Men At Large

R&B duo Men at Large emerged near the close of the new jack swing period, drawing substantial backing and production input from fellow Clevelander Gerald Levert. Lead singers Dave Tolliver and Jason Champion launched their career on Atlantic’s EastWest imprint, issuing the self-titled Men at Large in 1992 and the comparatively restrained One Size Fits All in 1994. Seven singles from those projects reached Billboard’s R&B chart, among them the Top Ten entries “Use Me” and “So Alone,” the latter a ballad written for Tolliver’s mother shortly after her death. Two further Men at Large albums appeared on independent imprints in the late ’90s and 2000s. Following the duo’s dissolution, Champion turned to contemporary gospel and contributed to major releases by Kirk Franklin and Deitrick Haddon. Tolliver appeared on recordings by Rome and 8Ball & MJG while issuing solo projects in 2009 and 2015. In 2016 Tolliver revived the Men at Large name with Edgar “Gemini” Porter replacing Champion, unveiling the single “Date Night.”