Portrait of the members of American R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné! as they pose backstage at the Marcus Amphitheater, Milwaukee, Wis., July 3, 1991. Pictured are, from left, Timothy Christian Riley and his cousins, brothers Raphael Saadiq and D’Wayne Wiggins.
Paul Natkin/Getty ImagesIn the summer of 1990, Tony! Toni! Toné!’s immortal hit “Feels Good” was everywhere, conquering radio dials as the No. 1 R&B single in the country and soundtracking countless backyard barbecues. Today, the Oakland trio announced that this fall they plan to tour for the first time as a full group in 25 years, with two Bay Area shows in November, at the Paramount Theatre and the Masonic.
The group, composed of Raphael Saadiq, D’Wayne Wiggins and Timothy Christian Riley, were pioneers of the new jack swing sound, which combined early hip-hop sampling, smooth R&B grooves and funk sensibilities, while incorporating the latest in digital synthesizer technology. The group released four studio albums, a run that concluded with 1996’s “House of Music,” which despite lacking a massive single like “Anniversary” or “It Never Rains (In Southern California),” was still certified platinum.
Raphael Saadiq, Timothy Christian Riley and D’Wayne Wiggins of Tony! Toni! Toné! perform on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on Aug. 27, 1993.
NBC Universal via Getty ImagesTony! Toni! Toné! was most recently in the news in the fall of 2021 when Mayor London Breed was criticized for dancing maskless at a surprise show by the group at the Black Cat.
Of the three primary members, Saadiq has stayed most active over the years, and the tour itself is marketed as Saadiq revisiting the ’90s chapter of his career alongside his old bandmates. After Tony! Toni! Toné!, Saadiq collaborated with the likes of J Dilla and Q-Tip in The Ummah collective, then went on to have a successful solo career and produced hits for the likes of Solange and John Legend, as well as scoring TV shows like “Insecure.”
Wiggins, Saddiq’s brother, had post-Tony! success guiding the career of Destiny’s Child, plus producing early hyphy tracks for Too Short and many more, whereas Riley has been quieter on the musical front since his time in the band.
The tour kicks off in Birmingham, Alabama, on Sept. 21, with 25 dates at marquee venues like Radio City Music Hall in New York, and is scheduled to conclude with shows at Oakland’s Paramount Theatre (Nov. 14) and the Masonic in San Francisco (Nov. 17). Pre-sale tickets go on sale June 21 through Saadiq’s website, followed by a general sale on June 23.