The Blues Blogger

I am now seeing a big rise in traffic to this site! I thought it was important to officially say hello and acknowledge the readers of this Blog. A big part of this traffic is returning readers. I am very flattered and humbled by your loyalty and kind comments via e-mails.

Just because there are only a few comments on this Blog is not an indication that no one is paying attention. When you are ready to leave comments it will happen given time. However, don’t be shy if you have something you want to add to any of the articles, I would love to hear from you.

People are telling me they are finding the stories very down to earth and easy to read. They like the personal touch and enjoy the tunes I have selected for the site. It’s been a great feeling for me to discover my writing roots once again. Many years have passed and I feel the rust. Given time and your continued support, I will generate ideas and work on some themes that I hope will strike a pleasant reflective chord.

Many of my personal musical experiences have been locked up in my head for well over 20 years. I intend to pull memories from my early childhood at home, to my teenage years working at several record boutiques, to my previous life as a recording engineer in New York. From these times I have met, seen and worked with many talented artists. Some of these musicians, producers and recording engineers were and continue to be very successful. Like most people in every day life some were fantastic to work and hang out with while others were quite mischievous. There are some rich memories I intend to sprinkle throughout this Blog. It is not my intention to brag be controversial or revealing, it’s just a canvas for me to paint some thoughts and share some experiences with you through my writing. I’m not sure where it will all go, and you never know who we will stumble across together, but I hope you enjoy the journey along the way.

To keep with the theme of past posts, I will leave you with a song that has some significance to me. In my previous article, The Jewish Influence in Blues and Jazz, I make mention of Jack Bruce. (You will have to read the article to see the reference) I love listening to his work with the legendary Cream and his solo pieces. One of the albums I was very keen on at the time is entitled; “I’ve Always Wanted To Do This”. It featured David Sancious, Billy Cobham and Clem Clemson. It was an absolute thrill for me to stand several feet away from this musical legend at The Bottom Line in New York back in 1981.

Cheers,

The Blues Blogger.

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I haven’t written very much in the past 20 years. It’s only been in the last few months that I have rediscovered my greatest passion. There are many reasons for this that are not necessary for me to get into. That’s another story. Perhaps my recent heart attack gave me the opportunity to spend a fair amount of time reflecting back into my past.

I started listening to a lot of music recently and drifted back to my childhood. Maybe in some profound way I finally felt more justified to discuss my love of jazz music and especially blues. These latest events made me finally attempt to bring my love of music and writing together.

Growing up in the sixties I recall so many genres of music that played in our household. From The Beatles and The Monkees in my sister’s room, to Big Band Jazz in the living room, to my brother’s turntable that span the soulful sound of electric blues and jazz in the bedroom we shared.

Music was everywhere. Tunes were always playing in our house even before my birth. It would appear that I was breast-fed music and by the time I was in my early teens, as a result, I developed a natural but unusual knowledge level for my age. My father played the harmonica and my brother the guitar. Together they would have jam sessions that filled the house with a vibrancy that I can never forget.

My grandparents were very orthodox, and while my parents never got too involved in Judaism, they thought that out of respect, they should make me understand my roots. I went to Hebrew School and studied up until I had my Bar Mitzvah at thirteen. I was the strange child that loved listening to the Cantor sing at the synagogue because I was convinced he sounded like Jack Bruce of Cream. To this very day I still think that! It was this very thought wave that made me think… Is there a link between this? Maybe there was something to it. I know there are people who are going to think I’m off my rocker, but that’s OK. We’re all entitled to our opinion. I wanted to see if instinctively I felt something back then that I couldn’t explain until now.
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Helen Folasade Adu

more commonly known to her fans as Sade, was born in January 16th, 1959 in Ibadan Nigeria. Her father was a Nigerian teacher and mother an English nurse. Sade’s parents separated when she was four. Together with her mother they would then move Great Hawkesley in North London.

Sade

is a hypnotic performer that puts a calm spell over her listeners. She has a alluring sway and calm soothing style that have her fans craving for more. When you surf the internet and try to find current information on the vocalist, you will not find much. Fan letters and websites are full of comments begging for her return.

On my about page on this Blog I mention putting my guitars on my wall for arts sake. I am not a musician and never will be, but I have a confession. When I listen to Sade, at the right moment when no one is around, I tune up the guitar and play along. I’m not sure what it is, but it seems to be the only moments where I sound like I can really play. Wishful thinking? Of course! Maybe I just want to say that I can play with Sade.

As a teenager Sade studied Fashion design at St. Martins Art College in London while working as a waitress and bike messenger. She was inspired musically through her love of Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Gil Scott-Heron, Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield. It was these influences that motivated her to spend most of her free time singing. Her melodic passion would rapidly overtake her fashion career interests. After going to an audition she soon found herself performing as one of three vocalists in an upcoming jazz-funk group known as Pride.

In 1984 Pride eventually became known as Sade, and the singer would begin to hone her song writing craft. Her former Pride members would continue to stay with her and contribute by bringing their instrumental and compositional talents to build an additional structure to Sade’s song writing skills. They would form a team that would continue to play and write together for the next decade

All this talent and skill would come together with her debut album Diamond Life in 1984. That song along with Smooth Operator, Your Love is King and Hang On to Your Love would all top the charts. Sade was then nominated for a Grammy and won the best new artists category. Diamond Life spent 81 weeks on Billboard’s album charts. The album is still the all-time best-selling debut by a British female singer. She even made a brief film debut in Julien Temple’s Absolute Beginners, performing the song Killer Blow, which she co-wrote. Sade was a star!

Her follow up album Promise in 1985 would show that Sade was not going to be forgotten. The album reached No. 1 on the U.S. Pop and R&B charts, and contained top charting hits like The Sweetest Taboo, Never As Good As the First Time, Jezebel and one of my personal favourites Is It A Crime. The album further established her as a musical force.

Sade never craved the spotlight. She was by no means fond of all the attention and preferred to associate with friends rather than bask in the spotlight of inquisitive and demanding journalists. Sade took 3 years away from the limelight before she came out with self produced and arranged album Stronger than Pride in 1988. Then after a 4 year exile she came out with Love Deluxe in 1992. This would bring us the hit No Ordinary Love made popular with the help of the movie Indecent Proposal. The album would remain on the charts for 90 weeks. The Best of Sade in 1994 would showcase the last decade of one of popular music’s most treasured vocalists. Her last album Lovers Rock was released in 2000. To date, Sade has sold over 27 million albums worldwide.

With the exception of a brief performance at the Voices for Darfur charity concert at The Royal Albert Hall in London in 2004, her departure from the music industry is going on almost 8 years. They are so many people who are anxiously waiting for some type of comeback album. For the time being it will be a mystery as to when she may rise again. In the meantime, I continue to dust my collective guitars and hope for the day when a new project will come about. At that point I can restring a few of the guitars and send the family off so I can continue my dream of playing along side that amazing cool sultry voice.

Do you have a favourite Sade song or moment? Where were you when Sade tunes were playing on the radio? I confessed my Sade moment. How about you readers? Is it a Crime? I know you want to!

I have updated this post… You can view the new article and post comments if you like, by clicking here.

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