DJ Fresh's T-Boz Page

Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins

Who is T-Boz? That girl with the cool platinum haircut and scratchy smooth voice. You know the one from that group called TLC. Here I've put together a little biography on her so you can get to know a little more about Miss Tionne Watkins, unless you already no so. Born on April 26, 1970 in Des Moines, Iowa (Zodiac Sign-Taurus), Tionne Tenese Watkins grew up singing in church with her family and had major influences from Prince and other artists such as Janet Jackson and Patti LaBelle. She started out her work as a model and then hairdresser, manicurist and shampoo girl. Then in 1991, when Pebbles was putting together a girl group, Tionne was accepted along with Lisa Lopes and another group member who didn't work out well. Looking for a third member didn't take long for Rozanda Thomas was found as a background dancer for Damian Dame to be the "C" (Chilli) of TLC. From then on Tionne "T-Boz", for her being the boss, became the main vocalist of the group and helped lead Lisa "Left-Eye" and Rozanda "Chilli" "keeping us out of trouble" as Left-Eye points out on MTV's Past Present and Future interview of TLC. Tionne became well known her own style of singing, her raspy voice and smooth tone in "Waterfalls" and the other hit songs they've come up with. Physically she's the girl of any guy's dreams, she was named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People Of 1995". Tionne believes that friends are very supportive people, "Know your friends for who they are. I've always been real picky about choosing friends because growing up I got dogged out be people who acted like they were friends. I think people use the word 'friend' too freely... a friend is a person who's there for you no matter what, almost would die for you... somebody you know has got your back." Miss Watkins is the spokesperson for Sickel Cell, she is the first celebrity to have this disease and promises she will not let it bring her down and continue to be strong for her fans. "The doctor is getting me to eat foods that help me withstand the disease by improving my immune system. So I get up around noon, and I drink a smoothie everyday. It's made of wheatgrass, fruits and vitamins--and looks like ooky, gooby, green throw-up. For someone who grew up eating greasy soul food, and this diet has been torture. You just can't go from 27 years of eating Blimpie and Subway sandwiches to eating healthy. But now I have a chef who comes in a few times a week and makes me healthy pasta and vegetable dishes so I won't have to go out. After a month, I can already see the difference. I've been feeling much better." Tionne, as well as the other members of TLC, has come from a childhood without a father around and states, "I don't think people take seriously how much not having a father can affect a child's life, if you have a father that’s all b.s., it's better just not to have one at all. Let the family replace the love that the father couldn't give." She is definitely a woman of the nineties, "Even if I married a rich man, I would never quit and just let him take care of me, we[TLC] have all met [men], whether they were selling drugs or whatever, with hell-a-money, and we could have been set up a long time ago. But everybody don't want to do it like that. I don't care how many kids I have, my husband could be the richest man in the world, I will still work. I ain't never gonna be no housewife." To many women and young girls out there, she is someone to look up to, "I didn't ask to be a role model, but now that I am, I think it's important to carry myself correctly. When I read fan mail and they write and say they want to be just like you, you know that some people idolize you. I don't advise that some people do so, but they do so you have to watch what you do. If I was a devil-worshiper they would be worshiping satan and that's not cool you know. I feel that if you're in a positino to do the right thing, then you should, and if you don't know what you're talking about then you should be quiet." Recently she debuted in a leading role for the Hype Williams film "Belly" where she plays "Tionne", Nas's girlfriend. Now that the TLC year has arrived, (1999), she and Left-Eye and Chilli are getting ready for what is expected to be a busy year for the group. They'll be flooded with interviews and reporters asking, again and again, why the album took so long. We can't wait to hear from her again, T-Boz is just the kind of "BOZ" a group like TLC would need.

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