Brownstone (group)
Encyclopedia
Brownstone is an American female contemporary R&B
group
that was popular during the mid-1990s. They are best known for their 1995 hit single
"If You Love Me
," which was nominated for a Best R&B Performance Grammy Award
. "Grapevyne
" and "Pass the Lovin'" also brought them some success, as well as their rendition of "I Can't Tell You Why
," a song originally recorded by The Eagles.
, California
, the singers met each other after attending various auditions around the city. They formed the group and were signed to Michael Jackson
's MJJ Music record label
less than a year later. The group soon recorded its debut album
From the Bottom Up
, which spawned the hit single "If You Love Me
." In 1995, the group earned a Grammy Award
nomination and a Billboard Music Award
.
After extensive touring around the globe, Doby left the group for health reasons; in an interview with BET
"Video Soul
" host Donnie Simpson
, the problem was cited as bronchitis
. The cause of her split from the group was later said (in radio interviews) to be internal strife with the other two members. She was replaced by Kina Cosper of Detroit, Michigan
, and after a difficult transition period, Brownstone made a brief showing with the single "5 Miles to Empty," but the group failed to duplicate their initial success.
The members of Brownstone are now engaged in varying pursuits. Doby left the music business altogether and became a teacher. Gilbert released a solo album and is currently producing "Soul Kittens Cabaret," as well as a possible new Brownstone album. Maxwell had a sporadic career in Europe
as a recording artist. Cosper released a self-titled solo album and is currently working on a second album.
Brownstone attempted a comeback in 2007, which included new member Racquel Roberts (an international performing artist with theater credits in "Hairspray
," "Rent
," and "The Lion King
." They performed in Los Angeles
, New York City
, and Atlanta, GA.
On April 28, 2009, Maxee Maxwell of Brownstone confirmed that the group had not disbanded. The group is said to be recording new material for an album with an anticipated release date in 2011.
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
that was popular during the mid-1990s. They are best known for their 1995 hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
"If You Love Me
If You Love Me
"If You Love Me" is a single by Brownstone released in the fourth quarter of 1994. It was the lead single from the album From the Bottom Up. It is their biggest hit peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles chart as well as #2 on the Billboard Hot R&B songs chart...
," which was nominated for a Best R&B Performance Grammy Award
Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances...
. "Grapevyne
Grapevyne
"Grapevyne" is a single by American vocal group Brownstone. Released in the spring of 1995, it reached #49 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart and #6 on the U.S. Hot R&B Singles Chart. It also charted at #16 on the UK Singles Chart.-Charts:...
" and "Pass the Lovin'" also brought them some success, as well as their rendition of "I Can't Tell You Why
I Can't Tell You Why
"I Can't Tell You Why" is a song from the Eagles which appeared on their 1979 album The Long Run. The song was written by Timothy B. Schmit, Glenn Frey, and Don Henley, and was the first Eagles song to feature Schmit on lead vocals....
," a song originally recorded by The Eagles.
History
The three original members of Brownstone were Monica "Mimi" Doby, Charmayne "Maxee" Maxwell and Nichole "Nicci" Gilbert. Founded in Los AngelesLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the singers met each other after attending various auditions around the city. They formed the group and were signed to Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's MJJ Music record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
less than a year later. The group soon recorded its debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
From the Bottom Up
From the Bottom Up
-Charts and certifications:...
, which spawned the hit single "If You Love Me
If You Love Me
"If You Love Me" is a single by Brownstone released in the fourth quarter of 1994. It was the lead single from the album From the Bottom Up. It is their biggest hit peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles chart as well as #2 on the Billboard Hot R&B songs chart...
." In 1995, the group earned a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination and a Billboard Music Award
Billboard Music Award
The Billboard Music Award is an honor given by Billboard magazine, the preeminent publication covering the music business. The Billboard Music Awards show had been held annually in December until it went dormant in 2007, but it returned in May 2011...
.
After extensive touring around the globe, Doby left the group for health reasons; in an interview with BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
"Video Soul
Video Soul
Video Soul was a 2-hour long American music video program that aired on BET from 1981 to 1996.-History:Video Soul premiered in June 1981 and was originally a half hour show. It was devoted to helping showcase new R&B/soul recording artists and performers...
" host Donnie Simpson
Donnie Simpson
Donnie Simpson is a longtime American radio DJ as well as a television and movie personality. He hosted The Donnie Simpson Morning Show on Washington, D.C. radio station WPGC-FM from March 1993 to January 29, 2010. Simpson is the first urban-format radio personality to have an annual salary over...
, the problem was cited as bronchitis
Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis is an inflammation of the large bronchi in the lungs that is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks. Characteristic symptoms include cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath and wheezing related to the obstruction of the inflamed airways...
. The cause of her split from the group was later said (in radio interviews) to be internal strife with the other two members. She was replaced by Kina Cosper of Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, and after a difficult transition period, Brownstone made a brief showing with the single "5 Miles to Empty," but the group failed to duplicate their initial success.
The members of Brownstone are now engaged in varying pursuits. Doby left the music business altogether and became a teacher. Gilbert released a solo album and is currently producing "Soul Kittens Cabaret," as well as a possible new Brownstone album. Maxwell had a sporadic career in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as a recording artist. Cosper released a self-titled solo album and is currently working on a second album.
Brownstone attempted a comeback in 2007, which included new member Racquel Roberts (an international performing artist with theater credits in "Hairspray
Hairspray
Hairspray may refer to:* Hair spray, a personal grooming product* Hairspray , a film by John Waters** Hairspray , the film's soundtrack album* Hairspray , a stage musical based on the original film...
," "Rent
Rent
Rent may refer to:*Renting, a system of payment for the temporary use of something owned by someone else ; the payments for such use are typically referred to as "rent"...
," and "The Lion King
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
." They performed in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and Atlanta, GA.
On April 28, 2009, Maxee Maxwell of Brownstone confirmed that the group had not disbanded. The group is said to be recording new material for an album with an anticipated release date in 2011.
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | US certifications |
Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
||||
| 1995 | From the Bottom Up From the Bottom Up -Charts and certifications:... |
29 | 4 | 18 | Platinum | MJJ Music MJJ Music MJJ Music was an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment recording company, founded by American pop singer Michael Jackson.... |
| 1997 | Still Climbing Still Climbing (Brownstone album) Still Climbing is the second album released by American R&B trio Brownstone. Released in 1997, it features the singles "5 Miles to Empty" and "Kiss and Tell."-Track listing:#Let's Get It Started - 4:51#5 Miles to Empty - 5:11#Love Me Like You Do - 4:31... |
51 | 16 | 19 | — | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | ||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | US certifications |
Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
||||
| 2000 | All for Love All for Love (Brownstone album) All for Love is the first compilation album released by American R&B trio Brownstone in 2000.-Track listing:#If You Love Me - 5:05#I Can't Tell You Why - 4:07#Pass the Lovin' - 3:52#Fruit of Life - 5:15#You Give Good Love - 4:59#Kiss and Tell - 4:46... |
— | — | — | — | Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation.... |
| 2009 | Super Hits | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | ||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US Dance |
US A/C |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||
| 1994 | "Pass the Lovin'" | — | 58 | 42 | — | — | From the Bottom Up |
| "If You Love Me If You Love Me "If You Love Me" is a single by Brownstone released in the fourth quarter of 1994. It was the lead single from the album From the Bottom Up. It is their biggest hit peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles chart as well as #2 on the Billboard Hot R&B songs chart... " |
8 | 2 | — | 38 | 8 | ||
| 1995 | "Grapevyne Grapevyne "Grapevyne" is a single by American vocal group Brownstone. Released in the spring of 1995, it reached #49 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart and #6 on the U.S. Hot R&B Singles Chart. It also charted at #16 on the UK Singles Chart.-Charts:... " |
49 | 6 | — | — | 16 | |
| "I Can't Tell You Why I Can't Tell You Why "I Can't Tell You Why" is a song from the Eagles which appeared on their 1979 album The Long Run. The song was written by Timothy B. Schmit, Glenn Frey, and Don Henley, and was the first Eagles song to feature Schmit on lead vocals.... " |
54 | 22 | — | — | 27 | ||
| 1997 | "5 Miles to Empty" | 39 | 6 | 38 | — | 12 | Still Climbing |
| "Kiss and Tell" | 102 | 41 | — | — | 21 | ||
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart | |||||||
Featured singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
||||||
| 1995 | "Freedom (Theme from Panther)" | Various Artists | 45 | 18 | Panther Panther (soundtrack) Panther is the soundtrack to the 1995 film, Panther. It was released on May 2, 1995 through Mercury Records and consisted of a blend of hip hop and R&B music, with production done by some of the genre's biggest names, including Dallas Austin and Teddy Riley... soundtrack |
||
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart | |||||||
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 1995 | Billboard Music Award Billboard Music Award The Billboard Music Award is an honor given by Billboard magazine, the preeminent publication covering the music business. The Billboard Music Awards show had been held annually in December until it went dormant in 2007, but it returned in May 2011... for Top Hot R&B Singles Airplay for "If You Love Me" |
| 1995 | Billboard Music Award Billboard Music Award The Billboard Music Award is an honor given by Billboard magazine, the preeminent publication covering the music business. The Billboard Music Awards show had been held annually in December until it went dormant in 2007, but it returned in May 2011... nomination for Top Hot R&B Singles Artist - Duos/Group |
| 1995 | Billboard Music Award Billboard Music Award The Billboard Music Award is an honor given by Billboard magazine, the preeminent publication covering the music business. The Billboard Music Awards show had been held annually in December until it went dormant in 2007, but it returned in May 2011... nomination for Top Hot R&B Singles Artist |
| 1995 | Billboard Music Award Billboard Music Award The Billboard Music Award is an honor given by Billboard magazine, the preeminent publication covering the music business. The Billboard Music Awards show had been held annually in December until it went dormant in 2007, but it returned in May 2011... nomination for Top New R&B Artist |
| 1995 | Billboard Music Award Billboard Music Award The Billboard Music Award is an honor given by Billboard magazine, the preeminent publication covering the music business. The Billboard Music Awards show had been held annually in December until it went dormant in 2007, but it returned in May 2011... nomination for Top R&B Artist - Duos/Group |
| 1995 | Billboard Music Award Billboard Music Award The Billboard Music Award is an honor given by Billboard magazine, the preeminent publication covering the music business. The Billboard Music Awards show had been held annually in December until it went dormant in 2007, but it returned in May 2011... nomination for Top Hot R&B Singles & Tracks for "If Your Love Me" |
| 1995 | Grammy Award Grammy Award A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry... nomination for Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Duo or Group ("If You Love Me") |
| 1995 | Lady of Soul Music Award Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show which previously aired in national television syndication, and honors the best in Black music and entertainment... nomination for Best R&B/Soul Song of the Year for "If You Love Me" |
External links
- Brownstone at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....