Raphael Saadiq: “Day Dreams”
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Apparently the name Charles Ray Wiggins isn’t appropriate for a rock star. Raphael Saadiq (née Wiggins), picked up the bass at age six and decided to change his name to Raphael at eighteen after trying out for Sheila E.‘s backing band on Prince‘s Parade Tour (he picked up Saadiq – which means “man of his word” in Arabic in the mid-90s). Saadiq spent two years on the road with Prince, and came back to Oakland to form the massively successful R&B group, Tony! Toni! Toné! (if you don’t remember the group, you’ll surely recall this song – apologies for the flashback).
After Tony! Toni! Toné! dissolved in 1996, Saadiq began working on a solo career and also lent his ear to others. As a producer, he’s worked on hits by D’Angelo and Joss Stone. As a performer, he captured a Best R&B Grammy in 2003 for the song “Love of My Life (Ode to Hip Hop).”
Saadiq began to crossover to the mainstream market in 2008, with the Grammy nominated album, The Way I See It. He spent most of 2010 working on the follow-up (his fourth solo album to date), Stone Rollin’, which came out in March of this year. Saadiq played most of the instruments on the album and expanded on the old-school Motown feel of his previous work.
Saadiq swung through Austin a couple of times in 2011 – first at SXSW, and then just last month at Stubb’s. “Day Dreams” appears on Stone Rollin’, but this version of the tune was recorded at KUT while Saadiq was in town in June.
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