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Groove Theory

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Groove Theory
OriginNew York City, New York, United States
GenresR&B, neo soul, hip hop soul
Years active1993–2001
LabelsEpic, Columbia
Past membersBryce Wilson (1993–2001)
Amel Larrieux (1993–1999)
Makeda Davis (2000–2001)

Groove Theory was 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 hit "Tell Me", which reached the top five of Billboard's Hot 100 and the US Billboard R&B chart.

Early years

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The group formed in New York City 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.[citation needed]

Career

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Commercial success

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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 chart. "Tell Me" also peaked at No. 31 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1995.[1] 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.

Break up

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Larrieux left Groove Theory in 1999 to pursue a solo career, and was replaced by Makeda Davis, a songwriter and session singer/background vocalist who appeared on 1997 K-Ci & JoJo album Love Always and co-wrote rapper Amil's "I Got That". The group signed with Columbia Records and recorded a new album, The Answer, which was expected for release in 2000. 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 Beyoncé, Amerie and Mary J. Blige.[2] In an 2016 interview with music publication the Fader, Wilson revealed that the entire shelved album The Answer was heard by rapper Jay-Z and Beyoncé at an impromptu studio listening session with Lupe Fiasco manager Chill Patterson, Wilson, and a few other people, after which Jay-Z began shopping songs from the shelved project to Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, and other artists/labels.[3] As a result, Wilson and Davis appear as co-writers on several songs for other artists: "Hip-Hop Star" and unreleased song "Settle 4 U" from Beyoncé's debut album Dangerously In Love (2003), "Not The Only One" from Amerie's sophomore album Touch (2005), and "It's OK" from Mashonda's debut album January Joy (2005).[3]

Discography

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Albums

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Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
US
[4] 		US
R&B
[5] 		AUS
[6]
Groove Theory 69 14 29

Singles

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Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[8] 		US
R&B
[9] 		AUS
[6] 		NZ
[10] 		UK
[11]
"Tell Me" 1995 5 3 6 14 31 Groove Theory
"Keep Tryin'" 1996 64 24 — — —
"Baby Luv" 65 23 — — —
"4 Shure" 2000 — 97 — — — The Answer

References

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  1. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 237. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ^ "Groove Theory: R&B Duo Back Together - BV Buzz". www.bvbuzz.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
  3. ^ a b "5 Songwriters And Producers Explain Their Unreleased Beyoncé Collaborations". The FADER. February 12, 2016. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  4. ^ "Groove Theory Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  5. ^ "Groove Theory Chart History – Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "australian-charts.com – Discography Groove Theory". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "American certifications – Groove Theory". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  8. ^ "Groove Theory Chart History – Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  9. ^ "Groove Theory Chart History – Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  10. ^ "charts.nz – Discography Groove Theory". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on December 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  11. ^ "Groove Theory – Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  12. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 121.
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