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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZARMATRADING, Joan(b 9 Dec. '50, St Kitts, West Indies) Singer/songwriter. To Birmingham, England '56; London early '70s. During touring production of Hair met Pam Nestor; partnership resulted in Whatever's For Us '74 (on Cube, later issued on A&M) followed by A&M contract, solo Back To The Night '75: these caused a stir; Joan Armatrading '76 was described by prod. Glyn Johns as the best he ever worked on, made no. 12 UK, incl. top ten hit 'Love And Affection', 'Down To Zero', delightful 'Water In The Wine'. She has always chosen good sidemen, e.g. from Fairport Convention, Little Feat, E Street Band; her acoustic-based music is tinged with jazz and hard rock; her stage presence was criticized at first (she is very shy) but improved markedly. Five more chart singles '76--81; albums Show Some Emotion '77, To The Limit '78 charted (both with Johns). Me, Myself, I '80 prod. by Richard Gottehrer incl. title single, 'All The Way From America', 'When You Kisses Me'; Walk Under Ladders '81 and The Key '83 (incl. hit single 'Drop The Pilot') were prod. by Steve Lillywhite. She attended St Kitts independence celebration; HRH Princess Margaret became the first member of Royal Family to appear in a pop video. Secret Secrets '85 (prod. Mike Howlett) has arr. with brass and strings; Sleight Of Hand '86, The Shouting Stage '88, Hearts And Flowers '90 all did well, self-prod. at home, variously incl. musicians such as Mark Knopfler and Andy Sheppard. Square The Circle '92 was co-prod. (some tracks co-written) by Graham Lyle; What's Inside '95, prod. by David Tickle, marked a switch from A&M to RCA and a new freshness, love songs sparsely accompanied on tour by a keyboard, violin and cello. The singer/songwriter genre lost favour in the '70s mainly because few were as good as Armatrading, whose intelligent lyrics and good tunes still appeal widely. |