Brownstone

Brownstone
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California, United States
Genre(s)	R&B Hip Hop
Years active	1994 – 1998 2007 –
Label(s)	MJJ Music (1994-1997)
Members
Nichole "Nicci" Gilbert Charmayne "Maxee" Maxwell Racquel Roberts
Former members
Monica "Mimi" Doby Kina Cosper

Brownstone is a Grammy Award nominated female R&B group popular during the mid-1990s which has begun a revival in 2007. They are best known for the 1995 hit single, "If You Love Me". They also had some success with the singles "Grapevyne", "Pass The Lovin'", and "I Can't Tell You Why", a song originally recorded by the Eagles.

Brownstone's debut album From the Bottom Up

The three original members of Brownstone were Nichole "Nicci" Gilbert, Charmayne "Maxee" Maxwell and Monica "Mimi" Doby. The group was founded in Los Angeles after the three singers met each other after going to different auditions around the city. They formed the group, and less than a year later were signed to Michael Jackson's MJJ Music Record Label. They recorded their debut album, From the Bottom Up which spawned the hit "If You Love Me". In 1995 the band was awarded with a Grammy nomination and a Billboard Music Award.

After extensive touring around the globe, Doby left the group after what was released in the media in an interview with BET Video Soul host Donnie Simpson as a medical problem of bronchitis, but was later revealed through radio interviews to be because of internal strife with the other two members of the group. She was replaced by Kina Cosper and after a difficult transition period where their audience was not very receptive to the change in both physical makeup and harmony, Brownstone had a brief showing with "5 Miles to Empty".

During the group's down time, Gilbert has had small roles in a few movies and TV. Maxwell had an on again, off again career in Europe as a recording artist. Doby left the business and is a teacher with two children.

Currently, Brownstone has reunited with both Gilbert and Maxee, bringing on a new member, Racquel Roberts, an international performing artist with stage credits on Broadway (Hairspray), as well as an international tour of (Rent) as a member of the Benny Company, and a Deutsch production of The Lion King in Hamburg, Germany.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Awards & nominations

Trivia

• The Brownstone Logo underwent a change from the first album to the second, the cross in the O was removed.
  
• Brownstone had preformed an unreleased song titled A Capella in front of Micheal Jackson, impressing him so much that he signed the group to his MJJ Music label. It is a personal favorite of member Nichole "Nicci" Gilbert.

References

• Billboard.com (2006) Discography - Brownstone
• Billboard.com (2006) Artist Chart History - Brownstone

Website

• Myspace (2007) - Brownstone
• Official Site (2007) - Brownstone Defunct

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