One afternoon in 1989, Thornton saw Jon Bon Jovi in a movie theater and called the other band members to join him. They waited for him to leave the theater and then sang the 1961 doo-wop hit "Daddy's Home" a cappella for him. Bon Jovi invited them to be his band's opening act the following night, to perform in front of 20,000 audience members. They moved to New York City on September 23, 1989. In 1990, they bumped into Tony! Toni! Toné!, who got them into the ASCAP Music Awards. There, Color Me Badd approached producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and started singing for them. The producers advised that, being a multicultural group, they write a half-English, half-Spanish song. They wrote "I Adore Mi Amor" back in Oklahoma City with their producer and friend Hamza Lee. Giant Records executive Cassandra Mills heard a tape of the band singing the song, and they signed with Giant on August 11, 1990. C.M.B. (1991–92) After signing the group, Mills asked producer Dr. Freeze for a song for Color Me Badd to record for the New Jack City soundtrack, similar to "Do Me!" by Bell Biv DeVoe. Freeze offered "I Wanna Sex You Up", which would become Color Me Badd's debut single, released on March 2, 1991. The song wasn't originally intended to be a single, and had been turned down by other acts including Bell Biv DeVoe, Keith Sweat and Christopher Williams. The biggest hit on the New Jack City soundtrack, it peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit number 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Due to the song's popularity, Giant Records wanted Color Me Badd to quickly record an album. At the time, they only had four or five finished songs. They were flown out to Los Angeles to work in the studio, recording the album in two or three weeks. Their debut album, C.M.B., was released on July 23, 1991. It would go on to sell over 6 million copies worldwide and become certified triple-platinum in the US, spending 77 weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at number 3. "I Wanna Sex You Up" was included on the album. The follow up single "I Adore Mi Amor" hit number 1 on the Hot 100 and on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, "All 4 Love" hit number 1 on the Hot 100, "Thinkin Back" reached