Grammy-nominated R&B singer Angie Stone, a member of all-female hip-hop trio The Sequence and known for the hit song
Wish I Didn’t Miss You, started singing as a child in South Carolina, in church choirs. The Sequence, formed by the then Angela Brown and childhood friends Gwendolyn Chisolm and Cheryl Cook, were the first all-female hip-hop group to release an album, through the groundbreaking Sugar Hill Records. The group released three records, to moderate commercial success, before disbanding. Stone emerged as a solo artist in the early 2000s, enjoying considerable success propelled by
Wish I Didn’t Miss You, which was a dance floor hit. At around the same time, Stone branched out into acting, appearing in a mix of drama and reality TV shows and also racking up a dozen feature film credits. However, music remained Stone’s main claim to fame and singles
No More Rain (In This Cloud) and
Baby both topped the Billboard R&B chart, and her 2001 album
Mahogany Soul and 2007 album
The Art Of Love & War both made the Billboard top 30. Angie Stone was killed in a crash on an Alabama highway when travelling to a concert. She died on March 1 aged 63. — APL/agencies