After 25 years, Tony! Toni! Toné is touring again. The R&B group, whose members include biological brothers Raphael Saadiq and D’Wayne Wiggins and their cousin Timothy Christian Riley, has reunited.
The group, known for songs like “Feels Good,” “Anniversary,” “It Never Rains (In Southern California),” and “Whatever You Want,” will perform at the Louisville Palace tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $45.
LEO caught up with Wiggins in advance of the group's show in Louisville to discuss the reunion tour, his favorite tunes, the current R&B landscape, and much more.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
LEO: What does it mean to you to be back doing what you love in the city of Louisville?
D’Wayne Wiggins: Oh my God. First of all, I got some family out there, and we've been touring for years. In the earlier days, we always played Louisville. So, it's kind of natural for us. We still pass through; we just haven't done anything together. It means a lot to be doing it with family. The originals, you know what I mean? That's what's really special about the occasion.
When was the last time you performed in Louisville?
The three of us? Man, you gotta go back to, like, '94.
What's it like to be performing as a group again after 25 years? Were you guys a little rusty in the beginning, or did everything fall into place, in which you guys were operating like a cohesive unit?
We realize that when you're at home, you just feel comfortable. That stage is where we're comfortable. And when it's the three of us, it's just a natural flow. It's not a work ethic effort. It's more like being at peace. You know what I mean?
We know each other. We know the songs. It's kind of cool to reminisce and go back because, a lot of times, the songs that we wrote were like spur-of-the moment. So, some of the lyrics were what we were feeling at that time, and it's been many years. So, we find ourselves kind of tweaking the lyrics and we then see the crowd knowing [the words], adlibs and all. That’s what we have been focusing on. We deliver the songs like they are.
Continuing the topic of getting back together: What's it like to be touring again as a group? Was there anything that you had to get used to again, or did it just fall right into place?
Well, a lot of things. Since we haven't been together or working on stages together [prior to the tour], we have to deal with a lot of different energy, especially after so long. But when you get that you’re-at-home feeling, you just feel like, oh my God, you just relax. All you have to do is look over your shoulder and give your bandmate a wink of the eye. We're on that stage, and we all speak the same language. It's almost like levitating. It feels good, man.
Obviously, the tour has already started. What have been the highs of the tour since it commenced?
I have to say that North Carolina was the bomb. We didn't know what to expect, and we saw that that room filled from top to bottom, just stuffed for people. I was like, 'Look at the love.' I can't even call them fans anymore. They’re family. They've been with us for over 35 years, and of course the newfound followers.
Radio City Music Hall was something out of this world for us. The last time we were there, we were on the same stage with Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen. And it was us three, and we were performing with all of them, doing a tribute to Curtis Mayfield for the Grammys. That was the last time we were on that stage together. To walk out there and see that room like it was, melts your heart. Wow, God is great!
What have been the lows of the tour?
Just one little thing, having to switch engineers. I’ve found that they don’t understand the chemistry of what our flow is like. Most people want to mix us like a straight R&B [group]. But we like our stuff a little dirty. You know, the drums, smacking a little different, the bass knocking a little different.
What has been your favorite tour stop city thus far?
North Carolina? Maybe New York? But D.C. gave us a problem. Let's stop playing — "Chocolate City" showed out. It’s not as much chocolate as it used to be there, but it's still a beautiful thing because the people came out. It was our sixth or seventh date. But overall, everything has been very accepting. We're having the meet-and-greets, where people get a chance to come out and be a part of the soundcheck, which is the jam session, and I always tell people, the soundchecks are the best part of the show, especially when we can start getting into a jam session with a fabulous musician as Raphael.
Our show is a nice little fusion, two and a half hours. He does some Lucy Pearl stuff, but it's not just Lucy Pearl.
Tell us about your relationship with Raphael. Did you guys have a sibling rivalry or a competitive rivalry growing up?
I have to say he's my “little big brother,” my “younger big bro.” And yes, he is very famous, but we come from a big family, so I don’t know about having a sibling rivalry. I don’t think so.
Who were some of your musical influences growing up?
Growing up in Oakland, it was Larry Graham. I would say it's the same for Raphael. We watched Sly Stone, watched Santana in the parks, watched Tower Power, watched Grateful Dead. The Chi-Lites and The Stylistics are the reason we write songs like “Holy Smokes,” “Slow Wine,” those type of ballads.
We can also get into some stuff that may sound like Elton John. We grew up having a big family. My older sisters would play everything from Stevie Wonder to Elton John. We really had a solid foundation with music, but we also got a little classical training, not how to technically read or anything, but in terms of how to produce that type of stuff on stage. We grew up at a time when the schools were more like school[s] of the arts, and that was a standard. You left the high school with a trade.
Regardless of the genre, currently, who are some of your favorite musical acts?
I'm loving H.E.R. The way she holds a guitar. She's from the Bay Area, Oakland, Vallejo. I told her that she is from the spirit of Sly Stone. I've watched her go from piano to bass to guitar and God knows whatever else. I'm really inspired by people who want to say that R&B is dead. It's a whole new evolution of R&B. I think it has a bright future.
What’s your favorite song to perform? What’s one particular joint like that takes you elsewhere whenever you perform it live?
Ohh, “Anniversary!” It does magical things for me. We're doing the long version [on the tour], and when I look at the crowd and we're doing this song, I think about when we recorded the song. Everything coming together, a 40-piece orchestra, Clare Fischer, all of the people that played the part. “Anniversary” has to be that one. We do that bad boy about seven to nine minutes long; it all depends on how Raphael feels.
What’s been your least favorite city thus far?
I can't say. It's all been a great high for me. But, see, I'm different; it could be four people in the crowd, and I'm still going to feel like it's the world. It has been very nice crowds every night. The energy has just been out the roof.
What are you expecting from the people in Louisville at the show on Oct. 10?
Genuine love. You know what I mean? You got some people sneaking their cameras, my brother. You try to get on them about it, but, man, I'm just like, we live in these times and we live in the moment.
Finally, is there anything that you would like to say in closing as we celebrate the reunion of Tony! Toni! Toné! or the upcoming show at the Palace?
I don't like to call the people our fans. They are our friends. They've been with us so long. I'm very grateful, thankful, and looking forward to future relationships amongst all of them.
