Terence Trent d'Arby, whose real name is Terence Trent Howard (Darby being in truth the name of his father-in-law which he arranges with an apostrophe), known today as Sananda Maitreya, is an American singer-songwriter who will know his first hours of glory not in music, but in boxing ! He became in 1980 Florida Champion in the Lightweight category.
We find him a few years later in 1983 in the 3rd American Armored Division, affected in particular near Frankfurt. Army from which he will be dismissed quickly following several absences without permissions. It was precisely during his time in West Germany that he really began his musical career as the frontman of The Touch. Group with which he produced a mini-album in 1984, which met with limited success.
He left Germany for England in 1986 and performed briefly with a group called The Bojangles. Then he started solo from 1987. He released his first album "Introducing the hardline according to Terence Trent d'Arby", an album that would make a real worldwide hit and launch the artist's career in a dazzling way.
A first single "If you let me stay" is extracted and has enjoyed a nice run in the Charts. But it is especially the second single "Wishing well" that will propel the artist to the height of fame. The single ranks almost No.1 on all Planetary Charts and to this day remains one of the biggest titles of the year 1987, if not the end of the decade. Still from the same album came out "Dance little sister" but also and above all "Sign your name", another single to make a real worldwide hit.
A success that was confirmed two years later in 1989 with the release of the album "Neither Fish Nor Flesh", but less success. The album is a hit but struggles to produce hits of the same caliber as its predecessor. Only the single "This side of love" will be successful.
Then nothing until 1993, when the artist made a strong comeback with the album "Symphony or Damn", this time produced in the USA. Album which will produce two singles of very big caliber which are "She kissed me" and "Delicate".
But who will already be these last notorious hits. The album "Vibrator" which was released two years later in 1995 produced only a minor hit with the title "Holding on to you". Which will be his last this time.
This will not prevent him from continuing the adventure thereafter and taking advantage of it to produce a number of albums that are impressive to say the least...
To discover or rediscover.
Discography (among others ...) :
If you let me stay 1987
Wishing well 1987
Dance little sister 1987
Sign your name 1988
Rain 1988
This side of love 1989
The birth of Maudie 1989
Billy don't fall 1990
To Know Someone Deeply Is to Know Someone Softly 1989
Do you love me like you say ? 1993
She kissed me 1993
Delicate 1993
Let her down easy 1993
Turn the page 1993
Holding on to you 1995
Vibrator 1995
Supermodel sandwich 1995
O Divina 2002
What shall I do 2002
Bella faccina 2006
South side run 2007
Because you've changed 2009
I saw her 2011
Save me 2013
Kangaroo 2013
Giraffe 2015
Blanket on the ground 2015
Metamorpheus 2016
Glad she's gone 2016
It's been a long time 2017
The birds are singing 2018
Hail Mary 2018
Her kiss 2021
Time is on my side 2021
Pie 2021
In America 2021
Mama's boy blues 2022
The ballad of Rod Steiger 2023
The birthday song 2024
Mr. Magoo 2024
Clips :
1987 ... for the first steps, the least we can say is that they are particularly successful. First title and first global success. We couldn't ask for a better start !
1987 ... the rest will be even more breathtaking. The singer signs here the biggest success of all his discography, surely one of the biggest hits of the decade and literally explodes on a planetary level. MAS-TER-FUL !
1987 ... an exceptional year 1987 with no less than 3 mega planetary hits on the clock. A dazzling success to say the least, shattering and well deserved !
1988 ... we thought he had already given everything, it was without counting on this absolutely sumptuous title and which will surely remain as his most emblematic. He delivers here a marvel of finesse and softness which definitively consecrates him as one of the best singers of this end of the decade. Absolutely MA-GIC !
1988 ... and as paradoxical as it may seem, the rest will prove to be more complicated to manage than expected. With an inspiration that will prove to be somewhat lacking, or at least, average. However, until then, we had almost reached perfection !
1989 ... a half-fig, half-grape end of the decade, and above all a curve of success that literally collapses. But what happened to him ? One wonders...
1989 ... there is quantity, that's for sure. On the other hand, the quality is very fluctuating. This title would be rather good surprises, fortunately, he still has not lost all of his extraordinary talent. Phew !
1989... this title will even completely pass 'through' as they say. So beginning of the end or just a temporary air hole ? The future will tell us...
1990...for the moment no improvement in sight. A passage to the 90s that augurs a sequel that is complicated to manage...
1993...he will take 3 years to ask himself the right questions but he will still manage to raise his head during this year 1993. We came close to the worst...
1993...we cannot speak of a return to favor, far from it, but he is still back in the race. It remains to be seen if he will succeed in staying there...
1993 ... a last burst of pride, and especially a highly inspired duo mode, will allow him to obtain a last notorious success. But it will indeed be the last. Because everything that will come out subsequently will never allow him to catch up with the leading pack ...
1993 ... well, there will still be some titles of significant quality, that's for sure. Including this one literally floating in the air. In the end, a year 1993 of great quality and which enabled him to deliver a last standstill ...
1993... after 4 successful titles, this title will miss its target as they say. Anyway, the year will have been beautiful and that's what we will remember...
1995 ... the very last hit. Once again on an Intimist piece of high class and which shows all its talent to fans in this area. He will try to return the following decade. Unfortunately without success ...
1995...even if the success will melt like snow in the sun, that will not prevent him from continuing the adventure. An adventure that is far, far from over...
1995...we thought he was going to smash everything for decades but it's not quite going to happen as planned. Hard law of the trade...
2002...we will lose sight of him for nearly 7 years and here he is back at the start of the 2000s. To do what, the future will tell us...
2002...to show above all that he still exists and that he still has things to offer and especially to sing. So to be continued...
2006...certainly the adventure will continue but the production of titles will all the same slow down drastically. Predictable...
2007...now it's only one title per year and even then the years don't necessarily follow each other. But better that than nothing at all...
2009...a 2000 decade that ends with this title. A decade where he will have tried everything to succeed in staying afloat with more or less success...
2011 ... in any case he continues to believe in it, which can only delight his basic fans. Because every time he releases a new opus, they are the ones who are necessarily delighted...
2013...and he should continue to please them like that for a few more years. Especially since what he continues to offer is not devoid of interest, that's clear...
2013... what is certain is that he can say that he is still there, which is not the case for a bunch of singers who started at the same time as him...
2015...a second part of his career that doesn't have much to do with what he offered before. Unfortunately, the general public will not have followed...
2015...yet it's not for lack of good will. Unfortunately, good will is not always enough to move mountains...
2016...already 30 years of career and still there. An exceptional longevity that is only found in the most gifted artists of each generation as always...
2016...a style and a sound that doesn't really match the latest musical trends of the moment. Difficult in these conditions to hope for a possible return to grace...
2017...after that he is the only master on board as they say and therefore he who ultimately decides to lead his career as he sees fit...
2018...a decade rich in titles but very meager in various and varied successes. This does not seem to disturb him more than that at first sight...
2018...the main thing for him is to simply continue to have fun and who could blame him frankly. We therefore imagine that the story will not stop during this decade 2010 in any case...
2021... and here he is proudly starting this new decade 2020. One more decade to add to a career that lasts, lasts, lasts...
2021... will the 2020 decade be that of a potential return to racing or once again a decade on the fringes of the system ? The future will tell us...
2021... everything will depend on the musical direction he intends to take. Knowing that he has always had the talent to do great things, it is him who once again will - or will not - have his chance...
2021...especially since we really feel that there is really not much missing to see him rise to the surface in a consistent way. Just a little help from fate...
2022... so we imagine that this title will surely not be the last because we now know, with him, nothing is ever over. To be continued...
2023...
2024...
2024...
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