 Sade (Helen Folasade Adu) was
born in Nigeria on January 16, 1959, and was
raised in London. Although Sade originally
began studying fashion design, her desire for
music led her to a jazz-funk group named
Pride. Sade, the woman, and Sade, the band,
became staples on the pop and R&B charts
from the mid-80's and into the 90s. By
selling millions of LPs around the world,
Sade brought a level of class and a smooth
jazz sound the ears of pop radio, always
maintaining a high level of quality. The
longevity of Sade's music best represents the
uniqueness of its sound.
Sade, the band, was formed with
Adu, and former Pride members Stuart
Matthewman (on sax and guitar), Andrew Hale
(on keyboards), and Paul Spencer Denman (on
bass). Sade's musical style has been
described as "smoky faux-jazz." As
Stephen Holden observed in the New York
Times, "...in a pop climate
obsessed with changing sounds and the
language of the street, Sade has shown
herself to be a pop classicist more
interested in creating a durable body of work
than in keeping up... (her) best songs find
fresh images for expressing time-honored
sentiments and placing them in settings that
distill particular moods with a special
intensity."
# 45
Singles Artist of the Year
Sade had their first major
success in the UK when their first single
"Your Love Is King" went Top 10.
Sade's debut LP, Diamond
Life
, was released in the US.
Sade hit the Top 40 with " Smooth
Operator
."
Diamond
Life
was certified platinum.
The video for " Smooth
Operator
" was nominated for 2
MTV Video Music
Awards
for
Best Female Video
and
Best New Artist
.
Sade appeared in the film Absolute
Beginners
singing "Killer
Blow."
Sade won a British Phonographic
Institute Award for Best Album ( Diamond
Life
).
Sade hit the Top 40 with " The
Sweetest Taboo
."
# 37
Singles Artist of the Year
Promise
was certified
platinum.
Sade was nominated for an
American Music
Awards
for Favorite Soul/R&B
Female Video Artist.
Sade won a
Grammy Award
for Best New Artist.
Promise
was certified 2x
platinum.
Sade's
sophomore follow-up, Promise
was released
and gave Sade a second Top 10 hit, " The
Sweetest Taboo
" and the tracks, "Is
It A Crime," "Jezebel," and
"Never As Good As The First Time."
Sade were nominated for
a Grammy
Award
for
Best R&B Vocal
Performance by a Duo or Group
( Promise
).
# 107
Singles Artist of the Year
Sade released Stronger
Than Pride
and continued her
smoky style with tours and television
appearances. Tracks such as
"Paradise," "Love Is Stronger
Than Pride," and "Nothing Can Come
Between Us" continued Sade's popularity.
Stronger
Than Pride
was certified platinum.
Sade was nominated for an
American Music
Award
for
Favorite Soul/R&B Female
Artist .
Diamond
Life
was certified 2x platinum, Stronger
Than Pride
was certified 2x platinum, and Promise
was certified 3x
platinum.
# 184
Singles Artist of the Year
Sade's LP, Love
Deluxe
, was released and yielded the
hit, "
No Ordinary Love
." The LP also
contains the favorites "Cherish The
Day," "Kiss Of Life," and
"Pearls." "
No Ordinary Love
" was also
featured in the movie Indecent Proposal
which helped increased sales of the LP.
Sade hit the Top 40 with "
No Ordinary Love
."
# 86
Singles Artist of the Year
Love
Deluxe
was certified platinum.
Love
Deluxe
was certified 2x platinum.
Sade topped the
Billboard
Year-End Charts
as the Top R&B
Album Artist - Duos/Group.
Love
Deluxe
was certified 3x platinum.
Sade contributed a song to the Philadelphia
soundtrack:
"Please Send Me Someone To Love."
Sade won a
Grammy Award
for
Best R&B Vocal
Performance by a Duo or Group
("
No Ordinary Love
").
Diamond
Life
was certified 3x platinum.
A greatest hits compilation was
released: The
Best Of Sade
.
Stronger
Than Pride
was certified 3x platinum.
Sade could also be found on the
video release, Sade
Live
which includes 17 live
performances from 1993.
After the release of The
Best Of Sade
, Sade took time off from
recording to focus on her marriage and child.
The remaining members of the band went on to
release their own LP Sweetback.
Love
Deluxe
was certified 4x platinum.
The
Best Of Sade
was certified platinum.
Diamond
Life
was certified 4x platinum.
Sade was nominated for a
Grammy Award
for
Best R&B Vocal
Performance by a Duo or Group
("Please Send Me
Someone To Love").
The
Best Of Sade
was certified 2x platinum.
Sade failed to pull her car over
when asked by the police in Jamaica. Sade
reportedly cursed the officers as she was
loaded in to the squad car and taken to the
station. Months later, an arrest warrant for
Sade was issued after she failed to appear in
court in Jamaica to face charges of dangerous
driving and disobeying a police officer. Sade
later stated that she was unable to appear in
court due to the hospitalization of her
child. Medical proof of her child's
hospitalization allowed the arrest warrant to
be "stayed."
The
Best Of Sade
was certified 3x platinum.
Promise
was certified 4x
platinum.
Sade was still in trouble with
authorities in Jamaica from charges stemming
from last year of reckless driving - an
arrest warrant was issued after she did not
appear in court. Her lawyer stated that the
singer had previous engagements outside of
the country.
Music365 reported that
Sade was back in the studio in England
recording new material for an LP to be
released in 2000.
The
Best Of Sade
was certified 4x platinum.
VH1: 100
Greatest Women of Rock & Roll
ranked Sade at #
66
.
Sade returned to the music scene
with the release of Lovers
Rock
.
Lovers
Rock
was certified 2x platinum.
# 104
Singles Artist of the Year
Sade hit the
Top 40 with "
By Your Side
."
Sade was
nominated for a Brit Award for Best British
Female Solo Artist.
Sade was nominated for a
Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite
Female Artist - R&B.
Sade toured - her first tour in
8 years - beginning in Vancouver and then
heading to the U.S.
Lovers
Rock
was certified 3x platinum.
Sade was nominated for a Soul
Train Lady of Soul Award for Best
R&B/Soul Album: Solo ( Lovers
Rock
).
Sade won an
American Music
Award
for Favorite
Adult Contemporary Artist.
Sade released
the live LP - Lovers
Live
along with the video - Sade:
Lovers Live
.
Sade won a
Grammy Award
for Best Pop Vocal
Album ( Lovers
Rock
) and was nominated for Best
Female Pop Vocal Performance
("
By Your Side
").
Lovers
Live
was certified gold.
Sade ranked #
34
on
VH1: 100
Sexiest Artists
.
# 254 on the
Top Pop Artists
of the Past 25 Years
chart.
|
|
Diamond Life
Released
: February, 1985
US
: 4x Platinum
Billboard
peak :
# 5
Rolling Stone
: 
Tracks
: "
Smooth Operator
" - "Your
Love Is King" - "Hang On To
Your Love" - "Frankie's First
Affair" - "When Am I Going To
Make A Living" - "Cherry
Pie" - "Sally" - "I
Will Be Your Friend" - "Why
Can't We Live Together" |
|
|
Promise
Released
: 1986
US
: 4x Platinum
Billboard
peak :
# 1 (for 2 weeks)
Tracks
: "Is It A
Crime" - "
The Sweetest Taboo
" - "War
Of The Hearts" - "You're Not
The Man" - "Jezebel" -
"Mr. Wrong" - "Punch
Drunk" - "Never As Good As The
First Time" - "Fear" -
"Tar Baby" -
"Maureen" |
|
|
Stronger Than Pride
Released
: May, 1988
US
: 3x Platinum
Billboard
peak :
# 7
Rolling Stone
:
Tracks
: "Love Is
Stronger Than Pride" -
"Paradise" - "Nothing Can
Come Between Us" - "Haunt
Me" - "Turn My Back On
You" - "Keep Looking" -
"Clean Heart" - "Give It
Up" - "I Never Thought I'd See
The Day" - "Siempre Hay
Esperanza" |
|
|
Love Deluxe
Released
: November, 1992
US
: 4x Platinum
Billboard
peak :
# 3
Tracks
: "
No Ordinary Love
" - "Feel
No Pain" - "I Couldn't Love You
More" - "Like A Tattoo" -
"Kiss Of Life" - "Cherish
The Day" - "Pearls" -
"Bullet Proof Soul" -
"Mermaid" |
|
|
The Best Of Sade
Released
: November, 1994
US
: 4x Platinum
Billboard
peak :
# 9
Tracks
: "Your Love
Is King" - "Hang On To Your
Love" - "
Smooth Operator
" -
"Jezebel" - "
The Sweetest Taboo
" - "Is
It A Crime" - "Never As Good As
The First Time" - "Love Is
Stronger Than Pride" -
"Paradise" - "Nothing Can
Come Between Us" - "
No Ordinary Love
" - "Like
A Tattoo" - "Kiss Of Life"
- "Please Send Me Someone To
Love" - "Cherish The Day"
- "Pearls" |
|
|
Lovers Rock
Released
: November, 2000
US
: 3x Platinum
Billboard
peak :
# 3
Rolling Stone
:
Tracks
: "
By Your Side
" -
"Flow" - "King Of
Sorrow" - "Somebody Already
Broke My Heart" - "All About
Our Love" - "Slave Song" -
"The Sweetest Gift" -
"Every Word" -
"Immigrant" - "Lovers
Rock" - "It's Only Love That
Gets You Through" |
|
|
Lovers Live
Released
: February, 2002
US
: Gold
Billboard
peak :
# 10
Live Tracks
: "Cherish The
Day" - "Somebody Already Broke
My Heart" - "
Smooth Operator
" -
"Jezebel" - "Kiss Of
Life" - "Slave Song" -
"The Sweetest Gift" - "
The Sweetest Taboo
" -
"Paradise" - "
No Ordinary Love
" - "
By Your Side
" -
"Flow" - "Is It A
Crime" |
|
