Raphael Saadiq

Whether playing bass, producing or singing, Raphael Saadiq is one of the most influential leaders of the R&B movement's revival in the late twentieth century. Learning the basics while a child singing in a gospel choir, he went on to collaborate with some of the greatest R&B performers of his time including Whitney Houston, Joss Stone and Stevie Wonder. As a singer he had a voice that reminded many of a young Stevie Wonder and as a producer he could inspire the best work out of a wide array of performers. The Motown sound that began in Detroit in the early 60s was to remain a lasting passion for this Oakland kid who grew up in one of the toughest neighborhoods and never forgot his roots.