Grammy® Award Winning Singer-Songwriter Raphael Saadiq Closes Out 2009 With Kings Keep Marchin' Tour

AOL SESSIONS AND iTUNES SESSIONS ON TAP FOR OCTOBER TO SUPPORT NEW SINGLE 'STAYING IN LOVE'

PRNewswire
NEW YORK
10/05/2009

Raphael Saadiq will return to the road for a series of fall and winter tour dates beginning in Seattle, Washington on November 16 and concluding in Minneapolis, Minnesota on December 16 (please see full itinerary following). Saadiq's autumn dates are the artist's first live shows since wrapping a riveting summer tour which included performances at Bonaroo, Essence and Bumbershoot festivals. Saadiq will have several exciting artists join him on tour including Canadian singer-songwriter, Anjulie and Grammy® nominated Janelle Monae on select dates.

Saadiq kicked off the autumn season with an exclusive AD WEEK performance for Billboard at Nokia Theatre in New York City on September 21, 2009 and a live performance of "Staying In Love" on NBC's The Today Show on September 22. October will be a particularly busy month for Saadiq with an AOL Session feature launching October 6, and an iTunes Sessions release on October 27 - both of which will help support the new single "Staying In Love."

Saadiq also collaborated this summer with Mary J. Blige to co-produce and co-write the title end track, "I Can See In Color," for the upcoming film, "Precious." Already showered with Oscar® buzz, The Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry executive produced film, "Precious," stars Monique, Paula Patton and Mariah Carey.

Saadiq's critically acclaimed latest collection, The Way I See It, was named iTunes #1 Best Album of 2008 and had a powerful effect on outlets such as USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and Rolling Stone-who listed the album as one of the best of 2008.

Raphael Saadiq has been playing music since the age of 6, first rising to prominence under the name Raphael Wiggins in the R&B trio Tony! Toni! Tone! in the late 1980s going on to form a second R&B trio, Lucy Pearl, in the early 90s.

Launching his career as a solo artist in the mid 1990s, Saadiq earned his first five Grammy® nominations -- setting the record for an independent release -- for his 2002 album debut, Instant Vintage. A crossover success, Instant Vintage peaked at #25 on the Billboard Top 200 and #6 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart.

His latest album, The Way I See It, available in a collector's edition box set of 7" 45 rpm singles as well as on traditional CD, represents the finest example to-date of Saadiq's downtown sound, a masterful blend of old and new school sensibilities on tracks featuring artists such as Joss Stone, Stevie Wonder, and Jay-Z.

  Raphael Saadiq - 2009 Winter Tour Dates

     DATE           CITY, STATE            VENUE                ON SALE

  Mon/Nov-16       Seattle, WA             Sodo              Sat/Oct-10
  Tues/Nov-17      Portland, OR            Portland          Sat/Oct-10
  Wed/Nov-18       Oakland, CA             Fox               Fri/Oct-09
  Fri/Nov-20       Los Angeles, CA         Wiltern           TBA
  Sat/Nov-21       Las Vegas, NV           House of Blues    Sat/Oct-10
  Tues/Nov-24      Dallas, TX              House of Blues    Fri/Oct-09
  Wed/Nov-25       Houston, TX             House of Blues    Fri/Oct-09
  Sat/Nov-28       Miami, FL               Fillmore@Jackie
                                           Gleason           Fri/Oct-09
  Sun/Nov-29       Orlando, FL             Hard Rock         TBA
  Mon/Nov-30       Atlanta, GA             Centerstage       Fri/Oct-09
  Wed/Dec-02       Philadelphia, PA        Electric Factory  Fri/Oct-09
  Fri/Dec-04       New York, NY            Terminal 5        Fri/Oct-09
  Sat/Dec-05       Atlantic City, NJ       House of Blues    Sat/Oct-10
  Sun/Dec-06       Baltimore, MA           Rams Head         Thur/Oct-22
  Mon/Dec-07       Washington DC           930               Thur/Oct-22
  Wed/Dec-09       Boston, MA              House of Blues    Sat/Oct-10
  Fri/Dec-11       Toronto ON              Kool House        Fri/Oct-09
  Sat/Dec-12       Montreal QC             Metropolis        Thus/Oct-08
  Mon/Dec-14       Chicago, IL             Park West         TBA
  Tues/Dec-15      Chicago, IL             Park West         TBA
  Wed/Dec-16       Minneapolis, MN         First Ave         Fri/Oct-09

  www.raphaelsaadiq.com
  www.myspace.com/raphaelsaadiq
  www.columbiarecords.com

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

SOURCE: Columbia Records

CONTACT: Andre Morris, Columbia Records, New York, +1-212-833-5072;
Andre.Morris@sonymusic.com

Web Site: http://www.columbiarecords.com/