Vertical Hold (American group)

Last updated
Vertical Hold
Genres
Years active1988–1995
Labels A&M
Past members

Vertical Hold was an American musical group, consisting of vocalist Angie Stone, David Bright, and Willie Bruno. [1] Initially a quartet, also involving Gordon Mack III, and active from 1988, the trio came to prominence with their second single "Seems You're Much Too Busy" and disbanded after the release of their second studio album with A&M Records, Head First (1995). [2]

Contents

History

1988–1991: Early beginnings

Following her departure from female hip hop group The Sequence, Angie B. Stone made several attempts to start a solo career. [3] She began writing solo material and booked studio time at her own expense. [3] Through the studio's engineer Gordon Mack III, Stone was introduced to musicians David Bright and Willie Bruno, Jr., who were impressed by her songwriting abilities and asked her to write on their songs. [3] While she initially saw the collaboration as just an opportunity to work in the studio for free and have access to a team of musicians, it eventually led to the formation of the R&B/hip hop quartet It's Us. [4] Renamed Vertical Hold, they released their first single "Summertime" in 1988 through Criminal Records. [5] The song peaked at number 82 on the US Hot Black Singles chart. [6] In the same year, the group wrote and produced "Knockout" for American rapper Special K. In 1989, the group wrote and produced "What Am I Gonna Do About Your Love?" for singer Andrea Tafuri.

1992–1995: A&M Records, A Matter of Time, and Head First

Following Mack's withdrawal from the band, Stone, Bright and Bruno managed to secure another recording deal with A&M Records. [1] On June 22, 1993, they released their debut album A Matter of Time. [7] The album peaked at number 33 on the US Top R&B Albums chart, [1] and sold more than 62,000 copies domestically. [1] The album's lead single "Seems You're Much Too Busy" peaked at number 20 on US Hot R&B Singles chart. [1] Their follow up singles "A.S.A.P." and "Matter of Time" performed commercially less successful, with the former peaking at number 83 on US Hot R&B Singles chart.

Vertical Hold's second album, 1995's Head First, reached number 67 on the US Top R&B Albums chart. [8] Its first and only single "Love Today" peaked at number 49 on the Hot R&B Singles. [9] The group disbanded after being disappointed by the mechanisms of the industry. [4]

Disbandment and aftermath

In late 1995, Stone began working with music producers Gerry DeVeaux and Charlie Mole as the featured vocalist for their group Devox. On September 25, 1996, the group released their only album titled Devox Featuring Angie B. Stone, exclusively in Japan. [10] The album featured a few songs by Vertical Hold as well as new songs that Stone recorded. The group disbanded after Stone declined to become a full member of the group as she wanted to pursue a solo career. The project eventually caught the attention of Arista Records A&R manager Peter Edge, which lead to Stone being offered a solo recording contract with Arista Records. [3] [11] [12]

Member timeline

Discography

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions and sales figures
TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart
positions		Sales
US
R&B
A Matter of Time
  • Released: June 22, 1993
  • Format: CD, LP, cassette
  • Label: A&M
33 [13] US: 62,000 [1]
Head First
  • Released: May 31, 1995
  • Format: CD, LP, cassette
  • Label: A&M
67 [8]

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions
TitleYearPeak chart
positions		Albums
US
R&B
"Summertime"198882 [6] Non-album single
"Seems You're Much Too Busy"199217 [1] A Matter of Time
"A.S.A.P."199383 [5]
"Matter of Time"1993—
"Love Today"199549 [9] Head First

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Vertial Hold's 2nd Album Aims High". Billboard . April 8, 1995. p. 18. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "R&B Vet Stone Is Arista's 'Diamond'". Billboard . August 14, 1999. p. 21. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Waring, Charles (January 29, 2010). "Angie Stone…". soulandjazzandfunk.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Bright, David (January 22, 2015). "To our fans, friends, fellow musicians, and family members". Facebook (Vertical Hold). Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2004). Joel Whitburn Presents Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles, 1942–2004. Record Research Incorporated. p. 603. ISBN   9780898201604 . Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  6. 1 2 Bogdanov, Vladimir (2003). All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN   9781617134968 . Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  7. ↑ A Matter of Time - Vertical Hold | Album. AllMusic. Retrieved on August 15, 2025
  8. 1 2 "Billboard: Top R&B Albums". Billboard . July 1, 1995. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  9. 1 2 "Billboard: Hot R&B Singles (For Week Ending June 3, 1995)". Billboard . June 3, 1995. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  10. ↑ McClure, Steve (November 9, 1996). "Songwriter/Producer Launches DeVox Label in Japan". Billboard . p. 44. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  11. ↑ Gardner, Elysa (January 16, 2000). "Hard-Won Success for a Woman of Principle". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  12. ↑ Davis, Clive (February 19, 2013). Soundtrack of My Life. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   9781476714806 . Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Billboard: Top R&B Albums". Billboard . September 4, 1993. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
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