As the title of their crown jewel Sons of Soul (1993) boldly declared, Tony! Toni! Toné!—Raphael Wiggins (popularly known as Raphael Saadiq), his brother D’wayne Wiggins, and their cousin Timothy Christian Riley—were true descendants of soul and funk music’s golden age from the very start. Hailing from the undeniably tough and vibrant streets of Oakland, California, the family trio absorbed the social, cultural, and political climate that defined the Bay Area during its most incendiary era. Above all, the Bay Area was one of the powerhouse cornerstones of funk and soul, where several influential luminaries like Sly & the Family Stone, Larry Graham & Graham Central Station, Tower of Power, and Con Funk Shun laid down their gusty, muscular, and righteous grooves all over the music landscape.
