WEBVTT - 9: Mama Said Knock You Out 0:00:03.920 --> 0:00:06.160 So far, Like Michael Bivens at the time of the 0:00:06.160 --> 0:00:08.879 filming of the Boys to Men Motown Philly video, I 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:12.639 have heard zero music from Sudden Impact, not the original recipe, 0:00:12.760 --> 0:00:15.440 nineteen ninety one version, not the five guys in the video. 0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:17.800 I don't think I actually can hear the music of 0:00:17.840 --> 0:00:20.600 Sudden Impacts because it's locked in a vault at Capitol Records. 0:00:21.200 --> 0:00:23.639 I've heard White Guys quick Verse on the East Coast 0:00:23.680 --> 0:00:25.960 family song one Forour All four to one, and they 0:00:26.000 --> 0:00:28.880 sound good, but I haven't heard any full songs because 0:00:28.920 --> 0:00:32.040 whatever they recorded is locked in a vault, and Motown Records, 0:00:32.200 --> 0:00:35.280 which distributed music from Michael Bivens' biv ten label, which 0:00:35.320 --> 0:00:38.000 doesn't exist anymore. I haven't heard any music from the 0:00:38.000 --> 0:00:41.320 Outsiders either, because whatever they recorded under that name is 0:00:41.360 --> 0:00:44.400 the property of Sony Music, which distributed Boys to Men's 0:00:44.479 --> 0:00:47.800 Stone Creek label, which also doesn't exist anymore. I have 0:00:47.880 --> 0:00:50.480 heard some of the songs the guys recorded as Outsiders 0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:53.080 for Life after Aaron and Noel Kane left the group 0:00:53.240 --> 0:00:56.440 and Jimmy Marble and Jason Dowdy joined. It's a little 0:00:56.440 --> 0:00:59.320 harder than I was expecting, a little angrier, a little 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:02.240 more Timberland because it was the year two thousand and 0:01:02.280 --> 0:01:04.440 everything was more tim Milandy back then it was the law. 0:01:05.240 --> 0:01:07.720 But from the original five I have still heard no music. 0:01:08.240 --> 0:01:10.520 But thanks to Jason and Tim Bird, I have made 0:01:10.560 --> 0:01:14.480 contact with Todd White and Alan Healy, and before we speak, 0:01:14.600 --> 0:01:17.560 I ask them whether they have the other major thing 0:01:17.600 --> 0:01:20.480 I'm missing, maybe the biggest piece of the puzzle so far, 0:01:20.720 --> 0:01:24.039 the thing that put this story into motion, the two 0:01:24.160 --> 0:01:28.400 special poster, the picture that got Michael Bivens to sign them. 0:01:28.720 --> 0:01:31.880 They have it, and before we speak they send it 0:01:31.920 --> 0:01:35.160 to me. So now I have it, I'm going to 0:01:35.200 --> 0:01:38.080 break it down for you pixel by pixel, pegged Jean 0:01:38.240 --> 0:01:41.000 by peg Jane. I'll talk about it with Todd and 0:01:41.040 --> 0:01:43.399 Allen and I will get the sudden impact story from 0:01:43.400 --> 0:01:46.600 their perspective. I'll do a little digging as to whether 0:01:46.680 --> 0:01:49.280 one of their later songs who Are You was a 0:01:49.320 --> 0:01:52.840 disc track, and if so, who was getting dissed and why? 0:01:53.600 --> 0:01:56.120 Plus a conversation with a voice you could not escape 0:01:56.120 --> 0:01:58.400 in nineteen ninety one, I'm going to catch up with 0:01:58.520 --> 0:02:02.520 Freedom Williams of Seeing Music Factory, who is as always 0:02:02.880 --> 0:02:06.960 gonna make you sweat? This is waiting for impact a 0:02:07.040 --> 0:02:29.119 Dave Holmes Passion Project, Todd White, Alan Healey, Holy, how 0:02:29.320 --> 0:02:31.480 I cannot believe him talking to the both of you. 0:02:32.400 --> 0:02:37.119 This is nuts. First of all, how are you good man? 0:02:37.639 --> 0:02:38.519 Happy to be alive? 0:02:38.760 --> 0:02:39.480 We're both good. 0:02:39.840 --> 0:02:42.280 I'm speaking with Todd and Allen over Zoom. They're both 0:02:42.320 --> 0:02:44.919 in their individual homes. They live about thirty minutes away 0:02:44.960 --> 0:02:47.480 from each other in Virginia, and as I talk to them, 0:02:47.600 --> 0:02:48.680 I'm reminded of something. 0:02:48.720 --> 0:02:49.919 They're outsiders for life. 0:02:50.000 --> 0:02:53.440 Bandmate Jason Dowdy told me about them, One that Todd 0:02:53.520 --> 0:02:56.120 is the hard charger of the group, the engine, and 0:02:56.160 --> 0:02:59.280 two that Alan Heally was their street cred. Here's what 0:02:59.320 --> 0:03:00.760 he said about that, just. 0:03:00.720 --> 0:03:03.600 You know, like from his the family he's from, and 0:03:03.680 --> 0:03:05.880 the people he knows in the area, like he's kind 0:03:05.880 --> 0:03:08.760 of down with you know, some people from the streets 0:03:09.360 --> 0:03:10.799 it that way, you know what I mean. 0:03:11.200 --> 0:03:13.920 I don't actually know what Jason means, but of course 0:03:13.919 --> 0:03:16.919 now I'm expecting some kind of Virginia Beach sopranos character 0:03:17.080 --> 0:03:19.600 a tough guy, and maybe he is, but right now 0:03:19.680 --> 0:03:22.079 over Zoom, the two of them could not be nicer. 0:03:22.520 --> 0:03:24.920 Maybe they've mellowed with age, or maybe they're just happy 0:03:24.960 --> 0:03:28.239 to be talking about this stuff. Either way, you will 0:03:28.280 --> 0:03:29.880 believe how Todd White. 0:03:29.639 --> 0:03:33.040 Met Alan Heally. How did Todd White and Alan Healy meet. 0:03:33.160 --> 0:03:35.280 Over a girl? Actually? 0:03:35.640 --> 0:03:38.280 I think I started dating one of Todd's a's girlfriends 0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:42.320 and I got told that Todd White wanted to talk 0:03:42.400 --> 0:03:45.160 to me, and so I was like really, So then 0:03:45.200 --> 0:03:46.920 he told me I met him, and he was like, 0:03:47.200 --> 0:03:48.000 you know, treater good. 0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:49.320 She's a good girl type deal. 0:03:49.320 --> 0:03:53.160 And me and him actually became really good friends through this, 0:03:53.440 --> 0:03:57.480 and then those girls disappeared in our friendship kept on. 0:03:57.520 --> 0:04:00.480 So it's kind of really interesting girls. 0:04:00.560 --> 0:04:04.960 Man, Todd, My understanding is that that is how you 0:04:05.200 --> 0:04:06.240 met Aaron Kane. 0:04:07.040 --> 0:04:11.120 Yeah, it was yep, Todd. 0:04:11.240 --> 0:04:12.680 How many girlfriends did you have? 0:04:14.240 --> 0:04:15.680 I had a lot of girlfriends. 0:04:17.640 --> 0:04:18.839 Yeah, friends that were girls. 0:04:19.640 --> 0:04:20.920 Yeah, friends that were girls. 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:24.040 I don't know, man, I had to get rid of 0:04:24.080 --> 0:04:26.120 a lot of that stuff, Dave, so I could make 0:04:26.240 --> 0:04:27.200 room for new memories. 0:04:27.520 --> 0:04:30.440 Have you noticed that everyone involved with Sudden Impact or 0:04:30.480 --> 0:04:32.800 Michael Bivens says my name back to me when they 0:04:32.920 --> 0:04:35.400 answer a question, Hayden and Evett did it too. I 0:04:35.680 --> 0:04:37.680 can't help but wonder whether that was part of the 0:04:37.680 --> 0:04:41.640 training Michael Bivens put them through. Anyway, it works when 0:04:41.720 --> 0:04:43.680 these guys were teenagers. Though Todd was a bit of 0:04:43.680 --> 0:04:46.680 a wild child, it was an energy alan really clicked with. 0:04:47.200 --> 0:04:51.240 Our parents were both majors in the army, so very 0:04:51.680 --> 0:04:54.640 structured lifestyle. And then you have some people that go 0:04:54.720 --> 0:04:56.839 into that lifestyle, I'd say, and then you have guys 0:04:56.880 --> 0:04:59.800 like us that completely fought against our dads and hated it. 0:05:00.080 --> 0:05:02.279 So many of us joined the military. We went. 0:05:02.360 --> 0:05:06.560 I asked my mom is Vietnamese Mom, I don't want 0:05:06.560 --> 0:05:08.279 to do the Air Force and she was like, what 0:05:08.320 --> 0:05:09.440 do you want to do? I said, I want to 0:05:09.440 --> 0:05:11.320 hang out with Todd, and you know, you know, she 0:05:11.400 --> 0:05:13.360 was like, follow your dreams, do whatever you want to do. 0:05:13.440 --> 0:05:16.279 So it was a it was a different you know, 0:05:16.320 --> 0:05:18.320 but titled just that guy man. He was just somebody 0:05:18.360 --> 0:05:20.960 that always people are talking about him because he's either 0:05:21.000 --> 0:05:21.600 pissing them. 0:05:21.480 --> 0:05:23.120 Off or they liked him. Do you like Tid or 0:05:23.120 --> 0:05:24.559 you hated Todd? Todder? 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:25.719 How does that feel to hear that? 0:05:26.440 --> 0:05:27.000 It's cool? 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:27.280 Man? 0:05:27.320 --> 0:05:28.920 You know, I'll tell you this, man. 0:05:29.880 --> 0:05:33.359 You know, we grow old, man, we grow apart man, 0:05:33.480 --> 0:05:36.479 and uh well, not really a part but like with 0:05:36.640 --> 0:05:39.240 me and Allen. Man, we can go like, you know, 0:05:39.440 --> 0:05:42.320 a week, two, three, well a month without to talk 0:05:42.400 --> 0:05:44.600 to each other and call and pick right up where 0:05:44.600 --> 0:05:45.719 we left off, right where we. 0:05:45.800 --> 0:05:48.760 Left off, man, you know, and uh, it's cool man. 0:05:48.800 --> 0:05:48.960 You know. 0:05:48.960 --> 0:05:50.960 It was a real good bond. There still is. 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:53.600 It's always been. It's always been really you know. But 0:05:53.680 --> 0:05:55.280 you know, yet life happens. 0:05:55.440 --> 0:05:57.760 You know, how are your parents with your decision to 0:05:57.800 --> 0:05:58.680 pursue music. 0:05:59.480 --> 0:06:03.320 Oh they care whatever as long as he does something 0:06:03.360 --> 0:06:03.960 with himself. 0:06:04.000 --> 0:06:04.560 You know what I mean? 0:06:06.240 --> 0:06:08.520 What kind of kids were you? What kind of teenagers 0:06:08.520 --> 0:06:08.719 were you? 0:06:08.760 --> 0:06:09.000 Were? 0:06:09.440 --> 0:06:09.719 Kids? 0:06:10.080 --> 0:06:10.919 Bad kids, wild? 0:06:11.160 --> 0:06:13.200 I would tell you I was good all the way 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:16.279 till about when I started hanging out with Todd. I 0:06:16.400 --> 0:06:19.280 was started getting where he was not in school, ninth grade, 0:06:19.360 --> 0:06:21.800 he was out. I got a call and it'll be 0:06:21.839 --> 0:06:23.640 Todd telling me, Hey, calling sick. We're going to go 0:06:23.680 --> 0:06:25.400 to the beach. We're going to write to you know. 0:06:25.480 --> 0:06:27.600 Then he started. There was all the music and being 0:06:27.640 --> 0:06:29.600 around him. You never knew what to expected. This guy 0:06:29.680 --> 0:06:31.280 all right, with a lot of parties we weren't allowed 0:06:31.320 --> 0:06:34.279 to come to locally, And that all changed once we 0:06:34.279 --> 0:06:35.760 got into boys and Men's video of course. 0:06:36.040 --> 0:06:37.760 All right, let's back up here a little bit and 0:06:37.800 --> 0:06:40.359 talk about how Too Special the first version of Sudden 0:06:40.400 --> 0:06:43.760 Impact came together. We know Todd White met Aaron Kane 0:06:43.880 --> 0:06:45.560 at a party when they were about to get into 0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:48.280 a fist fight over a girl. We know that the 0:06:48.360 --> 0:06:51.039 original version of the group was Todd, Aaron, and another 0:06:51.080 --> 0:06:54.320 guy named Eric. What we don't know is how Alan 0:06:54.480 --> 0:06:55.119 entered the fold. 0:06:55.560 --> 0:06:57.520 I'll kind of tell you kind of what happened for 0:06:57.720 --> 0:07:00.000 me to get in this group. Todd and I were 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:03.280 always kind of just friends that acted crazy. I mean, 0:07:03.279 --> 0:07:04.880 if I want to do summer laugh, I go hang 0:07:04.920 --> 0:07:07.400 out with Todd. Tide was always a damn nut, you know, 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:09.880 carried through all the way to when we're this age. 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:11.560 Now. My son loves to go hang out with Todd 0:07:12.040 --> 0:07:13.560 just because Todd's wild. All right. 0:07:14.080 --> 0:07:17.240 So I was in Washington State and I got this 0:07:17.360 --> 0:07:19.920 phone call about and Todd played me a song over 0:07:19.960 --> 0:07:22.000 the over the thing, and it was in a group 0:07:22.040 --> 0:07:24.000 called Two Special Tight, you know, and I was like 0:07:24.280 --> 0:07:26.360 and said, that sounds pretty damn good man. 0:07:26.400 --> 0:07:29.640 I actually enjoyed that. So he told me that the 0:07:29.680 --> 0:07:30.360 two guys were. 0:07:30.240 --> 0:07:32.120 Getting ready to move and he needed the guy in 0:07:32.160 --> 0:07:33.440 the group, and he was like, if you want to 0:07:33.440 --> 0:07:37.040 come back to Virginia, you know, I'll you know, I'll 0:07:37.040 --> 0:07:37.920 put you in this group. 0:07:38.360 --> 0:07:39.600 And so I was like, all right. 0:07:39.640 --> 0:07:41.400 I just want to chime in here and remind you 0:07:41.440 --> 0:07:44.360 that this level of wheeling and dealing, these potential cross 0:07:44.400 --> 0:07:47.920 country moves and personnel changes, these were all being negotiated 0:07:47.960 --> 0:07:49.680 among sixteen year old. 0:07:49.440 --> 0:07:53.280 Boys and Aaron them didn't really know me too well. 0:07:53.320 --> 0:07:54.680 And I came in and it was kind of a 0:07:54.720 --> 0:07:57.520 little bit of a first like, oh, he's Todd's guy, 0:07:57.560 --> 0:07:59.920 you know, and this helps tide, you know, decisions now, 0:08:00.240 --> 0:08:02.760 it's his best friend type thing. And so we got 0:08:02.840 --> 0:08:05.560 together and I told him when I got in the group, 0:08:05.600 --> 0:08:08.119 I wanted to, you know, not just do local shows. 0:08:08.160 --> 0:08:10.360 I wanted to start, Hey, let's make this big, Let's 0:08:10.400 --> 0:08:13.560 do something. And so me and him started. He had 0:08:13.600 --> 0:08:15.880 that I would say a lot of the talent. Todd 0:08:15.920 --> 0:08:17.880 has always been really good at writing hooks. 0:08:18.200 --> 0:08:20.960 Todd, what was the name too Special? 0:08:21.160 --> 0:08:22.280 All about? How did that? 0:08:23.920 --> 0:08:27.360 I have no clue, as you, man, I mean, it's catchy. 0:08:28.680 --> 0:08:31.800 I wish I could remember, man, I honestly have no clue, man, 0:08:32.360 --> 0:08:34.200 you know, even a song I look back at the 0:08:34.240 --> 0:08:35.000 song please be. 0:08:35.080 --> 0:08:37.280 Mine, be my girl, Please be mine. 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:39.440 Dun dum dump my girl, like were begging. 0:08:40.480 --> 0:08:42.880 You know, it's but we were man, you're think you're 0:08:43.000 --> 0:08:45.040 sixteen years old. Man, you know what I'm saying. 0:08:45.280 --> 0:08:47.440 I do know exactly what he's saying. But what I'm 0:08:47.520 --> 0:08:49.720 dying to know about is how they made the decision 0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:52.760 as two sixteen year old boys to take their poster, 0:08:52.880 --> 0:08:54.680 which again we're going to talk about later in the show, 0:08:55.000 --> 0:08:58.640 and fly all the way across the country to try something. 0:08:59.200 --> 0:09:01.240 What I didn't know is that getting a record deal 0:09:01.360 --> 0:09:04.160 wasn't just a happy accident. It was the fulfillment of 0:09:04.200 --> 0:09:07.000 a promise. So let's talk about the trip to Los 0:09:07.040 --> 0:09:11.520 Angeles for Marvin Gaye's Walk of Fame ceremony. 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:15.920 Did you drive, did you fly? What did you did? 0:09:15.960 --> 0:09:16.800 You tell your parents? 0:09:16.920 --> 0:09:18.480 Well, yeah, tell our parents. 0:09:18.520 --> 0:09:21.360 We asked everyone to go, So we asked Tid's mom. 0:09:21.440 --> 0:09:23.000 I will tell you was like our manager. 0:09:23.080 --> 0:09:26.520 She pretty much put up every bit of money anything 0:09:26.559 --> 0:09:29.320 for Tide. She would put up whatever she just wanted 0:09:29.360 --> 0:09:32.040 Tie not to going to jail. You know, be somebody, 0:09:32.280 --> 0:09:34.319 And I would tell you music probably saved his butt 0:09:34.320 --> 0:09:36.880 from going to jail straight up. Because me and Todd 0:09:36.840 --> 0:09:38.520 both looked at each other and you can't sing from 0:09:38.559 --> 0:09:40.640 jail and make money. So we're like, you know, at 0:09:40.679 --> 0:09:42.600 least nowadays you might be able to, but not back then. 0:09:43.080 --> 0:09:45.439 So we were kind of like, hey, let's go do this. 0:09:45.559 --> 0:09:47.160 I went and talked to my mom, and my mom 0:09:47.200 --> 0:09:50.040 will take to this day. I asked her and I slammed. 0:09:50.080 --> 0:09:52.040 My father had a you know, we lived in Germany, 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:55.080 so yeah, and Mercedes Bens. 0:09:55.080 --> 0:09:56.920 I asked her, let me go with Todd. She said no, 0:09:57.440 --> 0:09:59.600 and I slammed the Mercedes Benz door so hard and 0:09:59.679 --> 0:10:00.800 slash at her door. 0:10:01.240 --> 0:10:04.040 Windows smashed, just went straight down, and she looked at 0:10:04.040 --> 0:10:06.000 me and she was like, you know, just pissed off. 0:10:06.000 --> 0:10:08.120 So I go to Todd and she comes back the 0:10:08.160 --> 0:10:11.000 next day and talked to Todd's mom and said, Alan, 0:10:11.080 --> 0:10:13.200 I work hard for my money. I'm gonna give you 0:10:13.240 --> 0:10:16.080 this money if you go to LA come back with something. 0:10:16.120 --> 0:10:18.079 And I was like, I promise you, I'm not going 0:10:18.120 --> 0:10:19.200 out there just to do nothing. 0:10:19.200 --> 0:10:20.840 I'm going out there to come back with something. 0:10:21.120 --> 0:10:23.680 They didn't get a recording contract off a poster because 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:26.000 they were lucky. They got it because Alan promised his 0:10:26.080 --> 0:10:28.160 mom he would, and these guys are men. 0:10:28.040 --> 0:10:29.960 Of their word. Cecil Jenkins. 0:10:29.960 --> 0:10:32.640 On the other hand, Marvin Gay's friend and local music promoter, 0:10:33.320 --> 0:10:35.600 might not have been as good a guy as I thought. 0:10:36.120 --> 0:10:38.640 And so Todd and I are out there. Supposedly he's 0:10:38.640 --> 0:10:40.880 gonna take care of us. Okay, We're gonna go out there. 0:10:40.880 --> 0:10:42.800 I'm gonna take care of this guy disappeared on us 0:10:42.800 --> 0:10:44.960 for the first night. To me and Todd decided because 0:10:44.960 --> 0:10:47.440 he left us there and just left us in hotel. 0:10:47.440 --> 0:10:49.720 We were kind of just I think his paycheck to 0:10:49.720 --> 0:10:52.400 get to La. So we get out there and we 0:10:52.440 --> 0:10:54.080 just get left and like we're supposed to be staying 0:10:54.120 --> 0:10:54.440 with him. 0:10:54.640 --> 0:10:56.880 But guess what, guys, I can't get you in the place. 0:10:56.960 --> 0:10:59.120 Kada YadA. So we were like, you know, it's true, 0:10:59.200 --> 0:11:00.520 let's walk around LA. We're out here. 0:11:00.559 --> 0:11:02.360 So you know, I'm a military brat, so I'm like, 0:11:02.440 --> 0:11:04.200 let's go. I've been in Germany, I've been in Paris. 0:11:04.200 --> 0:11:04.800 We can make this. 0:11:05.160 --> 0:11:08.360 Alan Heally and Todd White are sixteen years old, more 0:11:08.440 --> 0:11:10.560 confident and resourceful than I will ever be. 0:11:11.040 --> 0:11:12.680 We go out there and this guy's up on the 0:11:12.679 --> 0:11:15.400 stage of Marvin Gaye's you know, family. So we're up 0:11:15.400 --> 0:11:17.160 there at the start and I'm like, man, this dude 0:11:17.559 --> 0:11:19.480 kind of just dissing the hell out of us, really, you. 0:11:19.400 --> 0:11:20.040 Know, honestly. 0:11:20.440 --> 0:11:24.320 So we're Mike Bivins comes up and runs next to 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:27.240 us and stands like watching what's going on in Todd season. 0:11:27.920 --> 0:11:30.040 And I remember he Tide's like, yo, Alan, give him 0:11:30.040 --> 0:11:32.360 the poster, and you know, he walks off. So I 0:11:32.440 --> 0:11:34.480 walked up to him, like, yo, man, this a poster 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:35.839 and he's like, I'm gonna keep that shit out of 0:11:35.880 --> 0:11:38.040 my face. And I'm like, I was like, well, this 0:11:38.080 --> 0:11:40.120 guy just told me to. I go back and tell Todd. 0:11:40.160 --> 0:11:41.880 I'm like, yo, this. He goes what he's saying. I'm like, 0:11:42.240 --> 0:11:44.040 dude just told me to get that shit out of 0:11:44.080 --> 0:11:45.640 his face, and Time looks at me. He goes give 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:49.520 me that and he runs back over there and Mike's like, hey, man, 0:11:49.880 --> 0:11:51.760 I didn't know, man, I thought that was a new 0:11:51.840 --> 0:11:54.080 Kid poster and asked me to sign it, you know, 0:11:54.200 --> 0:11:56.040 like it's like kind of a disc like because they 0:11:56.040 --> 0:11:58.559 were supposed to be like new Kids from Areas Starshit. 0:11:58.840 --> 0:12:01.120 So he got kind of pissy and then he goes, no, okay, 0:12:01.120 --> 0:12:04.319 am I bad. So he points to Todd and tells Todd, hey, 0:12:04.760 --> 0:12:07.600 come over here, and so we you know, Tid points 0:12:07.600 --> 0:12:09.640 to me and we both go over there and he's like. 0:12:09.640 --> 0:12:11.640 Man, I'm so sorry. I thought she was this group. 0:12:12.120 --> 0:12:16.320 So he brings us up to Motown Records and we 0:12:16.360 --> 0:12:19.480 go right into the president's office, Gerald Busby's office, like, 0:12:19.760 --> 0:12:22.520 walk up, like man, Me and him have a poster 0:12:22.600 --> 0:12:24.840 in one song, please be on to it. Right into 0:12:24.880 --> 0:12:26.960 the office, and I'm sitting there like amazing, we're in 0:12:27.040 --> 0:12:29.280 this guy's office. I'm oh, my god, you know. 0:12:29.440 --> 0:12:32.200 And so he starts telling Jerald how this. 0:12:32.160 --> 0:12:34.000 Is going to be my new group, another group after 0:12:34.000 --> 0:12:35.719 another bad creation of boys to men, this is my 0:12:35.800 --> 0:12:38.400 new group, and so he starts askings, can you sing 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:38.760 like this? 0:12:38.960 --> 0:12:40.880 And I didn't. Man, I mean like, if I'm at 0:12:40.880 --> 0:12:42.240 a job, you asked me if I can do something? 0:12:42.280 --> 0:12:44.120 Oh yeah, I can do it. We can do whatever. 0:12:44.600 --> 0:12:45.960 So I sell our group. 0:12:46.080 --> 0:12:47.560 Me and Ty are sitting there and we just keep 0:12:47.600 --> 0:12:49.840 talking and he's like, hey, look, I don't know what 0:12:49.920 --> 0:12:50.360 you came. 0:12:50.240 --> 0:12:52.240 Out here to do, but you've accomplished it. Go back 0:12:52.280 --> 0:12:54.720 to Virginia and go home. 0:12:54.800 --> 0:12:55.440 I'll call you. 0:12:55.840 --> 0:12:58.680 What I love about everyone's version of this story is 0:12:58.679 --> 0:13:01.400 that nobody has told me what happened between Michael Bibvens 0:13:01.440 --> 0:13:04.360 looking at the two special poster and Michael Bivins driving 0:13:04.400 --> 0:13:07.319 Todd and Allen to Motown Records. And I think nobody's 0:13:07.360 --> 0:13:10.480 told me what happened because nothing happened in between. He 0:13:10.559 --> 0:13:13.160 really did just see the poster and make the decision, 0:13:13.559 --> 0:13:16.400 and Motown was just as quick to jump. Jeral Buzzby 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:20.120 asks if you can sing? Does he at any time 0:13:20.320 --> 0:13:21.040 hear you sing? 0:13:21.800 --> 0:13:25.040 At that point, Mike says, don't worry about it. I 0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:27.280 got these are my guys. They're gonna be able to 0:13:27.280 --> 0:13:28.880 so be and Todd didn't have count to sing in 0:13:28.920 --> 0:13:29.720 the office. 0:13:29.720 --> 0:13:32.199 At that point, they have a meeting with Motown Records. 0:13:32.280 --> 0:13:34.920 They get Michael Bivens' number, and I promise that something 0:13:34.960 --> 0:13:37.959 will happen, and they call that number right away. 0:13:38.440 --> 0:13:39.080 Before we left. 0:13:39.080 --> 0:13:41.320 We called that dude in the morning like I've been 0:13:41.360 --> 0:13:43.720 even called Mike at seven in the morning and he's like, dude, 0:13:43.760 --> 0:13:46.000 it's me, it's my number, go home, trust me. 0:13:47.400 --> 0:13:49.080 Then we go back to Virginia and we're. 0:13:48.920 --> 0:13:51.160 Telling all Aaron and all them, Hey, guys, we got 0:13:51.200 --> 0:13:53.160 some We gotta tell y'all we got something. 0:13:52.880 --> 0:13:53.320 Trust me. 0:13:53.520 --> 0:13:56.559 And before they head home, they have one last conversation 0:13:57.080 --> 0:13:58.439 with Cecil Jenkins. 0:13:58.679 --> 0:13:58.840 You know. 0:13:58.880 --> 0:14:01.480 We go back to our accon lodge and that dude 0:14:01.480 --> 0:14:03.080 calls it Udd and goes, hey, did y'all see me 0:14:03.160 --> 0:14:03.920 on the stage. 0:14:04.400 --> 0:14:06.600 And I'm like, yeah, we saw you on the stage. 0:14:06.600 --> 0:14:09.800 And here I said, Hey man, I said to go, 0:14:10.200 --> 0:14:12.240 I got that question for you. Can you give me 0:14:12.240 --> 0:14:15.880 a meet with Jerald buzby tomorrow? And the guy's like, oh, hey, nah, Man, 0:14:15.880 --> 0:14:17.679 I ain't gonna be able to you know, swing that 0:14:17.800 --> 0:14:18.400 yeahda YadA. 0:14:18.400 --> 0:14:20.200 And I was like, well, okay, we're going home tomorrow. 0:14:20.200 --> 0:14:22.320 We'll talk to you later. And so we got in 0:14:22.400 --> 0:14:23.400 our plane and we left. 0:14:23.640 --> 0:14:26.119 The guys have a pending record deal with the legendary 0:14:26.200 --> 0:14:29.680 Motown Record but before anything else can happen, another quick 0:14:29.720 --> 0:14:30.720 personnel change. 0:14:30.920 --> 0:14:32.960 So we get home and we tell. 0:14:32.720 --> 0:14:35.560 Aaron and Noel and everybody, and then we tell them, hey, 0:14:35.560 --> 0:14:36.320 we're bringing. 0:14:36.120 --> 0:14:36.800 Dave in the group. 0:14:36.960 --> 0:14:39.320 We got another guy. We're bringing it because me and 0:14:39.320 --> 0:14:41.400 Todd decided we were decided we're gonna put Dave in 0:14:41.400 --> 0:14:44.120 the group. So we you know, this Yeah, they got 0:14:44.120 --> 0:14:46.160 pissed it first, so we didn't care. It was, you know, 0:14:46.280 --> 0:14:48.560 kind of Todd's dealing my deal. At this point, we 0:14:48.560 --> 0:14:50.080 were wanting to do our vision. 0:14:50.400 --> 0:14:52.280 What was the vision at the beginning. 0:14:52.480 --> 0:14:54.360 The vision at the beginning was, I would tell you 0:14:54.440 --> 0:14:56.600 we were inspired by us straight up saying, new kids 0:14:56.640 --> 0:14:59.080 on the block. We saw some dudes singing and we 0:14:59.120 --> 0:15:00.800 were like, damn it, we can to do that. Man 0:15:01.120 --> 0:15:03.280 and Tied had been in like choir. 0:15:03.080 --> 0:15:05.440 And he was in beforeen. He was in school, he 0:15:05.600 --> 0:15:07.160 was in chorus and all that stuff. 0:15:07.440 --> 0:15:10.280 The next step was an appearance on b ET. Michael 0:15:10.280 --> 0:15:13.120 Bivens was booked on Donnie Simpson's show Video Soul to 0:15:13.160 --> 0:15:16.240 announce his development deal with Motown and introduce the world 0:15:16.320 --> 0:15:19.080 to his groups Boys to Men. Another bad creation and 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:22.280 sudden impact. But b ET was in Washington, d C. 0:15:22.560 --> 0:15:25.440 A couple hours drive from Virginia Beach. And you know 0:15:25.480 --> 0:15:28.000 how Aaron and Knowles's parents are about these excursions. 0:15:28.240 --> 0:15:30.440 So we had to force his now Aaron and Knowles's 0:15:30.480 --> 0:15:31.680 parents to let us take. 0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:33.840 Them because me and Tyd are like, we're going. Regardless 0:15:33.840 --> 0:15:36.120 whether you go or not, we'll replace you. Someone's going 0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:38.000 with us. I mean, I don't care who it is. Yeah, 0:15:38.040 --> 0:15:40.800 you know, And so Aaron really wanted to do it. 0:15:40.840 --> 0:15:43.280 Aaron was, you know, he's still singing today. He really 0:15:43.280 --> 0:15:43.880 wanted to do it. 0:15:43.920 --> 0:15:46.240 So he shot up there with us and Noel jumped 0:15:46.240 --> 0:15:48.440 in the car and we all jumped into Dave's five 0:15:48.480 --> 0:15:51.360 point zero convertible, trying to fit in the back seat. 0:15:51.400 --> 0:15:53.119 It was rough up three hours. 0:15:52.880 --> 0:15:56.200 The DC back seat, small, back seat small. 0:15:56.800 --> 0:16:02.840 We show up and uh, it's ABC, I guess releasing 0:16:02.880 --> 0:16:05.680 the debut of Aisha. We are there and we see 0:16:05.680 --> 0:16:08.160 Boys and Men sing married, don't you week? And that's 0:16:08.160 --> 0:16:10.800 when we were like, wow, that's the singing group, you 0:16:10.880 --> 0:16:13.120 know what I'm saying. So we learned real quick. And 0:16:13.160 --> 0:16:15.520 we weren't that yet. Man, we weren't, I would say, 0:16:15.600 --> 0:16:17.840 you know, we we were still in the very beginnings 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:20.120 of being a group. We're still writing our records, We're 0:16:20.120 --> 0:16:22.560 still trying to figure out what was going on, who 0:16:22.560 --> 0:16:23.360 we were right. 0:16:23.280 --> 0:16:24.800 We're still developing ourselves. 0:16:25.160 --> 0:16:27.640 The next thing we had come up was we were 0:16:27.680 --> 0:16:30.360 supposed to, you know, we find out, Okay, we're gonna 0:16:30.360 --> 0:16:32.920