets.