Interview: Still men for the job after 20 years Boyz II Men are Motown best sellers

With sales of 60 million albums worldwide, the accolade goes to Boyz II Men, the four-times Grammy-winning group from Philadelphia, who have topped the charts with silky R&B hits including End Of The Road, I'll Make Love To You and One Sweet Day.

"It's great," beams Nathan Morris of the group reaching the 60 million mark. "Anytime you reach an accomplishment like that it's always something to be proud of, it is something that you can honestly say no one can take away. Not just with music but with anything you want to just make your mark.

"The sense of us always striving for excellence, it's a wonderful thing and it's always what we wanted to do."

But having trimmed down to a trio after founder member Michael McCary left the group due to back problems eight years ago, Morris says Boyz II Men's greatest achievement isn't their massive sales, but that they're still around to celebrate their 20th anniversary in the music business with a UK tour that brings them to the HMV Picture House tomorrow night, where the support act is UK soul queen Mica Paris.

"The proudest time of our career has been the past eight years because we went through so much crap," he says of the bands problems with ill health and record label conflicts. "We went through a lot of things that people did not know.

"To see myself and my two guys (band mates Shawn Stockman and Wanya Morris] actually handle it with a certain type of poise and dignity and a certain type of strength, it made me proud to be part of the group. The things that we did, I know for a fact certain artists would not do – the shows that we performed at and things of that nature most artists wouldn't do because their ego is involved.

"We never gave a half-arsed show, no matter how small it was or how raggedy the building was, we gave our 100 per cent."

The secret to the group's success, according to Morris, is their close-knit relationship. "We grew up together and went to high school – with no managers or anything like that – and we've been friends ever since," he says. "Just like any family we go through it, but we work it out."

In their two decades as a band, Boyz II Men have witnessed a lot of changes in the music industry – and not for the better either.

"Legends aren't created anymore," he opines. "There was a time when labels actually took the time to nurture and groom an artist; to make that artist have a legendary type of career.

"To be honest I think the time of legendary artists ended with Boyz II Men and artists like Usher and Beyonce. We are kind of like the last of the Mohicans as far as knowing what it takes to become a legend in terms of our work ethic – it's become a lot more corporate and less organic."

The group have shared the mic with some great artists down the years, including the late king of pop, Michael Jackson, with whom they once collaborated.

"He's a good friend of ours – was a good friend of ours," says Morris. "I hate the bad rap he's been getting pretty much all his life. I hate the fact that some people really don't know him and what he was about."

And Boyz II Men are hoping to team up with another US legend later this year when they record a 20th anniversary album. "We would like to work with Prince," says Morris. "We've been trying to do it for years, so hopefully we may actually get him on this record."

The band's latest record, Love, sees them lend their signature harmonies to classic hits by the likes of Detroit Spinners, Goo Goo Dolls, The Beatles and Take That, including Back For Good.

"When we first came out and were doing well in Europe we would always hear that song, but we'd never know who it was," explains Morris.

"We saw the video because every time they played a Boyz II Men song they would play Take That either before or after."

The cover will feature at their gig tomorrow night in the Capital, after which the trio plan to hit the city's clubs.

"We love the people, the atmosphere, the parties and the clubs – and we do most of our clubbing in the UK," says Morris. "In the US we work a lot, so when we come here, we try and make the time because we love experiencing the nightlife."

Boyz II Men, The HMV Picture House, Lothian Road, tomorrow, 7pm, 30, 0844-847 1740