Tionne Watkins

Full Bio Known to fans the world over as one-third of the R&B girlgroup TLC, Tionne Watkins has been known for most of her career as her stage name, T-Boz. The Iowa-born songstress auditioned for the group when she was 21 while working as a hair stylist in Atlanta, and her distinctly low, deep voice made an instant impression. TLC was soon signed to a major label and got to work recording and touring in support of its debut album. Recording and touring would become everyday business for Watkins, as TLC proved to be a huge hit, topping the charts and selling out venues at every turn. It was during a 1996 tour that Watkins had a major health scare, forcing her to publicly confront that she sickle-cell anemia. The blood disorder had threatened her life and well-being for all of her life, and the singer subsequently became a spokesperson for the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, striving for education and advocacy for sufferers of the disease.