D’Wayne Wiggins, a founding member of the legendary Bay Area R&B trio Tony! Toni! Toné!, passed away today. His family announced, he was 64.
D’Wayne had been battling medical complications prior to his death.
“With broken hearts, we share with you that our beloved D’Wayne passed away this morning surrounded by family and loved ones,” Tony! Toni! Toné! via Instagram. “Over the past year, he has been privately and courageously battling bladder cancer. Through this fight, he remained committed and present for his family, his music, his fans and his community.”
(Tony! Toni! Toné! – 1988)
Tony! Toni! Toné! are acclaimed as the architects of the “neo soul” sound that is currently used to describe the musical stylings of successful R&B artists such as D’Angelo, Maxwell, Angie Stone, Erykah Badu, and Jill Scott.
Raphael Wiggins and Timothy Christian Riley got their first major break when they backed Sheila E. during her opening stint on Lionel Richie‘s “Outrageous” tour.
A year later with D’Wayne Wiggins, they released an independent single, “One Night Stand,” which garnered Tony! Toni! Toné! some exposure in the Oakland area, which led to the deal with Wing/PolyGram.
Raised in Oakland, California, home to such legendary musicians as Sly Stone and Tower of Power, Saddiq and Wiggins also listened to rappers like the Sugarhill Gang, and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and performed in church, school, and occasionally with their father, a blues guitarist.
(CHICAGO – AUGUST 1988: Singers and musicians Carl Wheeler, D’Wayne Wiggins, Antron Haile, Timothy Christian Riley, Elijah Baker and Raphael Saadiq of Tony! Toni! Toné! performs during the WGCI-FM ‘Power Fest ’88’ concert at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois in August 1988. Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
Originally rounding out Tony! Toni! Toné!‘s instrumental sound were Elijah Baker (bass), Carl Wheeler (keyboards), and Antron Haile (keyboards).
In 1988 they released their debut album “Who?” The Tony! Toni! Toné! debut album was released on April 19th. Within a month, the group already had sold more than 100,000 units. Pure sells, before the streaming era.
So who is Tony! Toni! Toné!? No one in particular. Oddly enough, the moniker doesn’t represent anyone in the group.
The three decided the name of the group should be Tony! Toni! Toné! because of a long-standing joke between them. “When one of us was primping, trying to be cool, or going out all suited up, the others would say, ‘Go ahead, Tony, Toni, Toné!’ Could you imagine how someone with that name would act?” D’Wayne laughed while telling an industry trade in 1988. “The name just came out one day and stuck.”
The group is comprised of brothers Raphael (multi-instrumentalist) and D’Wayne Wiggins (guitar) and cousin Timothy Christian (drums), all of whom do the group’s vocals.
Speaking on their sophomore release; “Raphael, Timothy and myself, along with the other group members, have written ten songs for the next album,” stated D’Wayne. “We feel that they are fresh and once again take our music in another direction. We’ll probably come up with a couple more tunes and then, again with Denzil and Thomas, we’ll deliver. We now have a sound and an identity that the public likes, so we’ll stick with it. We’ll grow and improve on it, but we won’t cut songs just to fit a certain format or mode.”
Their sophomore effort, “The Revival,” showcased their evolving artistry with a more hands-on approach to writing, production, and instrumentation.
That album not only solidified their position in the R&B pantheon but also spawned multiple chart-topping singles, including the infectious crossover hit “Feels Good” and poignant ballads like “It Never Rains (In Southern California).”
The apex of their career came with “Sons of Soul” in 1993, a testament to their deep musical roots and creative growth.
Recorded partly in Trinidad, the album yielded unforgettable tracks such as “If I Had No Loot” and the timeless “Anniversary,” earning widespread acclaim and Grammy recognition.
From 1988 to 1996, their chart dominance was undeniable, scoring a dozen singles in Billboard’s Top Ten R&B/hip-hop chart, including iconic tracks like “Feels Good,” “If I Had No Loot,” and the Grammy-nominated “Anniversary,” which also made waves on the Billboard Hot 100.
D’Wayne Wiggins was a Music Pioneer, Singer, Musician, Songwriter, Composer, Music Producer, Movie Producer, Philanthropist, Activist, and Entrepreneur.
Wiggins company, Grass Roots Entertainment, began in 1995 as a production company, producing artists like Jody Watley, Tevin Campbell, Karyn White, Too Short, Lighter Shade of Brown, E-40, Richie Rich, Destiny’s Child, India Arie, and Alicia Keys.
According to Wiggins, the company was created out of a desire to produce artists and music using the winning formula which made Tony Toni Toné a stand-out group. To “create a unique sound and image and continually bring quality music created by actual musicians to mass audiences.” By adding a comprehensive artist development program and broad music industry experience, Grass Roots is taking this formula a step further.
D’Wayne also co-wrote plenty of songs for movie soundtracks, including “Boyz N The Hood,” “Beverly Hills Cop III,” “The Mask,” and “Panther.” As a soloist, his soundtrack credits include songs for “Sugar Hill, “The Nutty Professor,” “Men In Black,” and “Dr. Doolittle.” D’Wayne also contributed a song to the 1997 soundtrack for the Fox hit comedy series, “Living Single.”
An incident with an Oakland police officer in 1999 in which D’Wayne was assaulted, prompted him to take a stand against “racial profiling,” or what’s now commonly known as “Driving While Black.” He stated, “After that experience, I felt it was time to take a stand and speak out against racial profiling.” This included the creation of “What’s Really Going On (Strange Fruit),” his single from “Eyes Never Lie” and numerous television appearances and speaking engagements to tell his story and support nationwide efforts to stop racial profiling among law enforcement.
(Musician D’wayne Wiggins (D’wayne Patrice Wiggins) (formerly of Tony! Toni! Toné!) performs at the House Of Blues in Chicago, Illinois in March 2002. Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
D’Wayne also created the D’Wayne Wiggins Scholarship Fund, which provided college tuition assistance to students in Oakland public high schools who are interested in the arts.
But according to D’Wayne, this is just the beginning of what he plans to achieve. “I want to inspire and entertain people through all the projects we produce at Grass Roots Entertainment: music, movies, television, stage plays, and more. I also want to make a difference in my community and support important causes and being in the entertainment industry allows me to do that on a grand scale.”
(Singers and musicians D’Wayne Wiggins, Raphael Saadiq and Timothy Christian Riley of Tony! Toni! Toné! poses for photos backstage after their performance during the WGCI-FM ‘Power Fest ’88’ concert at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois in August 1988. Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
Fast-forward to now, the group has one gold album, 3 platinum plus albums, 5 gold singles and 11 Top 10 singles; including five #1s.
The trio announced a long-awaited reunion “Raphael Saadiq Revisits Tony! Toni! Toné!” culminating in the “Just Me and You Tour” in Fall 2023.
UB covered the concert and it was a testament to their timeless music and enduring legacy. Drawing sold-out crowds across 25 cities in the US.
UB Sends Our Condolences to the Family, Friends and Fans of D’Wayne Wiggins!
