Color Me Badd reflects on stardom ahead of I Love the '90s tour

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — At nearly midnight on a night out in Oklahoma City, one would not have expected to encounter a famous rock band. But that's what fate had in store for Mark Calderon and his buddies in the then-unknown singing group Color Me Badd.As impromptu as it comes, Color Me Badd met and sang for the members of Bon Jovi as the famous rock band exited a movie at the local mall."Kind of blew their minds," said Mark Calderon.Color Me Badd looks to blow minds at Freedom Hall in Johnson City on Saturday, Aug. 19, during the I Love the '90s tour. Calderon leads Color Me Badd amid a lineup that highlights "Ice Ice Baby" rapper Vanilla Ice, the Ying Yang Twins, All-4-One, Rob Base and Young MC."Jon Bon Jovi was so impressed with us, he said, 'Why not open up for us tomorrow?'" Calderon, 52, said by phone from his home in Oklahoma City.Bon Jovi were in town to headline a concert. They were riding high in the world of rock 'n' roll amid their "Slippery When Wet" era."Man! Opening up in front of 20,000 people," Calderon, founding member of Color Me Badd, said. "Of course, we said yes. We met them at their hotel at the Marriott the next day. Jon said, 'I would like to put you in touch with Prince.'"Color Me Badd did not meet Prince, at least not then. However, they did sing for Sheila E. and Huey Lewis and the News. Eventually the group signed with Giant Records. But their biggest break came when they appeared in the movie soundtrack for Wesley Snipes' "New Jack City.""The record label likes to take sole credit. They did sign us, but they did not plan to release 'I Wanna Sex You Up,'" Calderon said. "Power to the people, they kept requesting it on the radio."Released in the early spring of 1991, Color Me Badd's "I Wanna Sex You Up" eventually soared to No. 1 on Billboard's R&B singles chart and to No. 2 on its pop counterpart. By June, the single had sold more than a million copies.Life, much like the landscape in the aftermath of a hypersonic whirlwind, changed drastically for the harmoniously voiced fellows in Color Me Badd."Oh my gosh! It was a roller coaster," Calderon said. "All of a sudden, everyone is telling you how good you are. They recognize you everywhere you go. We were on Oprah Winfrey's show, on Arsenio Hall's show, on MTV. We went to London six times in one year."Suddenly stars in considerable demand, Color Me Badd needed an album for the record label, quickly."We had a few songs already written, but we needed some more songs," Calderon said. "The label flew us out to Los Angeles, where we finished writing and recording the album."Color Me Badd's "C.M.B." resulted. It was rushed to release and debuted in August 1991. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, to date the album has sold more than 3 million copies. But then, there were vast international sales, too."We sold about 12 million records," Calderon said. "Sometimes I think that was a different life I was living. We came at the right time. That time was meant for us."Decades since, much has changed for Color Me Badd. They halted for a long period of time. There were personnel changes and strife along the way. But now Calderon leads the group he helped start on a tour of fellow pop and hip-hop stars from the 1990s, which brings him to Johnson City."We're selling out shows left and right," Calderon said.What: I Love the '90s TourWho: Vanilla Ice, Color Me Badd, the Ying Yang Twins, Rob Base, All-4-One and Young MCWhen: 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19Where: Freedom Hall, 1320 Pactolas Road, Johnson City, TennesseeAdmission: $82.79-$126.59Info: (423) 461-4855Web, audio and video: www.colormebadd.comShow information: www.ilovethe90stour.com