Groove Theory

Groove Theory was an American R&B duo formed in New York in 1993 by singer-songwriter Amel Larrieux and producer Bryce Wilson, who met while Larrieux was working as a receptionist at a music publishing company. Rather than assembling a group from separate vocalists and writers, Wilson built the project around Larrieux's own songwriting, singing, and arranging, pairing her airy, jazz-inflected vocals with his hip-hop-rooted, sample-based production.

The duo signed to Epic Records and released their self-titled debut album in 1995, a landmark of the era's neo-soul and alternative R&B sound. The lead single «Tell Me» became a crossover hit, reaching the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 and earning gold certification, with the album itself later certified gold. Follow-up singles «Keep Tryin'» and «Baby Luv» reinforced the group's reputation for laid-back, sophisticated grooves that stood apart from the more polished R&B mainstream of the mid-1990s.

Larrieux left in 1999 to launch a solo career, and Wilson continued the group with new vocalist Makeda Davis for a second album on Columbia Records, though the project never matched the impact of the debut. Groove Theory's original run remains influential for helping define the sound of 1990s alternative soul.