Tionne Watkins
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Tionne Tenese Watkins |
| Also known as | T-Boz, Cool |
| Born | April 26, 1970 Des Moines, Iowa |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Genre(s) | R&B, hip hop, Pop |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Label(s) | LaFace/Artista |
Tionne Tenese Watkins (born April 26, 1970 in Des Moines, Iowa) better known by her stage name T-Boz, is an American R&B singer and lead singer of the group TLC. Watkins is also an occasional actress.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Tionne Tenese Watkins was born April 26, 1970 in Des Moines, Iowa. Watkins is of both African American and Native American descent. [1] As a child, Tionne was diagnosed with sickle-cell disease; her parents both have the homozygous recessive trait which 1 in 12 people of African American descent have. [2] [1] with the disease. Since the age of seven, Watkins has been in and out of hospitals due to her sickle cell disease.[2] The Watkins family moved from Des Moines to Atlanta, Georgia, when Tionne was nine years old. She was not expected to live past her 20s, but has done so.[2]
[edit] Personal life
Initially hiding details of her ailment from others, she went public with the disease in 1996 and is today one of the spokespeople for Sickle Cell Disease Association of America.[2] In August 2000, she married rapper Mack 10. The couple's daughter, Chase Anela Rolison, was born on October 20, 2000. In 2002, Watkins was in the hospital for four months making it one of her longest stays due to her sickle-cell anemia. The unfortunate death of band member and close friend Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes was a heavy blow to her and fellow band member Chilli. In June 2004, T-Boz filed for divorce and requested a restraining order against Mack 10.[3] She has stated that her faith in God and her optimism has helped her stay free from the more serious effects of sickle cell disease.[2]
[edit] Career history
After a career as a hair stylist, Watkins auditioned for Atlanta teenager Crystal Jones' music group 2nd Nature. Jones, Watkins, and Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes eventually attracted the attention of Perri "Pebbles" Reid and her husband, LaFace Records chief Antonio "L.A." Reid. L.A. Reid replaced Jones with Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, and the group was signed in 1991 as TLC, which would go on to become one of the most successful girl groups in history and sell over 45 million records worldwide. She is one of the founders of the group TLC and also the lead singer along with Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas whom is usually the lead singer in the more romantic songs done by the group.
In addition to her work in TLC, Watkins has done some solo recording, including the singles "Touch Myself" (1996) for the Fled soundtrack, and "My Getaway" (2000) from the Rugrats in Paris: The Movie soundtrack. T-boz has also collaborated with other artists over the years. This include singles such as "Ghetto Love" (1996) by Da Brat, "Changes" (1996) by Society of Soul, "He Say She Say" (2000) by Keith Sweat, "Different Times" (2002) by Raphael Saadiq, and "Be Somebody" by Paula Cole.
Watkins has also worked as an actress, appearing in Hype Williams' 1998 film Belly. More recently, Watkins also served as one of the executive producers for the 2006 movie ATL featuring the rapper, T.I.[4]. She recently did a video for "It's Good" with YoungBloodZ, which appears at the end of their Chop Chop video.
As an author, Watkins released the book Thoughts in November 1999. The book is collection of poems as well as essays discussing her life experiences.
In 2005, Watkins opened a children's boutique called Chase's Closet (named for her daughter). The boutique is located in the exclusive River Oaks area. She opened it with girlfriend celebrity stylist Tara Brivic Rowntree. Chase's Closet has won best kids store 4 years in a row and T-Boz will be putting out her own line named after her store.
T-Boz was named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People of the World" by People Magazine twice in 1994 and 2000.
On August 14, 2007, T-Boz spoke with fan website CyberTLC World about upcoming plans which included her solo album which she started recording for 3 weeks ago[5]. She currently has 17 tracks completed and is planning on recording at least 30 songs before she selects the final track listing. Watkins also spoke about a possible TLC movie, which bandmember, Rozonda Thomas, is interested in making. At the moment there is no word whether or not T-Boz and Chilli would play themselves. An upcoming TLC-related television program is also in the works as well as an "uplifting" book that Watkins is currently in the midst of writing.
During the interview, Tionne also spoke about TLC's future as a band, stating it was not likely that there will ever be another album from the group but that there will possibly be a farewell tour sometime before she releases her solo project. Watkins has also put in an appearance on Chilli's debut solo single "Gameproof".
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles (as a solo artist)
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 |
US R&B/Hip-Hop |
UK | |||
| 1996 | "Touch Myself [remix]" (Richie Rich featuring T-Boz) | - | Seasoned Veteran | ||
| 1996 | "Touch Myself" | 40 | 23 | 48 | Fled Soundtrack |
| 1996 | "Ghetto Love" (Da Brat featuring T-Boz) | 18 | 16 | - | Anuthatantrum |
| 2000 | "Tight To Def" (Mack 10 with T-Boz) | - | The Paper Route | ||
| 2000 | "My Getaway" | - | - | 44 | Rugrats in Paris: The Movie Soundtrack |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Tionne Watkins (Actor). Fancast (2008). Retrieved on 2008-05-05.
- ^ a b c d e Tameka L. Hicks (2008). T-Boz: Fighting against the odds. USA WEEKEND. Retrieved on 2008-02-15.
- ^ For The Record: Quick News On Ray Charles, 50 Cent, Fantasia Barrino, T-Boz, Incubus & More, from mtv.com
- ^ MSN (2008). ATL:Overview. MSN. Retrieved on 2008-04-29.
- ^ [www.cybertlcworld.net
- ^ nndb biography of Tionne Watkins Accessed Dec 6, 2006
- ^ tv.com biography of Tionne Watkins Accessed Dec 6, 2006
- ^ North Carolina divorce law July 2004 Accessed Dec 6, 2006
- ^ H Texas Online Accessed Dec 6, 2006
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||||||||
