Tony Toni Tone were an R&B group from Oakland, California.
The group comprised:
Dwayne Wiggins (b. 14th February 1963, Oakland, California, U.S.A.) (lead vocals, guitar)
Raphael Wiggins a.k.a Raphael Saadiq (b. 14th May 1966, Oakland, California, U.S.A.) (lead vocals, bass)
and their cousin
Timothy Christian (b. 10th December 1965, Oakland, California, U.S.A.) (drums)
In 1988, the group released their first album entitled ‘Who?’.
Produced and co-written by Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy, the album featured the singles, ‘Little Walter’ (which reached number 1 on the R&B charts), ‘Born Not To Know’, ‘For The Love Of You’ and ‘Baby Doll’.
The latter three singles were all Top 10 R&B hits.
who? - 1988 / the revival - 1990 / sons of soul - 1993 / house of music - 1996
In 1990, they followed up their debut set with ‘The Revival’, which contained even more successful singles, including ‘It Never Rains In Southern California’, ‘Feels Good’, ‘The Blues’, and ‘Whatever You Want.
All of these singles went to number one on the R&B chart.
The group’s single ‘Me & You’ featured on the soundtrack to the film ‘Boyz N The Hood’.
In 1993, their third album ’Sons Of Soul’ hit the streets.
This album achieved double platinum status.
The album featured ‘If I Had No Loot’ (number 7 on the Hot 100), the hugely popular ‘Anniversary’ (number 10 on the Hot 100), and ‘(Lay Your Head On My) Pillow’ (number 4 on the R&B charts).
Tony Toni tone then merged into the R&B supergroup Black Men United.
Also featured in the ensemble were the groups Silk and H-Town.
u will know - black men united - 1994
One song ‘U Will Know’ featured on the soundtrack of the film ‘Jason's Lyric’.
In 1996, Tony Toni Tone's own sound had matured.
The group left behind their computers, in favour of real instrumentation.
‘House of Music’ was released in 1996.
The album featured the tracks ‘Thinking Of You’ & ‘Let's Get Down’ (the former reaching number 22 on the Hot 100).
‘Holy Smokes & Gee Whiz’ was a notable ballad on this set.
‘House Of Music’ realised platinum status, after which the group disbanded.
The group (with Amar Khalil singing lead vocals, replacing Raphael Saadiq, who had began to pursue a solo career) have toured since 1998.
dwayne wiggins album - 2000 / raphael saadiq album - 2008
Raphael Saadiq has since released a couple of solo albums, and set up the group Lucy Pearl.
Dwayne Wiggins has also released solo material.
Albums:
Who? (Wing Records 1988)
The Revival (Wing / Mercury Records 1990)
Sons Of Soul (Wing / Mercury Records 1993)
House Of Music (Mercury Records 1996)
