Spotlight Series..♪♫♪ Sade's Friends

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When Sade first came on the recording scene in the '80s, her record company, Epic, made a point of printing "pronounced shar-day" after her name on the record labels of her releases. Soon enough the world would have no problem in correctly pronouncing her name. Born Helen Folasade Adu in Ibadan, Nigeria, about 50 miles from Lagos, she was the daughter of an African father and an English mother. After her mother returned to England, Sade grew up on the North End of London.

Developing a good singing voice in her teens, Sade worked part-time jobs in and outside of the music business. She listened to Ray Charles, Nina Simone, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, and Billie Holliday. Sade studied fashion design at St. Martin's School of Art in London while also doing some modeling on the side.

Around 1980, she started singing harmony with a Latin funk group called Arriva. One of the more popular numbers that the group would perform was a Sade original co-written with bandmember Ray St. John, "Smooth Operator," that would later become Sade's first stateside hit. The following year she joined the eight-piece funk band Pride as a background singer. The band included future Sade band members guitarist/saxophonist Stuart Matthewman (a key player in '90s urban soul singer Maxwell's success) and bassist Paul Denman. The concept of the group was that there could shoot-offs. In essence, a few members within the main group Pride formed mini-groups that would be the opening act. Pride did a lot of shows around London, stirring up record company interest. Initially, the labels wanted to only sign Sade, while the group members wanted a deal for the whole band. After a year, the other band members told Sade, Matthewman, and Denman to go ahead and sign a deal. Adding keyboardist Andrew Hale, the group signed to the U.K. division of Epic Records.

Her debut album, Diamond Life (with overall production by Robin Millar), went Top Ten in the U.K. in late 1984. January 1985 saw the album released on CBS' Portrait label and by spring it went platinum off the strength of the Top Ten singles "Smooth Operator" and "Hang on to Your Love." Her second album, Promise (November 1985), featured "Never As Good As the First Time" and arguably her signature song, "The Sweetest Taboo," which stayed on the U.S. pop charts for six months. Sade was so popular that some radio stations reinstated the '70s practice of playing album tracks, adding "Is It a Crime" and "Tar Baby" to their play lists. In 1986, Sade won a Grammy for Best New Artist.

Sade's third album was 1988's Stronger Than Pride and featured her first number one soul single "Paradise," "Nothing Can Come Between Us," and "Keep Looking." A new Sade album didn't appear for four years. 1992's Love Deluxe continued the unbroken streak of multi-platinum Sade albums, spinning off the hits "No Ordinary Love," "Feel No Pain," and "Pearls." While the album's producer Mike Pela, Matthewman, Denman, and Hale have gone on to other projects. The new millennium did spark a new scene for Sade. She issued Lovers Rock in fall 2000 and incoporated more mainstream elements than ever before. Debut single "By Your Side" was also a hit among radio and adult-contemporary listerners. The following summer, Sade embarked on her first tour in more than a decade, selling out countless dates across America. In early 2002, she celebrated the success of the tour by releasing her first ever live album and DVD, Lovers Live. ~ Ed Hogan, All Music Guide

play Sade — The Moon and The Sky
play Sade — Soldier of Love
play Sade — Morning Bird
play Sade — Babyfather
play Sade — Long Hard Road
play Sade — Be That Easy
play Sade — Bring Me Home
play Sade — In Another Time
play Sade — Skin
play Sade — The Safest Place

Music

Paused...

1.
Sweetest Taboo
2.
Morning Bird
3.
Kiss of Life (DJ Evil Twin Smooth Gloss Mix)
4.
Bring Me Home
5.
Love is Stronger than Pride__Mad Professor Mix
6.
The Safest Place
7.
I Couldn't Love You More (DJ Evil Twin Autumn Mix)
8.
By Your Side__Ben Watt Mix
9.
The Moon and The Sky
10.
Babyfather
11.
Skin
12.
In Another Time
13.
Kiss of Live__Deep Mix
14.
Love Is Stronger Than Pride (DJ Evil Twin Dischord Mix)
15.
07-sade-somebody_already_broke_my_heart__excursions_mix-snd
16.
I Never Thought I'd See the Day__Danny Tenaglia's Musk Men Mix
17.
Sade - King of Sorrow (Dj Evil Twin Melancholy Piano Mix)
18.
By Your Side (Ben Watt Lazy Dog Remix)
19.
Nothing Can Come Between Us
20.
Somebody Already Broke my Heart (Dj Evil Twin Hearts Ciara Mix)
21.
Feel No Pain__Nellie Hooper Mix
22.
Give it Up__Kenny Larkin Rmx
23.
Sweetest Taboo__Extended Version
24.
Be That Easy
25.
Long Hard Road
26.
Sade - Cherish the Day (Dj Evil Twin Old Skool Mix)
27.
No Ordinary Love (DJ Evil Twin Soulful Mix)
28.
Soldier of Love
29.
Turn My Back on You__Heff's Mix
30.
Pearls (DJ Evil Twin Deep Sea Mix)

..♪♫♪

Comment Wall (6 comments)

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At 7:38am on March 3, 2011, Lydell Jackson said…: Love the way you set this up E...Madd Scientist...you are a digital Queen!

At 11:23am on June 28, 2010, Edie Antoinette said…: No...it's ME, Edie! I always name the page after the artists that I feature--like Michael McDonald, Claudine, etc....

At 2:21am on June 28, 2010, Old School C said…: Wow, is it really you?

At 5:33pm on February 23, 2010, Big Papa said…: Welcome Songbird. ~

At 9:32am on February 10, 2010, Music Maker said…: Comments by ZingerBug.com

At 8:55am on February 10, 2010, Lady D. of Noetz said…: Good morning Sade: I am enjoying your music this a.m. Your lyrics are heart felt. Thank you. Have a blessed day... .Deborah

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