Nikki Sudden

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Nikki Sudden

Nikki Sudden at Cake Shop, New York - 24 March 2006.
Background information
Birth name Adrian Nicholas Godfrey
Born 19 July 1956 (1956-07-19)
London, United Kingdom
Died 26 March 2006(2006-03-26) (aged 49)
New York, United States
Genres Indie rock, alternative rock
Occupations Singer-songwriter, musician, rock critic
Instruments Guitar, vocals
Years active 1977–2006
Labels Creation
Glass
Associated acts Jacobites, R.E.M., Swell Maps
Website nikkisudden.com
Notable instruments
[1]
Ibanez Les Paul
Gibson Flying V
Gibson Les Paul Special

Nikki Sudden (19 July 1956 – 26 March 2006)[2] was a prolific English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He co-founded the post-punk band Swell Maps with his brother Epic Soundtracks (born Kevin Paul Godfrey) while attending Solihull School in Solihull.[3]

Contents

[edit] Career

He was born Adrian Nicholas Godfrey in London, England.[2] Main influences on Sudden's music was provided by such artists as T.Rex, The Rolling Stones, The Faces, Bob Dylan and Johnny Thunders. Following the break-up of Swell Maps in 1980, he started a solo career, as well as releasing records with Dave Kusworth as the Jacobites. Kusworth had been a member of the Dogs D'Amour and led his own band, The Bounty Hunters.

He collaborated with, among others, Mike Scott and Anthony Thistlethwaite of The Waterboys, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Mick Taylor of The Rolling Stones, Rowland S. Howard, Metrophase, Ian McLagan of Small Faces and The Faces, Phil Shoenfelt, Big Sleep, Al DeLoner of Midnight Choir, Tom Ashton of The March Violets, members of R.E.M. and Sonic Youth. The Jacobites' tune "Pin Your Heart" was covered on The Lemonheads' 1997 single "The Outdoor Type".

Sudden also wrote for a number of music magazines, such as Spex, INTRO, Mojo, the local Birmingham based fanzine Waxstreet Dive, and Bucketful of Brains. At the time of his unexpected death, he was writing his autobiography, as well as a history of the Wick (an estate in Richmond once owned by Ronnie Wood, currently owned by Pete Townshend), and was due to perform in London on the 29 March 2006.

Nikki Sudden died suddenly from a heart attack,[2] at the age of 49, after a concert at the Knitting Factory in Manhattan, New York.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Swell Maps

[edit] The Jacobites

  • The Jacobites (1984)
  • Robespierre's Velvet Basement (1985)
  • Lost in a Sea of Scarves (1985)
  • The Ragged School (1986)
  • Fortune of Fame (1988)
  • Howling Good Times (1994)
  • Heart of Hearts (1995)
  • Old Scarlett (1995)
  • Kiss of Life (1996)
  • Hawks Get Religion (1996)
  • God Save Us Poor Sinners (1998)

[edit] Solo

  • Waiting on Egypt (1982)
  • The Bible Belt (1983)
  • Texas (1986)
  • Kiss You Kidnapped Charabanc (with Rowland S. Howard) (1987)
  • Dead Men Tell No Tales (1988)
  • Crown of Thorns (1988)
  • Groove (1989)
  • Back to the Coast (1990)
  • The Jewel Thief (with R.E.M.) (1991)
  • Seven Lives Later (1996)
  • From the Warwick Road to the Banks of the Nile (1997)
  • Egyptian Roads (1997)
  • Red Brocade (with The Chamberstrings) (1999)
  • Liquor, Guns and Ammo (with R.E.M.) (2000) re-release of The Jewel Thief (1991)
  • The Last Bandit (2000)
  • The Nikki Sudden Compendium (2001)
  • Treasure Island (2004)
  • The Truth Doesn't Matter (2006)
  • Golden Vanity (2009, with Phil Shoenfelt, original recording from 1998)
  • Tel Aviv Blues (2011, original recording from 2002)
  • Playing With Fire (2011, Outtakes from "Treasure Island" & "The Truth Doesn´t Matter")

[edit] Singles

  • "Back To The Start" (1981) from Out Of Egypt
  • "Channel Steamer" (1981) from Out Of Egypt
  • "This Is Still England" (1986)
  • "Christmas Morning" (1986)
  • "Jangle Town" (1987) from Texas
  • "Wedding Hotel" (1987) from Kiss You Kidnapped Charabanc
  • "Lunacy Is Legend EP" (1987)
  • "The Angels Are Calling" (1989)
  • "The Sun Is Shining" (1990)
  • "I Belong to You" (1991) from The Jewel Thief
  • "Buick MacKane" (1991)
  • "Whiskey Priest" (1992)
  • "Bourgeois Blues" (1992)
  • "So Many Girls" (1999) from Red Brocade
  • "Hanoi Jane" (2005)
  • "Barroom Blues" (2006)

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ a b c Thedeadrockstarsclub.com - accessed September 2010
  3. ^ Cartwright, Garth (2006-04-03). "Obituary: Nikki Sudden". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2006/apr/03/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries1. Retrieved 2008-03-18. 

[edit] External links

 This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (August 2010)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nikki_Sudden&oldid=478635151"
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