Angie Stone

Fun Facts: Before hitting it big, Angie Stone sang background for Lenny Kravitz on his fifth studio album “5.” She also has writing credits on D’Angelo’s first two studio albums, “Brown Sugar” and “Voodoo.” Her only son is also the son of D’Angelo, whom she dated during the 1990s.

Claim to Fame: This neo-soul singer released her debut album, “Black Diamond,” in 1999; it eventually went gold. Since then she has released two albums. She was nominated for the 2008 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for her duet with Betty Wright from the hit single "Baby." She was featured in the fourth season of VH1’s “Celebrity Fit Club.” She also appeared alongside Beyoncé and Cuba Gooding Jr. in “Fighting Temptations."

Angie Stone is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, keyboardist, record producer, and occasional actress.


Stone was born in Columbia, South Carolina, where she began singing gospel music at First Nazareth Baptist Church, under the leadership of Reverend Blakely N. Scott.

She has a daughter and son. Her daughter Diamond is from her marriage to Rodney Stone. Diamond contributed background vocals to her 2007 song "Baby", and gave birth to Stone's grandson in 2008. During the 1990s Stone dated neo soul singer D'Angelo. Their son Michael was born in 1998. Stone is engaged to an airline auditor named Ashanti, who has two kids of his own.


In the early 1980s, Stone was a member of The Sequence, a
female hip hop/funk trio. They had a hit in 1980 with "Funk You Up", which reached number fifteen on the U.S. Top Black Singles chart, and a minor hit with "Monster Jam" featuring rapper Spoonie Gee. She then worked with Mantronix, before singing background on Lenny Kravitz's fifth studio album, 5.

Stone emerged during the 1990s as part of the R&B trio Vertical Hold which released the popular single "Seems You're Much Too Busy" as well as two albums: A Matter of Time and Head First. In 1996, she teamed up with Gerry DeVeaux and together with Charlie Mole they formed Devox. They recorded one album, Devox Featuring Angie B. Stone. Released in Japan only by Toshiba EMI, it included Stone-penned material.

Stone shared songwriting credits on D'Angelo's first two studio albums, Brown Sugar and Voodoo, as well as providing backing vocals on tour with him.

Her solo debut album, Black Diamond, was released on September 28, 1999 on Arista Records; the album would eventually be certified gold by the RIAA. She has since also released, on Clive Davis' J Records, Mahogany Soul on October 16, 2001, and Stone Love on July 6, 2004.

Much of Stone's solo material has significant hip hop and soul influences and features notable samples. For example, her first solo single, "No More Rain " samples Gladys Knight & the Pips' 1972 song "Neither One of Us ", while "Wish I Didn't Miss You" samples The O'Jays' 1972 song "Back Stabbers".

(read more @ wikipedia.org)