Raphael Saadiq has made the dreams of ’90s R&B fans come true, officially announcing that Tony! Toni! Toné! are back and heading out on tour together.
On Tuesday (June 20), Saadiq, who teased the reunion back in March, took to Instagram to announce the group’s forthcoming Just Me & You Tour, which will serve as the trio’s first tour in over 25 years.
The California R&B group will kick things off on September 21 in Birmingham, Alabama, and will head through New York City, Chicago, Nashville, and Los Angeles before wrapping up at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California on November 14 and The Masonic in San Francisco on November 17.
“I’ve always wanted to put my family back together,” Saadiq said in a statement. “Playing with the Tonys again is a thank you to the fans, the Super Tonians, for supporting all my musical efforts. Without those who were with us from Day One, where would I be? But the main reason is that my father, Charlie Wiggins, would’ve wanted it this way – to see me, D’Wayne and Tim playing together again.”
Formed by Raphael Saadiq, his brother D’Wayne Wiggins and Timothy Christian Riley in the late 1980s, the trio released their debut album Who? in 1988, followed by The Revival in 1990.
Tony! Toni! Toné! then achieved stardom with their third effort Sons Of Soul in 1993, which was certified double platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). The group then disbanded after their fourth effort House Of Music, which critics called their best project.
In a 2019 interview with Sway’s Universe, Saadiq revealed the group would be getting back together, despite D’wayne previously saying it would never happen. The Grammy Award-winning singer elaborated on what motivated the change of heart in an interview with NME later that year.
“I’ve been working on new Tonys music for about 15 years. I just felt like we should do something, a few songs, maybe seven or eight of them and then do a few shows,” he…
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