Tish Haynes has been a familiar face on the St. Louis music scene for the better part of two decades. She put her first band together in 2006.
“We used to pack The Junkyard out every Sunday night,” said Haynes, known professionally as Tish Period.
On Sunday, September 28, Haynes and her current band were performing a two-show set at Broadway Oyster Bar.
Four songs into her second set, Haynes experienced what she describes as a “God-orchestrated event.”
“It still feels unreal,” said Haynes. “I will forever be grateful to God, and thank God for allowing me to be the person this happened to.”
Haynes and her band were performing the 1990s pop/R&B hit “Waterfalls” by TLC. The hitmakers just happened to be riding past at the exact moment.
A since-viral video shows group members Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas and Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins running out of their van and into the venue. They were compelled to connect with the big voice belting out one of the classics from their catalog.
“It’s not chance, it’s not odds, it’s not luck,” Haynes told 5 On Your Side’s Rene Knott. “My steps were ordered. TLC’s steps were ordered. The driver of the van’s steps was ordered. It was just amazing.”
Haynes had performed the song before a sold-out crowd at City Winery just a few weeks before. For Broadway Oyster Bar, she yielded to her last-minute urge to move the song from her first set to the second one.
Had it played in the original order, TLC never would have heard her. They were on stage in Forest Park as a headliner for the Evolution Festival.
She had already finished the song when they drove by. She was using what should have been the fade to give the musicians an opportunity to shine.
“I was just kind of working it, letting the band play out,” Haynes told Knott. “I turned around and I’ve got TLC looking dead at me.”
The group documented the loving ambush to millions by way of their social media accounts.
“For me, it’s more of a testament to God’s faithfulness,” Haynes said. “I’ve been doing this for so long, and for me to get that confirmation – it was validation that God hadn’t forgotten about me.”
Haynes said TLC also greeted each member of the band individually, and watching them do so “shows the true heart of [the] legends.”
“I am forever proud to share the stage with my band family,” Haynes said of the musicians; Mark Harris II on keys, Freddy Spencer Jr. on drums, C.J. Davidson on lead guitar and Shawn Taylor on bass.
“None of this would have been possible without these world-class musicians right here in St. Louis and East St. Louis.”
By the next morning, Haynes was the talk of the town, the nation and the world.
“Yesterday, I was walking down the street when a Bi-State [MetroBus] bus rode past,” Haynes said. “The bus door opened, and the bus driver yelled out ‘Hey Tish.’ I don’t know that lady. I can’t thank God enough.”
The clip was featured on the “Today Show.” People.com and Essence.com were also among the outlets to share the story.
“I can’t help but cry and just thank God for choosing me,” she said. “Just like God made TLC walk through those doors, he’s going to do everything else I need him to do – intentionally.”
For her, the moment was confirmation that she is on the right path and her consistency and performance standards will carry her through.
“This moment was bigger than me. Everybody knows that I’ve been singing for a long time,” Haynes said. “For me to have this opportunity and for God to do something like this, just gave a message of hope. And that’s the message that has been going out to everybody.”
She’s working on new music. She has some shows coming up, including a performance on October 24 at Live by Loews – a Chaka Khan tribute she is co-headlining with Cherise Louis Mason.
“I am going to use this moment to keep letting the world know about me,” Haynes said. “And whatever God has for me, I’m ready for it.”
Living It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.
