Groove Theory is an American R&B duo, with former member, singer-songwriter
Amel Larrieux and songwriter/producer/actor, Bryce Wilson. The group
is best known for their 1995 pop/R&B hit, "Tell Me," which
reached the top five of Billboard 's Hot 100 and the US Billboard R&B
chart.
The group formed in New York in 1993, when Amel Larrieux met Bryce
Wilson while she was working at Rondor Music as a receptionist. Larrieux
had been working at the music publishing company since the age of
18. A publisher at the company had signed Wilson as a producer, and
knew he was interested in forming a group. He approached Larrieux,
who he knew was a singer-songwriter, with one of Wilson's production
tracks, saying "look, you wanna try writing a song? You know
I can give you one of the tracks, and you can do it, and if you don’t
mind, you can demo it.”[citation needed] Wilson hoped to use
the group as a chance to utilize his production talents, while Larrieux
wanted a chance to shine in R&B. Wilson also found it useful
for Larrieux to both write, sing, and arrange each song instead of
shopping around for different singers and songwriters.
[edit] Career
[edit] Commercial success
The group signed a recording contract with Epic Records, and in
1995, they released their self-titled debut album Groove Theory.
The album featured the gold-selling hit single, "Tell Me",
which reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and number three
on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. "Tell Me" peaked at #31
in the UK Singles Chart in November 1995.[2] Other charted singles
included "Baby Luv" and "Keep Trying", which
reached numbers 18 and 36 on the R&B chart, respectively. The
album also went on to be certified gold.
[edit] Break up
Larrieux left Groove Theory in 1999 to pursue a solo career, being
replaced by Makeda Davis. The group signed with Columbia Records
and recorded a new album, 'The Answer', which was expected for release
in 2001. Displeased with Columbia's track record at the time with
urban projects, Wilson asked for a release from the label, causing
the album to remain unreleased. A single entitled "4 Shure" was
released from the album to minor chart performance.
Larrieux began her solo career in her absence from the group, forming
her own independent record label, Blisslife, to distribute her music.
Wilson appeared in the films Beauty Shop, Trois and Hair Show, and
produced music for Beyonce, Amerie and Mary J. Blige.[3]
[edit] 2010 reunion - present
On February 4, 2010, Soulsummer.com announced that Larrieux and
Wilson have reunited, and were currently in the recording studio
working on their second official album. They were being managed by
Jimmy “Henchmen” Rosemond who said of the group, "They
haven’t worked together in so long, and like most groups that
break up, they’ve come into their own, so it’s almost
like sharing that spotlight again ... I’m excited." Rosemond
expected the duo to release new music before the year's end.[4]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
1995: Groove Theory
2000: 'The Answer' (unreleased)
[edit] Singles
Year Single Chart positions Album
U.S. U.S. R&B
1995 "Tell Me" 5 3 Groove Theory
1996 "Keep Tryin'" 64 24
"
Baby Luv" 65 23
2000 "4 Shure" — 97 The Answer