This 1991 R&B No. 1, Produced By The Group's Talent Show Director, Topped The Charts 35 Years Ago Today

They may not have known it at the time, and have since become a mostly forgotten '90s act, but Oklahoma City boy band Color Me Badd – and their former high school musical director — may have contributed to a shift in the music industry when "I Adore Mi Amor" ranked No. 1 on September 17, 1991. Bryan Abrams, Mark Calderon, Sam Watters, and Kevin Thornton were all students at Northwest High School in 1985 when they recognized their natural abilities to harmonize, as well as a shared love for an emerging new wave of hip-hop.

Their debut album "C.M.B." was also released in 1991 and went triple platinum by 1992, featuring their hit single "I Adore Mi Amor" as well as other hits such as "All 4 Love" and "I Wanna Sex You Up." It also paved the way for their Grammy nominations, Soul Train Music Award wins, and several other accolades, positioning them as early trailblazers for the neo-R&B genre and a group format that would take the '90s charts by force.

Their first performance as a group was at their school's talent show, where they first met musical director Hamza Lee, before garnering a reputation for impromptu a cappella auditions. A spontaneous performance for '80s earworm creator Jon Bon Jovi landed them a gig, and an encounter with Kool & the Gang got them in contact with the R&B legends' managers. Although Color Me Badd relocated to New York to improve their chances of getting signed, they maintained their connection with Lee, who helped write and produce the chart-topping hit, "I Adore Mi Amor."

Color Me Badd's song "I Adore Mi Amor" was a product of their meeting with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-inducted producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who suggested including some Spanish in a song. However, it wasn't until they brought a melody to producer and co-writer Hamza Lee that the track's structure really took shape.

Lee tailored the song to each singer's strengths, saying, "I purposefully made Sam's verse real moody and dark to match his husky voice. I kind of brightened it up for Mark. His voice is, like, trumpety, kind of like Michael Jackson's. Kevin has a strong baritone voice, so his part is pretty much the busiest. I break it down for Bryan because he's a crooner-type. He has that nasal quality, a lot of strings floating around" (via Fred Bronson's "The Billboard Book of Number One Hits."

Besides Color Me Badd's vocal range, they were also one of the first ethnically diverse musical groups to reach the top of the charts. As Mark Calderon, who sang the Spanish lyrics of "I Adore Mi Amor," told Richmond Magazine, "At that time, there just [weren't any] multiracial groups ... It was Giant Records who decided to take a chance on us." Sultry, smooth, romantic, and featuring a fun doo-wop flair, it's no surprise that "I Adore Mi Amor" captured the hearts of international music lovers.