D'Wayne Wiggins: The Unsung Architect of R&B and Soul

D'Wayne Wiggins was an R&B singer, record producer, guitarist, and songwriter known for his lead vocals on the Tony! Toni! Tone! songs “Slow Wind” and “Whatever You Want.” Listeners also heard his notable guitar works, front and center on the group's songs "It Never Rains (In Southern California)" and "Anniversary," which presented the emotional vulnerability in their songs. Wiggins' guitar playing added depth and intimacy and floated like a summer breeze. His composition was effortless and unforgettable because he communicated with fans through the guitar. His guitar spoke volumes because he brought soul, funk, honesty, and elegance to rhythm and blues, which influenced another genre in the mid-90s: neo-soul.

Wiggins has played a crucial role in defining the sound of modern soul music, yet his name is seldom mentioned in mainstream retrospectives. His story is one of artistic vision and quiet innovation. He also co-founded and performed in the R&B trio Tony! Toni! Tone! with his younger half-brother, Charles Ray Wiggins, also known as Raphael Saadiq, and their cousin Timothy Christian Riley from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s.

The Oakland native was also responsible for shaping the group's sound and direction, which is why his contributions to the group and the R&B genre were so profound. The group released its debut album, Who? (1988), which included hits like "Little Walter." However, it was their subsequent albums—The Revival (1990), Sons of Soul (1993), and House of Music (1996)—that established them as icons of adult contemporary R&B.

Tony! Toni! Toné! paid homage to classic soul and funk music, paired with innovative production, which stood out to their fans. Inspired by the likes of The Temptations, Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye, and Curtis Mayfield, Wiggins' sound was organic and emotionally resonant, which was missing in R&B. Along with the group's success, he established his recording studio, the House of Music, in West Oakland, which became a creative space for emerging and established artists.

After Tony! Toni! Tone! disbanded in 1998, he continued to work with other artists such as India Arie and Alicia Keys. In 2003, Keys and Wiggins worked on the Grammy award-winning and Top 10 Billboard single "Diary" for her sophomore album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. His guitar playing and musical collaboration with Keys showed his versatility as an artist, achieving commercial success. Over the years, Wiggins continued to nurture talent while patronizing the emotional and historical depth of soul music. He didn't have a problem experimenting with new musical sounds while composing songs and launching the careers of various artists. He decided to remain committed to the arts, bypassing commercialism, so he continued to elevate others behind the scenes.

Although he may not be a household name, his influence has significantly shaped key components in R&B over the past thirty years. Wiggins has uplifted generations of artists, including Grammy and Oscar-winning singer H.E.R., Destiny's Child, Keyshia Cole, Zendaya, Kehlani, and the broader Bay Area music scene. He launched Grass Root Entertainment in the mid-1990s, and artists were guided through his musical knowledge with mentorship and learned about the industry's highs and lows and entrepreneurship. He became a pivotal figure for artists in their formative years, helping shape the vocal arrangements and musical direction that would later catapult them to superstardom.

In a music industry that often outweighs fame over substance, D'Wayne Wiggins stands as a reminder that true artistry lies in the depth of one's contributions, not the volume of applause. Wiggins passed away in March 2025 from bladder cancer at the age of 64. Wiggins is no longer living, but it's time for the music industry to celebrate him, not just as a member of Tony! Toni! Toné!, but as a foundational force in R&B and soul.