Tionne Tenese "T-Boz" Watkins (born April 26, 1970 in Des Moines, Iowa) is an American R&B singer and lead singer of the group TLC. Vocally, she is most known for her throaty, seductive voice; in fact, her baritonal contralto is so low, it rivals that of fellow R&B chanteuse Toni Braxton. T-Boz has also worked as an actress, appearing in Hype Williams' 1998 film Belly.
The Watkins family moved from Des Moines to Atlanta, Georgia, when Tionne Watkins was nine years old. 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 Peri "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 the most successful act in the history of the LaFace label.
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. She is now recording a new solo album.
T-Boz recently opened a children's boutique in Houston, Texas, called Chase's Closet (apparently named for her daughter). The boutique is located in the exclusive River Oaks area of Houston. She also has plans to produce a motion picture.
As a child, Tionne was diagnosed with sickle-cell disease; initially hiding details of her ailment form others, she went public with the disease in 1996 and is today one of the spokespeople for Sickle Cell Disease Association of America.
T-Boz dated Jodeci member Dalvin DeGrate during the 1990s. In August 2000, she married rapper Mack 10. The couple's daughter, Chase Rolison, was born that October 20, 2000. In 2004 T-Boz filed for divorce and a restraining order against Mack 10.
