Brownstone is an American female

contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music Music genre, genre, originating from African Americans, African-American musicians in the 1980s that combines rhythm and blues with elements of Pop music, pop, Soul music, soul, funk, Hip-hop, ...

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

that was popular during the mid-1990s. They are best known for their 1994

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...

" If You Love Me", which was nominated for a Best R&B Performance Grammy Award. "

Grapevyne "Grapevyne" is a song by American R&B vocal group Brownstone, released in April 1995 by MJJ Music and Epic Records as the second single from their debut album, '' From the Bottom Up'' (1995). The song is written by Andrea Gilbert, Nichole Gilber ...

", " 5 Miles to Empty" 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" is a song by the American rock band Eagles that appeared on their 1979 album '' The Long Run''. It was written by band members Timothy B. Schmit, Glenn Frey and Don Henley. Recorded in March 1978, it was the first song ...

", a song originally recorded by

The Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles, six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s in ...

. In 2019, it was announced that Brownstone were to reunite with founding members Nicci Gilbert and Mimi Doby, alongside returning member Teisha Brown for the 25th anniversary of the Essence Festival in July, as well the 25th anniversary of the group.

Career

The three original members of Brownstone were Monica "Mimi" Doby, Charmayne Maxena "Maxee" Maxwell and Nichole "Nicci" Gilbert. Founded in Los Angeles, the singers met each other after attending various auditions around the city. They formed the group and were signed to

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

's MJJ Music record label less than a year later. The group soon recorded its debut album ''

From the Bottom Up ''From the Bottom Up'' is the debut studio album by American girl group Brownstone. It was released by Epic Records and Michael Jackson's MJJ Music on January 10, 1995, in the United States. Brownstone worked with a wide range of producers and son ...

'', which spawned the hit singles " If You Love Me" and "

." 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 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. Currently, he hosts ''T ...

, 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; other members over the years includes Kymberli Wright of Detroit, Racquel Roberts of Los Angeles and Teisha Brown of Detroit. After a difficult transition period, Brownstone released the song " 5 Miles to Empty" from their sophomore album '' Still Climbing''. In 1998, Brownstone was featured on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

for the film ''

The Players Club ''The Players Club'' is a 1998 American dark comedy drama thriller film written and directed by Ice Cube in his feature film directorial debut. In addition to Ice Cube, the film stars Bernie Mac, Monica Calhoun, Jamie Foxx, John Amos, A. J. ...

'' with the song "Don't Play Me Wrong". Charmayne Maxena "Maxee" Maxwell died on February 27, 2015, at age 46 following what has been reported publicly as an accidental fall.

2019: Brownstone's 25th anniversary

In February 2019, it was announced that Brownstone were to reunite for a one-off performance for the 25th anniversary of the

Essence Music Festival The ESSENCE Festival of Culture is the largest African-American culture and music event in the US. The annual music festival started in 1995 in New Orleans, Louisiana to celebrate the 25th anniversary of ''Essence (magazine), Essence'' magazine. ...

with founding members Nicci Gilbert, Mimi Doby, and returning member Teisha Brown, as well as the 25th anniversary of the group. During an interview with former member Kina Cosper, she expressed that she was invited to perform alongside Gilbert and Doby, but that she "respectfully declined."

2022-present: New music

During the Centennial Boule (July 2022), all three members were inducted into

Sigma Gamma Rho Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on November 12, 1922. The organization was formed as a sorority in 1922, by seven African American women in Indianapolis, Indiana. At its i ...

sorority. On September 13, 2022, Brownstone's newest line-up, composed of founding member Nicci Gilbert, Teisha Brown and new member Arin Jackson, announced the release of the group's new single "All I Want" on September 30, 2022. It has been announced, Teisha Brown has departed the group and has been replaced by Arin's sister Alexis Jones. In 2023, Brownstone has released their live cover of "

Ain't No Mountain High Enough "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is a song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla label, a division of Motown. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and ...

" from their upcoming live covers album.

Discography

;Studio albums * ''

'' (1995) * '' Still Climbing'' (1997)

Members

Current members

Nicci Gilbert Nicci Gilbert is an American R&B singer. She is mainly known for being the lead vocalist of an American female R&B girl-group Brownstone who rose to fame in the mid 1990s best known for their 1995 hit single " If You Love Me", which was nominat ...

(1994–1998, 2007–2015, 2019–present) * Arin Jackson (2019–present) * Alexis Jones (2022–present)

Former members

* Mimi Doby (1994–1995, 2019) * Maxee Maxwell (1994–1998, 2007–2015; her death) * Kina Cosper (1995–1997) * Teisha Brown (2008–2015, 2019–2022)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* Billboard.com (2006
Discography – Brownstone
* Billboard.com (2006
Artist Chart History – Brownstone
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brownstone (group) American contemporary R&B musical groups African-American women singers African-American girl groups Ballad music groups American R&B girl groups Musical groups established in 1994 Musical groups disestablished in 1998 Musical groups reestablished in 2014 Musical groups reestablished in 2019