Michael McCary
Michael McCary | |
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 McCary in January 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Michael Sean McCary December 16, 1971 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active |
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| Labels | |
Michael "Bass" McCary (born December 16, 1971) is an American musician known for being the former bass singer of the R&B group Boyz II Men. He started struggling with back spasms and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis during his time with the group. He continued singing with the group despite his illness until his departure in 2003. The group has stated they fired McCary because he missed shows. McCary is also a producer and songwriter, having worked on songs for artists such as Johnny Gill and Keith Martin. McCary also has producing and writing credits for Boyz II Men.
Early life
[edit]Raised by a single mother,[1][2] McCary grew up in Logan, Philadelphia, and attended the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts with Boyz II Men members Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, and Shawn Stockman.[2]
Boyz II Men
[edit]
At one point, McCary encountered Morris (Nathan), Morris (Wanya), Stockman, and former Boyz member Marc Nelson singing in the school bathroom, and harmonized with them.[3] McCary became the group's bass singer afterwards, nicknamed Bass.[2][4] Without Nelson, in 1989, the four snuck backstage at a New Edition concert and sang to Michael Bivins, who signed them to his production company and became their manager.[4] In 1991, they released their debut album, Cooleyhighharmony, which sold 7 million copies.[4][1] Boyz II Men would quickly start to climb music charts with songs such as "End of the Road" (1992) and "I'll Make Love to You" (1994).[1]
Struggle with multiple sclerosis, departure
[edit]"They knew I had all the symptoms of MS, still, but they didn't know MS. Giving it a label wouldn't have changed the symptoms.”
McCary suffered from back spasms, which later went "full scale" when he was 22 years old.[6][7] Reviews of the group's shows in 1998 describe McCary as having a "back injury" (Daily Bruin),[8] and state that he "sat most of the time with a sore back" (Deseret News).[9] In 2004, Morris (Nathan) stated that during the album campaign for Full Circle, the group did shows without McCary because his back would not let him perform.[10] At age 28,[5] McCary was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but he kept the diagnosis a secret until 2016 when he disclosed his diagnosis on Iyanla: Fix My Life.[7][11] The diagnosis also stated that a nerve around the sciatica was "locked in place" that could sever, risking paralysis.[7][11] Beforehand, McCary's official reason for his departure in 2003 had been scoliosis.[12][13] The National Multiple Sclerosis Society thanked McCary for disclosing his diagnosis and bringing awareness to the disease.[14]
In 2016, Morris (Wanya) said that while McCary had "back issues" that could have been fixed, the group had to fire McCary because he "stopped coming to work", and that McCary was unhappy about their decision.[15][6] In a podcast interview in 2021, Stockman stated that McCary had developed scoliosis, and the group had to accommodate his condition. However, Stockman said that McCary started missing shows and stopped answering their calls, until McCary heard about an upcoming show in Japan which Stockman described as a "big payday". Stockman stated that McCary showed up at Wanya's house, asking when they would go to Japan, to which Stockman replied, "We ain't going nowhere." Stockman said that they then fought, and McCary slammed Stockman on a table and repeatedly tried to punch Stockman, after which McCary was fired from the group.[16] Earlier, in 2004, Stockman said that McCary left the group voluntarily and the group thought it was best for him to prioritize his health, and that McCary was happy.[17] On Iyanla: Fix My Life in 2016, McCary told host Iyanla Vanzant that the group abandoned him, and that he wanted to move on from it. He described his experience with the group as a "betrayal", and said that he suffered from depression following his firing.[6][7] McCary also stated that they no longer speak.[7]
Subsequent reunions
[edit]
In 2011, on their retrospective anniversary album Twenty, Morris (Nathan) stated that they approached McCary for the record, but said that McCary "just completely got lazy" and did not want to put effort to reunite with them. He recorded McCary's bass parts.[19] In 2012, McCary stated his interest in returning to the group, but declined to sign a contract that provides protection for the other three members should he exit the group. Morris (Nathan) stated that the contractual agreement was to ensure "he was going to be there for everything."[12] He also said that McCary changed his mind because he would not be a "full" fourth member.[12] In a YouTube interview, McCary stated that the reunion did not proceed because the others wanted to split the payment three ways instead of four, and described the payment for him as that of a baggage handler.[20]
He reunited with his former Boyz II Men band mates at their August 30, 2024 show, and hinted a reunion might be in the works.[21] A year later at the group's August 9, 2025 show, McCary performed with Boyz II Men for the first time since leaving the group in 2003, performing their hit songs "In the Still of the Nite" and "I'll Make Love to You".[22] McCary once again performed with his Boyz II Men band mates at the New Edition Way Tour stop at Las Vegas on January 30, 2026, where he recited the spoken-word interlude of "End of the Road" for the first time since his departure from the group.[23]
Other pursuits
[edit]McCary produced and co-wrote four songs on