Historical Spotlight: Angie Stone
The 30 years between 1970 and 2000 saw a range of musicians, artists, and genres develop and rise. From the sparkly outfits of the 70’s disco era to the crooning love ballads of the 90’s, each era had its own icons that are still revered today. Join me as we shine a Historical Spotlight on Angie Stone, the soulful R&B singer who effortlessly influenced the music industry across four decades.
Angela Laverne Stone was born on December 18, 1961 to her parents Iona and Bobby Williams. Her mom was a hospital technician and her dad was a lawyer’s assistant and gospel singer. She grew up in Columbia, South Carolina and was a member of the choir at church.
At only 18 years old, Angie formed The Sequence with her childhood friends Gwendolyn Chisolm and Cheryl Cook after meeting Sylvia Robinson, CEO of Sugar Hill Records, backstage at a concert by The Sugarhill Gang. The trio auditioned and was signed to the label as the first female act.
Angela took Angie B. as her stage name anad the group released their debut single “Funk You Up” in December 1979. It became one of the first original hip hop songs to be released with sampling and peaked at number 15 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. In 1980, their debut album, Sugarhill presents The Sequence, was released and received positive reviews.
That same year, she started dating Rodney Stone, also known as Lil’ Rodney C, a rapper in the group Funky Four Plus One More. The pair got married in 1983 in a quiet ceremony and had a daughter named Diamond Tiara Stone on April 6, 1984. Unfortunately, the two went their separate ways in the late 1980’s.
In 1981, the group branched out from producing just their own records to doing session work for other acts on the label. They wrote and provided background vocals for two songs by West Street Mob before releasing their second album, The Sequence, in 1982. Their third album, The Sequence Party, was released in 1983.
The group decided to part ways with the record label in 1985 after not being paid their royalties from the songs they wrote and recorded and feeling like they were ultimately supporting other acts. Following the split, Angie pursued a solo career while working at Kiss-FM radio station in New York. This is also when she transitioned her stage name to Angie Stone, including the last name of her first husband Rodney.
She started writing songs and booked studio time without the financial backing of any major label. She was able to make connections through the studio’s engineer named Gordon Mack III who helped introduce her to musicians David Bright and Willie Bruno, Jr., who were quickly impressed by her songwriting abilities and invited her to collaborate with them. While she was grateful for the free studio time and access to a team, the four worked well together and eventually created the group It’s Us.
Eventually renamed Vertical Hold, the group released their first single called “Summertime” in 1988. They also secured a record deal with A&M Records but didn’t let the group take away from their personal aspirations. In 1990, Angie performed as the saxophonist for Lenny Kravitz’s Let Love Rule Tour.
The group’s debut album A Matter of Time was released in June 1993 and peaked at number 33 on the US Top R&B Albums chart. The album sold over 62,000 copies during the first week. The first single “Seems You’re Much Too Busy” hit number 17 on the US Hot R&B Singles Chart while the second single “A.S.A.P.” hit number 83.
Angie has produced and written music for a wide range of artists and her pen has helped propel aspiring artists to fame and glory. She was brought in to help D’Angelo complete his first album Brown Sugar. In 1994, the pair started dating and had a son together named Michael D’Angelo Archer, Jr. on February 28, 1997. The pair unfortunately split due to infidelity in 1999.
Head First, the second and final album from Vertical Hold, was released in May 1995. Unfortunately, the group were forced to split up at the end of that year due to the lack of promotional support from their record label. Prior to the group’s demise, Angie toured as a background vocalist for D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar Tour, and became a featured vocalist for the group DeVox in 1996.
After more than a decade of performing in groups, Angie finally released her debut solo album, Black Diamond, in September 1999 on Arista Records. It peaked at number 46 on the Billboard 200 chart and hit number nine on the US Top R&B Albums chart. “No More Rain (In This Cloud)” was her very first song to hit number one on the US Adult R&B Songs chart and sat at the top for ten weeks.
The album was certified gold by both the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Angie won Best Solo R&B/Soul New Artist and Best Solo R&B/Soul Single at the 2000 Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards.
After transitioning from Arista Records to J Records, she recorded the iconic theme song for the well-known sitcom, Girlfriends. Her second solo album, Mahogany Soul, was released on October 16, 2001 and hit number 22 on the US Billboard 200 chart after selling 71,000 copies during the first week. The album went gold and at the 2003 Grammy Awards, the song “More Than a Woman”, was nominated for Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocal.
Just a month after releasing Mahogany Soul, she set off for the BK Got Music Summer Soul Tour that was headlined by Luther Vandross, Gerald Levert, and Michelle Williams. Her third album, Stone Love, was released on June 28, 2004 and hit number 14 on the Billboard 200 chart. It sold 53,000 copies in the first week and included her number one dance single “I Wanna Thank Ya”. The top-twenty song “U-Haul” was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 2005 Grammy Awards.
Angie released a compilation album before leaving J Records in 2005. In 2006, she signed a deal with Stax Records and in January 2007, she joined Shirley Caesar, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Nicole C. Mullen, and Kelly Price on the Sisters in the Spirit Tour.
On October 15, 2007, she released her fourth album, The Art of Love & War, which hit number 11 on the Billboard 200 and sold 45,000 copies in the first week. It was her highest-charting album to date and her first and only album to top the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The song “Baby” became her second number-one hit on the US Adult R&B Songs chart and was nominated for Best R&B Performance By A Duo or Group with Vocal at the 2008 Grammys.
In November 2009, she released her fifth album, Unexpected. Three years later, she released her sixth album, Rich Girl in September 2012. In November 2015, she released her seventh album, Dream, which hit number 59 on the Billboard 200 and hit number three on the US Top Hip-Hop/R&B Albums chart.
Her eighth album, Cover in Soul, was released a year later in August 2016. She released her ninth album, Full Circle, in 2019 and her tenth and final album, Love Language, in May 2023. Her last single, “All I’m Missing”, was released in November 2024, right before announcing that she was suing Universal Records for unpaid royalties.
She won the Soul Music Icon Award at the Black Music Honors in June 2021 and was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of fame in June 2024. She was also an honorary member of Zeta Phi Beta sorority and was inducted in July 2024.
Angie wasn’t just talented musically, but she also dabbled in acting and made her theatrical debut in December 2002 in The Hot Chick. It debuted at number five in the US and earned $7 million during its opening weekend. Over her acting career, she also starred in The Fighting Temptations in 2003, Pastor Brown in 2009, and performed in the Broadway production of Chicago. Over the years, she starred in numerous other productions, films, and produced music for soundtracks that made fans fall in love with her range.
In 1999, she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and learned that the disease ran in her family. She made serious efforts to change her lifestyle, diet, and fitness and became an activist to spread information on understanding the risks and controlling diabetes. She even appeared on VH1’s reality show Celebrity Fit Club in 2006 and lost 18 pounds.
Angie unfortunately was killed in a car accident near Montgomery, Alabama on March 1, 2025 at only 63 years old. She and her band members were traveling from a concert when they were struck by a semi-truck. She was the only casualty. Her funeral, which was live streamed, was held on March 14, 2025 in Austell, Georgia.
Regarded as one of the most influential figures in music history, Angie’s pen has crafted masterpieces that have spanned decades. Not only did she have a successful solo career, but her writing and background vocalist skills helped propel other hopeful artists as well. She helped define the genres of hip-hop and neo soul and will forever be cherished.
If you enjoyed this episode, let me know by giving this video a thumbs up, leaving a comment, and subscribing to my channel. I’ll see you in the next episode!
Signed,
Jessica Marie
