Sade

Sade is a London-based English band formed in 1982 and led by singer Sade Adu. The group’s members are Sade Adu on vocals, Paul Denman on bass, Stuart Matthewman on saxophones and guitars, Andrew Hale on keyboards and piano, and Paul Cooke on drums in the original line-up. The band forms out of members of the Latin soul group Pride, and it names itself after Adu.

Style and line-up

The band’s music spans soul, quiet storm, smooth jazz, sophisti-pop, contemporary R&B, downtempo, jazz, jazz pop, pop, and related styles. From 1986 it does not have a permanent drummer and instead uses session musicians for recording and live work. Over time the group works with additional touring and session players, including Dave Early, Martin Ditcham, Terry Bailey, Gordon Matthewman, Blair Cunningham, Leroy Osbourne, Gordon Hunte, James McMillan, Jake Jacas, Trevor Murrell, Karl Vanden Bossche, and Rick Braun.

Early success

The band debuts in December 1982 at Ronnie Scott’s Club in London in support of Pride, then plays its first United States show in New York in May 1983. Andrew Hale joins on keyboards in mid-1983. Its first single, “Your Love Is King”, reaches the UK Top Ten in 1984, followed by “When Am I Going to Make a Living”. The debut album Diamond Life appears in 1984, reaches number two in the United Kingdom, spends more than six months in the UK Top Ten, tops charts in several countries, and sells over four million copies worldwide. “Smooth Operator” becomes the band’s first hit in the United States, and Diamond Life wins the Brit Award for Best British Album. The album is later included in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

1985 to 1994

In late 1985 the second album Promise reaches number one in the United Kingdom and the United States and wins the band its first Grammy Award. It is certified double platinum in the United Kingdom and quadruple platinum in the United States. Stronger Than Pride follows in 1988, peaks at number three in the United Kingdom, and is certified platinum. “Paradise” is issued from that album. Love Deluxe appears in 1992, peaks at number three on the US album chart and number 10 in the United Kingdom, and is certified quadruple platinum in the United States and gold in the United Kingdom. In 1993 the band records a cover of Percy Mayfield’s “Please Send Me Someone to Love” for the film Philadelphia. “No Ordinary Love”, featured in Indecent Proposal, wins the 1994 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group. The compilation The Best of Sade also reaches the Top Ten in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

Later releases and awards

After an eight-year gap, Lovers Rock arrives in 2000 and wins the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. The band tours the United States in 2001, and the live album Lovers Live follows in 2002. In 2010 Soldier of Love becomes the group’s sixth studio album and its first number one debut in the United States since Promise. It also wins the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The album reaches number four in the United Kingdom. In 2011 the compilation The Ultimate Collection makes the UK Top Ten.

Collaborations and side projects

The band contributes “Mum” to the Voices for Darfur DVD in 2005. Sade later records “Flower of the Universe” for A Wrinkle in Time and “The Big Unknown” for Widows in 2018. In 1996 Andrew Hale, Paul Denman, and Stuart Matthewman form the side project Sweetback and release a self-titled album. The band’s longtime engineer and co-producer Mike Pela dies in 2022.

Recognition

Sade receives a Brit Award, multiple Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Award nominations, and an American Music Award nomination for Sade Adu. The group performs at Live Aid in London in 1985, appears at the Artists Against Apartheid Concert in 1986, is ranked number 50 on VH1’s list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.