GUYANA-BORN singer Charmayne ‘Maxee’ Maxwell, formerly of 1990s Rhythm and Blues group Brownstone, has died. She was 46.
Maxwell was at a football match in Los Angeles Saturday when she fell. Her death has been ruled an accident.
Maxwell was married to Danish music producer Carsten Soulshock. She is also survived by a son, Nicolaj.
She moved to Los Angeles from Guyana while still a teenager, and was an original member of Brownstone which was formed in the early 1990s. The other original members are Monica ‘Mimi’ Doby and Nichole ‘Nicci’ Gilbert.
The group was signed to Michael Jackson’s MJJ Music label which released its debut album, From the Bottom Up. It contained the hit single If You Love Me (which peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1994); Grapevyne (number six, Billboard R&B Hip Hop singles chart); and a remake of The Eagles’ I Can’t Tell You Why which peaked at number 22 on the Billboard R&B Hip Hop Singles chart.
The group’s follow-up album Still Climbing was released in 1997 and featured the R&B hits Kiss and Tell and 5 Miles to Empty.
After leaving Brownstone, Maxwell found fame in Europe as a solo artiste. While based in London, she recorded the dance hit, When I Look Into Your Eyes.
With Brownstone, she won a Billboard Music Award, and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1995 for Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance — Duo or Group for If You Love Me.