Artist:The Boys
Song:Dial My Heart
Album:Message from the Boys
Dial My Heart was a top 20 hit in 1988. It was the only big hit for the R&B boy band The Boys. One of their other songs charted so they are technically not a one hit wonder. And they did well on the R&B charts. The Boys should remind you of New Edition. They were on the same label. The Boys are four brothers from Carson, CA. They are Khiry, Tajh, Hakim and Bilal Abdulsamad. In 1988, they ranged in age from 15 (Khiry) to 10 (Bilal). So they were a preteen version of New Edition. They started out entertaining on Venice Beach for tips during summer vacation. They earned $22,000 one summer. Then they hired a manager and started performing at private parties. They sent out a demo and MCA Records executive Jheryl Busby signed them. After Motown owner Berry Gordy retired, MCA made Busby president of Motown, he took The Boys with him. Obviously he thought they would be big stars. They even wrote their own songs. Half of The Boys' 1988 debut album Messages from the Boys was written and produced by LA Reid and Babyface including Dial My Heart. It reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the R&B Singles chart. When there were no other hits on the album, The Boys complained to Busby and told him they wanted to produce themselves. Busby had to be disappointed. I just think they were too similar to New Edition. They weren't distinctive. They recorded three albums for Motown and The Boys got to write and produce themselves on the third album. But it didn't help. Message from the Boys is available on CD. The Boys left Motown, moved to Gambia and changed their name to Suns of Light. All of them have left the music business. But they made a fortune during their brief run. Here's the video for Dial My Heart by The Boys.
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