All-4-One rose to fame in the 1990s with heartfelt love songs, delivered in a smooth blend of pop and R&B. The approach clicked.
Delious Kennedy, Tony Borowiak, Alfred Nevarez and Jamie Jones, who all trade harmonies on their songs, got off to a promising start in 1993 with first single “So Much in Love” (a cover of a 1963 hit by The Tymes). Shortly after the group signed a deal with Atlantic Records, the doo-wop ballad peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1994.
That was a lead-in to the biggest song of their careers, “I Swear,” in the summer of 1994. The Grammy Award-winning love song spent 11 weeks on top of the Billboard charts.
“I Swear” (a remake of country music singer John Michael Montgomery’s song) topped the charts in 14 countries. Billboard labeled it the ninth best song of the ’90s.
The following year, “I Can Love You Like That” (another Montgomery remake) earned a Grammy nomination. And in 1996, “Someday” from the Disney film “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” also garnered gold status, with more than 500,000 copies sold.
The group’s self-titled 1994 debut album went quadruple platinum in the United States, with 4 million copies sold.
ALL-4-ONE
Presented by Blue Note Hawaii
>> Where: Outrigger Waikiki
>> When: 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday
>> Cost: $45 to $75
>> Info: 777-4890, bluenotehawaii.com
“It’s a blessing for us to be a part of people’s memories and have music that can bring a smile to people’s faces,” Jones said. “Our songs have found a way to consistently stay with people for all this time.”
The California quartet bring their vocal charm and gentlemanly bravado to Blue Note Hawaii for six shows, Friday through Sunday — their first performances in 2019, their 26th year together.
WHEN THE group broke through, Kennedy, Borowiak and Nevarez were in their early 20s; Jones was just 18. Little did they know they would spend upward of 25 years performing together, around the globe.
When they hear their music in random places, Jones and Kennedy say they reminisce just as their fans do.
“It was a simpler time. You didn’t have all the worries and responsibilities that you have now. All you had to do was worry about school and the little things,” Jones said.
Laughing, Kennedy said, “When I hear our songs on the radio and really stop to listen to the whole thing, I critique it. Twenty years later I think, ‘Hmmm, was that the best take?’
“When we were younger, we wanted to do the cool songs, like “Rumpshaker” and this and that. We would say, ‘Why are we singing these adult songs?’”
Many of their contemporaries in R&B reshuffled or changed members, or disbanded altogether. But All-4-One stood the test of time. The group released an eighth album, aptly titled “twenty+” in 2015.
Jones credits their staying power to strong friendships and a shared passion for music.
“We’re brothers from another mother,” he said. “We have genuine love for each other and each other’s families.
“One of the highlights of our careers is being able to accomplish all these things with friends. It’s been an honor and a privilege,” Jones said.
“When we grew in the business and learned the business more, we could also see the potential,” he said. “When ‘I Swear’ first came out, then a year after, then five and 10 years after — the excitement from our fans was always the same. Even now, 20 years later, people are coming back and reliving their youth with us.”
All-4-One was last in Honolulu in 2017, when the group headlined at Aloha Tower. It was an empowering performance for the 40-something balladeers, with an audience that responded to each song.
“Honestly, the people of Hawaii have been so supportive of us since the beginning of our careers,” said Jones. “We find that people of Hawaii are true music lovers. They love real songs with real melodies that are actually saying something — that’s why we’ve been able to do so well there.”
The members were part of a successful “I Love the ‘90s” Las Vegas residency last year, and now look forward to performing in the relatively intimate, 326-seat Blue Note ballroom.
“It can be more of an emotional connection,” Kennedy noted. “Smaller crowds make me nervous, at least in the opening. They hear everything, so there is a pressure to be on and good.”
Jones said, “We see and feel the energy coming back at us. … It makes us be our best and go all out. It’s actually nice to be on stage and see the people; actually look into their eyes and see the emotions on their faces, whether they are smiling, singing with us or even crying.”
“If we want to be spontaneous and maybe do a different song or even just break it down, extend the song or whatever the case may be, we have the option of doing that,” Jones said. “We pride ourselves in being old-school singers. We may sing the songs that people want to hear; we are also artists.”
For Kennedy, longevity is one of the group’s highest achievements, even with the Grammy and well over 20 million albums sold.
”We said from the very beginning that we wanted to be like The Four Tops or The Temptations — when we stopped having fun is when we would stop, and not on anybody else’s terms,” Kennedy said. “So far we’re still having fun.”