Dwayne Wiggins is best remembered in the soul/R&B rock band of the 90s, Tony! Toni! Tone!. The group rocked the music scene and got a lot of acclaim. He is a musician, guitarist, composer, and producer. His work in communities has become another marker for Dwayne’s life.
He is one of the influencers of the Neo-soul music genre and has helped to shape the career of other artists. There are interesting things you need to know about the music artist and producer.
Personal Profile
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Dwayne Wiggins was born on 14 February 1961. He was born in the Lower Bottoms neighborhood of West Oakland in California. His parents were from the deep south. Dwayne’s mum came from Arkansas while his father was a blues guitarist from Texas. He had 14 siblings and is currently 63 years old
They grew up with Southern values in them as a result of their parent’s background.
He was not raised in the west part of Oakland where he was born. Dwayne grew in East Oakland where he attended school at Castlemont High School.
Recalling childhood events, he sees himself as a 70s child even though he was born in the 60s
He grew up in East Oakland across from Defremery Park. Sly stone played at this park while rallies took place there by the Black Panthers. This had significance to him. Observing all this helped his musical career.
Dwayne’s father used to take him for shows in the blues clubs within the city. That is attending a lot of shows. There were millions of musicians and so many bands playing.
He never picked up bits and pieces from the street and that was how he learned to play the blues.
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Raphael Saddiq is one of the founding members of Tony! Toni! Tone! Is the biological brother of Dwayne Wiggins. Saadiq is also a multi-instrumentalist like his older brother.
Saadiq in Arabic means man of his word but he is not a Muslim. He adopted the Saadiq surname. he did so to avoid confusion in writing and production credit with Dwayne.
Unlike Dwayne who learned the blues on the streets, Saadiq started playing at a young age. He landed a role as the prince protégée in Sheila E. He toured Tokyo before he returned to settle in Tony! Toni! Tone!.
Dwayne, Saadiq, and their cousin Timothy Christian Riley formed the group, Tony! Toni Tone!. When the group came out, most musicians were singing hip pop and R&B.
They combined blues and hip hop sound to their sound. Tony! Toni! Tone! Is often called a Neo-Soul group because of the instruments they were using.
The Wurlitzer keyboards and B3 organs were important aspects of their instrumentals.
Tony! Toni! Tone! Sold over six million copies of albums and had 14 of their singles topping the charts. The period between 1998 and 2008 marked the group’s success.
In 2001, Dwayne tied the knot with Michelle. They are the proud parents of three adorable children. The marriage ended in divorce in 2013, Michelle filed for a divorce in 2013.
After the group disbanded, he went into music production for other artists. His successful artists I Destiny’s Child, Keyshia Cole, Beyonce Knowles, and Alicia Keys.
Dwayne mentored Keyshia into a great star. Through his Grassroots entertainment, he has reached out to many artists.
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One of Dwayne’s brothers got murdered when he was twelve. Shortly after another brother committed suicide due to heroin addiction.
Other tragedies include the death of his sister when a kid ran into her car. A kid was on a police chase when he ran into her car. She was also a blues singer.
These tragedies are low points in his life but he alongside his brother rose from the pain.
Dwayne has features on television. In 2001, he produced the movie Me& Mrs. Jones. He was the producer of the documentary Life Is. The documentary was about the life of the rapper, Too Short.
The TV arena show hosted by D.L. Hughley had Dwayne as its bandleader. The Weekends at The D.L was on air on Comedy Central cable network. Dwayne joined the show in 2005.
He is one of the most celebrated music artists. He has passed through all the phases, from being a musician to producing for other stars.
Dwayne’s time with Tony! Toni! Tone! group had 14 billboard top-charting R&B singles with five of them as #1 hits. The group had one gold album and two platinum albums.
He won a Grammy for the production of Alicia Key’s If I Was Your Woman. The Album Diary of Alicia keys was a huge commercial success. The album won four Grammy awards and went platinum.
He currently tours with the other Tony! Toni! Tone! Band members. Saadiq left and Amar Khalil replaced him after the band disbanded in 1996.
His Poplyfe features his son and nephew. Poplyfe contested in America’s Got Talent and came fourth in 2012. They toured alongside Zendaya from Disney’s Shake-Up.
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Dwayne has a net worth of $10 million. He makes his income from his music career and productions. Dwayne Wiggins uses his money to give back to society through activism.
He was active in presenting the Green Room Party, an event to benefit Oakland’s Youth Aid Non-Profit. The organization is to reach out to youths by inspiring them through the business of music.
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