Since Saadiq's (Charles Ray Wiggins) early days with the groundbreaking 80's soul trio Tony! Toni! Tone! the Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter and record producer has carried the torch for old school R&B. In addition to releasing critically acclaimed solo albums like Ray Ray and Instant Vintage (nominated for five GRAMMYs), for the last two decades Saadiq has worked behind the scenes as a celebrated producer, collaborator and sideman for big-time acts like D'Angelo, John Legend, Joss Stone, The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest, Stevie Wonder, the Bee Gees, The Isley Brothers, Mary J. Blige, TLC, Whitney Houston, Snoop Dogg, Earth, Wind and Fire and the list goes on and on. Now, at the peak of his creativity, Saadiq is finally ready to soak up the spotlight alone with Stone Rollin'.
A few years ago Saadiq signed a deal with Columbia Records. "When I first got the deal with Columbia they knew I had produced some records, but they didn't know me as a solo act," he explains. But when label guru Rick Rubin paid a visit to Saadiq's home studio, he was blown away by what he'd heard. "He told me to never box myself in," says Saadiq. "I just have to be myself. You've got to follow your own path. I've always gone down the road less traveled, but now I do it even more aggressively." His instincts have paid dividends. Saadiq's debut album for Columbia, 2008's The Way I See It, which boasted four Billboard R&B chart singles and was nominated for three GRAMMY Awards including Be.....
