Sade

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London, United Kingdom (1982 – present)

Sade (pronounced “shah-day”) is a Grammy-winning, world-famous group, who has achieved success in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Their music features elements of , , and . Sade was formed in 1982, when members of a Latino-soul band Pride — Sade Adu, (real name Helen Folasade Adu - born 16 January 1959 in Ibadan, Nigeria) Stuart Matthewman and Paul Spencer Denman — together with Paul Cook formed a splinter group and began to write their own material. Later, in 1983, Andrew Hale joined Sade. In 1984 Paul Cook left the band.

Sade, named for the moniker of their lead singer, made their debut in December 1982 at Ronnie Scott’s Club in London, England, in support of Pride. Sade Adu is 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 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.
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Sade: The Billboard cover Story

30 Aug 2011 | from www.sade.com/gb/

Sade was the Billboard cover story last week, where the industry magazine has had a close look into Sade's first tour in a decade, consisting of over 100 dates across the globe and potentially being one of the highest grossing tours of 2011. …

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