Color Me Badd 1990's Interview (Rare) with original group KT, Bryan, Mark, & Sam on Bay Area TV
Channel: Gary Baca TV
Date: 27/07/2020

The original group interviewed in the late 90's while on tour promoting, Now & Forever with the single "The Earth, The Sun, The Rain." We did this interview backstage at Kimballs East, Emeryville, Ca. 1996

Color Me Badd is an American contemporary R&B group that was formed in 1985 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by Bryan Abrams (born November 16, 1969), second tenor Mark Calderon (born September 27, 1970), second tenor Sam Watters (born July 23, 1970) and baritone Kevin Thornton (born June 17, 1969). Color Me Badd broke up in 1998 before reuniting in 2010, with various lineups since.

Best known for their singles "I Wanna Sex You Up", "I Adore Mi Amor" and "All 4 Love", the group has sold over 12 million records worldwide] had two number 1 hit singles, nine Top 40 hits and a triple-platinum album. They were nominated for two Grammy Awards, won two Soul Train Music Awards and one American Music Award, and were nominated for five others. Their songs have been featured in movies and on television programs including New Jack City, Mo' Money, No Strings Attached and Glee. They made a cameo appearance as themselves on a 1992 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. Along with Boyz II Men, Hi-Five, Shai, Silk and All-4-One, Color Me Badd were considered the leaders of a resurgence of post-doo-wop harmony group singing in the early 1990s. Color Me Badd invented the term "hip-hop doo-wop" to describe its sound, which combines four-part pop-soul harmonies with a hip-hop influence. In the 1990s, they were known for wearing bright-colored suits and for their choreography, as well as for being a racially diverse group, which was rare at the time. Calderon is Mexican-American, Abrams is Caucasian and Native American, Watters is Caucasian and Thornton is African-American. The group was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2000. 

In July 2010, Color Me Badd re-emerged as a duo consisting of Bryan Abrams and Mark Calderon. They headlined a concert in Hawaii, which also featured All-4-One and Shai. Later that year, Kevin Thornton rejoined Color Me Badd. In early 2012, Calderon and Abrams collaborated with the Insane Clown Posse on the song "Ghetto Rainbows (Soft Ass R-N-B Remix)" on The Mighty Death Pop! bonus CD called Mike E. Clark's Extra Pop Emporium. Credited to Insane Clown Posse and Color Me Badd, the song features Abrams and Calderon, and was also co-written by the duo. In June 2013, the group released "Skywalkin'", their first new song in nearly 15 years. On August 16, 2013, Abrams announced his departure from Color Me Badd through a post on his website. The group continued on, with Calderon and Thornton. Abrams was replaced by Martin Kember, who was previously a member of AZ-1. Color Me Badd performed with the lineup of Calderon, Thornton and Kember at the 2014 BET Awards.

In 2015, Abrams and Calderon reunited as Color Me Badd, less Thornton, and Kember, and began a tour in Singapore. Thornton was briefly back in Color Me Badd in 2015, before leaving the group that same year. In the winter of 2015, Adam Emil joined the group, and they went on a US tour with Bell Biv DeVoe. By 2016, the group was officially a trio, with Calderon, Abrams, and Emil. That year, they recorded a new song, "In Case You Didn't Know". On April 30, 2016, Color Me Badd played a concert for U.S. Armed Forces at Okuma Beach, Okinawa, Japan. In the fall and winter of 2016, Color Me Badd was on the inaugural I Love the ‘90s Tour, a year-long tour across the US that also featured Vanilla Ice, Salt-N-Pepa, Tone Loc and Young MC.

On July 22, 2018, Abrams was arrested for assaulting Calderon on stage during a concert in Waterloo, New York. A video shows Abrams walk across the stage at the completion of the song "I Wanna Sex You Up" and firmly shoves Calderon to the floor. Abrams allegedly screamed, “I’m motherfucking Color Me Badd!” as he pushed Calderon to the floor. Officers stated that alcohol may have been a factor.

On August 31, 2019, Color Me Badd performed at a Beverly Hills, 90210 charity event to benefit Generosity Water org. 

Color Me Badd has had a lasting influence on R&B music. The Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg Saturday Night Live Digital Short "Dick in a Box" which debuted on December 16, 2006, is a parody of early '90s R&B, and is considered a spoof of the style of Color Me Badd in particular. "I Wanna Sex You Up" was performed by cast members on an episode of the first season of Glee in 2009. The music video for "I Wanna Sex You Up" was on an episode of Beavis and Butthead on MTV. The song has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including, New Jack City, You Don't Mess with the Zohan and No Strings Attached. On a November 2015 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! Color Me Badd's Abrams, Calderon and Watters joined with country singer Brad Paisley in a performance of "I Wanna Sex You Up" for Kimmel's "Mash-Up Monday" series. The artists were renamed Color Me Bradd for the occasion.