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Arts & Entertainment

Podcast: 7 songs that inspired D’Wayne Wiggins, producer, artist and Beyoncé discoverer

The musician D'Wayne Wiggins wears a black cowboy hat, sunglasses and gold shirt while smiling into the camera for a posed portrait.
Show art by Clark Miller

This is the second episode of “Life in Seven Songs,” The Standard’s new twice-monthly podcast. In each episode, we ask the world’s brightest minds and leaders—what songs tell the story of your life? Below, you’ll find our interview with music producer D’Wayne Wiggins; our first episode with San Francisco Mayor London Breed can be found here.

D’Wayne Wiggins has been touring with his Grammy award-winning band Tony! Toni! Toné! for four decades, but his greatest accomplishment might be mentoring artists like Beyoncé, India Arie, Kehlani and Zendaya. In this episode, Wiggins reveals how he found his sound and helped others do the same.

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Here’s his playlist.

1: Hot Fun in the Summertime – Sly and the Family Stone
2: Hey Joe – Jimi Hendrix
3: Strawberry Letter 23 – The Brothers Johnson
4: Imagination – Earth, Wind & Fire
5: The Jam – Graham Central Station
6: Be Thankful for What You Got – William DeVaughn
7: What’s Really Going On (Strange Fruit) – D’Wayne Wiggins

You can listen to D’Wayne Wiggins’ full playlist on Spotify. Find the transcript of this episode here. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com.