| Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Tionne Tenese Watkins |
| Also known as | T-Boz, Cool, T |
| Born | April 26, 1970 Des Moines, Iowa United States |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia United States |
| Genres | R&B, hip hop |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, actress, poet, author, executive producer |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | LaFace Arista Cash Money Records |
| Associated acts | TLC, Lisa Lopes, Rozonda Thomas, Keith Sweat, Da Brat |
| Website | www.boz-bizz.com www.Twitter.com/BozBizz |
Tionne Tenese Watkins (born April 26, 1970)[1] better known by her stage name T-Boz, is a four-time Grammy Award–winning American singer, rapper, actress, author, and executive producer who rose to fame as the lead singer and one-third of the R&B/Hip-Hop girl group TLC.
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Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins was born in Des Moines, Iowa. She is of both African American and Native American descent.[2][3] As a child, Watkins was diagnosed with sickle-cell anemia; her parents both have the homozygous recessive trait which one in 12 people of African descent have.[4] Since the age of seven, Watkins has been in and out of hospitals due to her condition.[4] Watkins' family moved from Des Moines to Atlanta, Georgia, when she was nine years old. Because of her disease Watkins was not expected to live past her 30s, but has done so.
Atlanta-local named Crystal Jones held auditions for a local group, who chose 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 45 million records worldwide.
In addition to her work with TLC, Watkins recorded solo singles, including: "Touch Myself" (For the soundtrack of the 1996 film Fled) and "My Getaway" (for the soundtrack to the 2000 film Rugrats in Paris: The Movie.) In addition, she has been a featured vocalist on such songs as: "Ghetto Love" with Da Brat, "Changes" with Society of Soul, "He Say She Say" with Keith Sweat, "Different Times" with Raphael Saadiq and "Be Somebody" with Paula Cole. Watkins has appeared on a song by her TLC bandmate Rozonda Thomas, entitled "Gameproof".
Watkins has worked as an actress, appearing in Hype Williams' 1998 film Belly. Along with her TLC bandmates, she also appeared in an episode of Living Single. Watkins also served as one of the executive producers for the 2006 movie ATL featuring the rapper, T.I..[5] She was also featured in the music video for "It's Good" with YoungBloodZ, and appeared on The Real Housewives of Atlanta as a friend of Kandi Burruss. T-Boz was a contestant in The Celebrity Apprentice, where she was fired for volunteering to come back into the boardroom. After referencing a previous contestant who was fired from the show for the same action, Donald Trump told her, "Never volunteer for an execution."
Watkins published a book of semi-autobiographical poetry called Thoughts on November 3, 1999.[6][7] In 2005, Watkins and stylist Tara Brivic Rowntree opened a children's boutique called Chase's Closet (named after her daughter).
Initially withholding details of her ailment from others, Watkins went public with the disease in 1996, and later became one of the spokespeople for Sickle Cell Disease Association of America.[4] In 2002, she was hospitalized for four months, due to a flare-up of sickle-cell anemia. 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.[4]
In August 2000, Watkins married rapper Mack 10. The couple's daughter, Chase Anela Rolison, was born on October 20, 2000. In June 2004, she filed for divorce and requested a restraining order against Mack 10.[8] Following the split, Watkins entered a three year relationship with Takeo Spikes of the San Diego Chargers.[9]
In October 2009, Watkins revealed on CBS' The Early Show[10] and in People magazine[11] that she had secretly battled a potentially fatal brain tumor for three years. In March 2006, she was diagnosed as having a strawberry-size acoustic neuroma on her vestibular nerve, which affected her balance, hearing, sight, and facial movement. Many physicians refused to remove the tumor due to her sickle-cell-related complications, leaving her alternatives grim; ultimately she underwent surgery at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 |
US R&B/Hip-Hop |
UK Singles Chart[12] | NZ | |||
| 1996 | "Touch Myself" | 40 | 23 | 36 | 33 | Fled soundtrack |
| 2000 | "My Getaway" | - | 14 | 44 | - | Rugrats in Paris: The Movie Soundtrack |
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 |
US R&B/Hip-Hop |
UK Singles Chart | |||
| 1991 | "Word to the Badd!!" (Jermaine Jackson featuring T-Boz) | 78 | 88 | - | You Said |
| 1996 | "Touch Myself" (Remix) (T-Boz featuring Richie Rich) | - | - | - | Seasoned Veteran |
| "Ghetto Love" (Da Brat featuring T-Boz) | 18 | 16 | - | Anuthatantrum | |
| 1999 | "Be Somebody" (Paula Cole featuring T-Boz) | - | - | - | Amen |
| 2000 | "Tight To Def" (Mack 10 with T-Boz) | - | - | - | The Paper Route |
| 2002 | "Different Times" (Raphael Saadiq feat. T-Boz of TLC) | - | - | - | Instant Vintage |
| 2005 | "It's Good" (YoungBloodZ featuring T-Boz) | - | - | - | Ev'rybody Know Me |
| 2009 | "Someday" (DJ Deckstream with T-Boz) | - | - | 7 | Sound Tracks 2 |
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