Age: 60
male
Raphael Saadiq (/səˈdiːk/; born Charles Ray Wiggins, May 14, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He rose to prominence as a vocalist and bassist for the R&B band Tony! Toni! Toné!, which he formed with his brother D'Wayne and cousin Timothy Christian Riley in 1986. Initially, the band went by the name "Tony, Toni, Toné" as a joke, until they realised it "had a nice ring to it". Along with his groupwork and solo career, he has produced and written songs for other R&B artists, including Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, Jill Scott, Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Total, Earth, Wind & Fire, Joss Stone, TLC, En Vogue, Kelis, Mary J. Blige, Ledisi, Whitney Houston, Solange Knowles and John Legend. After touring with Prince, Sheila E. and Sheena Easton as a bassist in the mid-1980s, Saadiq co-founded Tony! Toni! Tone!. He went on to release four albums—Who! (1988), The Revival(1990), Sons of Soul (1993), and House of Music(1996)—with the band before their indefinite hiatus. Before House of Music, Saadiq released his 1995 debut solo single, "Ask of You", for the soundtrack to the John Singleton film Higher Learning. He formed the music production unit the Ummah (with D'Angelo, Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and J Dilla). "Ask of You" peaked within the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 and led him to briefly sign with the now-defunct Universal Records as a solo act. In 1999, he formed the supergroup Lucy Pearl with singer Dawn Robinson and Ummah cohort Ali Shaheed Muhammad; the group's self-titled debut album (2000) was supported by the Hot 100 top-40 single "Dance Tonight" and served as their only project before disbanding in 2001. Saadiq has since released five solo albums, including the critically acclaimed Instant Vintage (2002), Ray Ray (2004), as well as the retro-styled The Way I See It (2008) and Stone Rollin' (2011). The contemporary-sounding Jimmy Lee was released in 2019 and earned Saadiq further acclaim. Music critic Robert Christgau has called Saadiq the "preeminent R&B artist of the '90s". Saadiq has won three Grammy Awards for his songwriting work out of 22 nominations, as well as an Academy Award nomination, two Golden Globe Award nominations and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. Outside of music, Saadiq also co-founded the independent video game developer IllFonic in 2007, which has developed Friday the 13th: The Game (2017), Predator: Hunting Grounds (2020) and Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed (2022), among other titles. Description above from the Wikipedia article Raphael Saadiq, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Raphael Saadiq
Composer
for Composer in Fire and Desire: The Teena Marie Story
Suggested by kamsismith
Teena Marie's life is a story of passion, resilience, and revolution. Born Mary Christine Brockert, her journey begins as a musically gifted yet overlooked young girl in the working-class neighborhoods of California. Her path takes an unexpected turn when she becomes the protégé of the enigmatic and volatile Rick James. Together, they create magic on stage, culminating in their iconic duet, "Fire and Desire," which sets the music world ablaze. But Teena's story is more than just her rise to stardom. The series explores her relentless fight against racial and gender barriers, her groundbreaking lawsuit against her record label to secure artistic control, and her ability to bridge cultural divides with her undeniable authenticity. Her personal life is marked by triumphs and challenges, from the highs of motherhood and Grammy nominations to the struggles with substance abuse and the heartbreak of losing Rick James. Through a soundtrack of unforgettable hits like "Lovergirl," "Square Biz," and "Out on a Limb," Fire and Desire weaves Teena’s personal and professional evolution with the vibrant cultural shifts of the '70s, '80s, and '90s. Each episode offers a mix of powerful performances, intimate moments, and behind-the-scenes drama that will captivate both lifelong fans and newcomers alike.
