ABOUT OUR fOUNDER-THE LEGENDARY ANGIE STONE

Our Founder, the Legendary songstress, Angie Stone

OUR FOUNDER, THE LEGENDARY ANGIE STONE

         Grammy nominated singer Angie Stone is one of those artists with a Midas touch. Her buttery smooth honey-toned pipes, undeniable gritty soulfulness and epic songwriting talents have been called upon by everyone from Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder, D'Angelo, Alicia Keys and Lenny Kravitz, to name a few. Rolling Stone Magazine once declared, "When soul music was in the lost and found, she came along to claim it." It is this belief that has made Stone the go-to woman for three different record labels when they were creating a new sound and vision.  In the 70s, it was Angie Stone who helped to define the sound of the now legendary Sugar Hill Records as a member of the first recorded female rap group, Sequence. Their hit, "Funk You Up," is a classic that gets folks moving to this day! Fast forward, Clive Davis tapped Stone's iconic sound in the early 2000s, when he launched J Records. She recorded her gold-selling Mahogany Soul for the label and Stone Love. The in- demand Renaissance woman moves seamlessly from the studio and stage (she's starred on Broadway) to television and silver screen without missing a beat. A legend in this tough business, Angie Stone stands in a class by herself. In September 2013 BET/CENTRIC made Stone the focus of their acclaimed "Being" artist profile series, capturing just how amazing this dynamic's life and career has been.

       A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Angie Stone began singing gospel music as a child. Her father, a member of a local gospel quartet, would take her to hear many of the great gospel artists. Stone first caught the music world's attention as a member of Sequence, an all-female trio along with fellow cheerleaders Cheryl Cook and Gwendolyn Chisholm. They were the second rap group, after The Sugarhill Gang, signed by Sylvia and Joe Robinson's Sugarhill Records in 1979. The group made history with the now-classic "Funk You Up," "Funky Sound (Tear the Roof Off)," and "I Don't Need Your Love." Soon after, Stone began working with futuristic rap group Mantronix and Lenny Kravitz. She was a part of Kravitz's Let Love Rule Tour and appears on his album 5. In the early 90's, Stone was a member of the R&B trio Vertical Hold. She went on to co-write and co-produce D'Angelo's critically lauded and Gold-selling debut, Brown Sugar, in 1995, as well as 2000's Voodoo. The two also have a son together. 1999 saw the release of Angie Stone's Arista debut, Black Diamond, which garnered two Grammy nods and two Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. The album featured the hit single "No More Rain (In This Cloud)."

      The Gold selling Mahogany Soul followed in 2001 on the newly founded J Records and Stone Love followed in 2004. The Art of Love & War followed next featuring the Grammy nominated single "Baby" with Betty Wright in 2007 and Stone's album Unexpected was released in 2010. Her album Rich Girl was issued on Saguaro Road via Time Life. The Renaissance woman appeared on three reality TV shows - VH1's Celebrity Fit Club (2006), TV One's R&B Divas (2013 and 2014), and ABC's Celebrity Wife Swap (2014). She's appeared in such motion pictures as The Fighting Temptations, Pastor Brown and Ride Along as well as the Broadway production of Chicago.

       The release of Angie Stone's new album, Dream, is the culmination of Angie's extraordinary personal and artistic journey. With over 5 million records sold worldwide, three gold albums, several Grammy nominations and numerous other awards, all coming after many  disappointments and struggles in the business, Angie Stone stands as a triumphant survivor.