Fender Musical Instruments Corporation honored Raphael Saadiq today with a limited edition Telecaster carrying his name. The singer, songwriter, musician, and producer has been innovating R&B music for more than three decades as a member of Tony! Toni! Tony! and as a solo artist. Saadiq has collaborated with D’Angelo, Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, Adele, Stevie Wonder and many more. His Lucy Pearl supergroup with Dawn Robinson, Joi, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad was a brief but unforgettable music moment of the late ’90s and early 2000s. 

The Raphael Saadiq Limited Edition Telecaster has a ’59 “C” shaped neck, shiny red metallic finish, and a psychedelic custom-tooled pickguard inspired by his Instant Vintage album. The chrome hardware and black headstock add to the guitar’s striking appearance. Saadiq was impressed with the instrument and shared his feelings in a press statement. 

“Fender truly went hard in the paint with my signature Tele. It goes beyond the richness and snap I love to play with. Thanks to mentors like the incomparable Tony Maiden, Prince, and Ray Parker Jr., Eric Gales, Rob Fonksta Bacon, I’ve learned to play the Telecaster to amplify sound like no other. Collaborating with the iconic Fender brand to introduce my own signature Telecaster is a great honor. I’m excited for young musicians to pick up this guitar, write with it, and take the stage with confidence.” 

Saadiq is the latest artist to be honored through the Fender Artist Signature Series. Go to Fender.com to find a retail partner in your area.

Raphael Saadiq is touring with Tony! Toni! Toné! for the first time in 25 years. The Raphael Saadiq Revisits Tony! Toni! Toné!, Just Me & You Tour 2023 starts on September 21st in Birmingham, Alabama at the BJCC Concert Hall. The long-awaited reunion will be a chance for fans to hear Tony! Toni! Toné’s classics like “It Never Rains (In Southern California)” “Feels Good” and “Anniversary.” Saadiq will perform music from his solo catalog including songs from his short-lived R&B group Lucy Pearl as well as songs he wrote for Solange, Daniel Caesar, Brent Faiyaz and D’Angelo. He says, 

“I’ve always wanted to put my family back together. 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.”

Fans have always wanted to see the original Tonys again and this tour will finally bring the group together again. Citi presale tickets are available today. Live Nation and Spotify presale tickets will go on sale tomorrow (Thursday) and general tickets can be purchased Friday, June 23 at 10 AM local time. All of the ticket categories can be bought from RaphaelSaadiqMusic.com. 

                                                              Tour Dates 

Raphael Saadiq’s 2002 Instant Vintage was his first full-length album as a solo artist. He had already spent a decade as one-third of the successful R&B trio Tony! Toni! Toné! with his brother and cousin.  Singles like “Feels Good,” “Whatever You Want” and “Anniversary” made his honey-toned voice a source of connection and comfort for ’80s and ’90s R&B fans. The Lucy Pearl group he formed with Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Joi and  Dawn Robinson had a brief three-year run that ended in 2001. “Skyy, Can You Feel Me” was written on the night that Aaliyah died and he likened the song’s feeling to her being an angel. Charity Grace, who was Saadiq’s protege from the Willie Max trio he renamed, was the other singer and a co-writer of the song. He described the sound of the album which drew from rock, jazz, funk, soul and hip-hop ‘gospeldelic.’ Instant Vintage was critically acclaimed and it received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album and the popular “Be Here” with D’Angelo was nominated for Best R&B Song. Raphael Saadiq’s most current solo project is the Jimmy Lee album released in 2019. In 2021 he was the executive music producer for National Geographic’s Genius: Aretha limited series. 

 

 

Will police officer Derek Chauvin be convicted of third-degree murder for killing George Floyd with his knee and will the national outrage change police conduct? 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CA0nSeJladI/?utm_source=ig_embed

Are streaming companies and record labels looting music from artists according to Raphael Saadiq or should the artist be happy to benefit from the network and distribution these companies offer?