Me'shell Ndegeocello
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Me'Shell NdegéOcello (b. August 29, 1969) is an American singer, bassist, and multi-instrumentalist. She was born Michelle Johnson to Army lieutenant (and saxophonist) father Jacques Johnson and her mother, Helen in Berlin, Germany.
Early Life and Music Style
Raised in Washington, D.C., Meshell Suihailia Bashir Shakur (as she became known) adopted the surname Ndegeocello, which means "free like a bird", while still in her teens. She has been hailed in the music press as a redeemer of soul music. Her music incorporates funk, soul, hip-hop, reggae, rock and jazz. She has been nominated for 9 Grammys. She has frequently toured with Lilith Fair.
Career Rise
Ndegeocello honed her chops on the D.C. Go go circuit in the late 1980s before venturing out as a solo artist. She emerged as a recording artist in 1993 on Maverick Records/Sire Records with her debut, Plantation Lullabies. This recording presented a distinctly androgynous persona.
Her music has been featured in a number of film soundtracks including How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Batman and Robin. She has also appeared on recordings by Basement Jaxx, Indigo Girls and The Blind Boys of Alabama, among others. Her biggest hit is a duet with John Cougar Mellencamp, a cover version of Van Morrison's "Wild Night", which reached #3 on the Billboard charts. She appeared on The Rolling Stones' 1997 album Bridges To Babylon, playing bass on the song "Saint Of Me."
Her singles "If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)", "Leviticus: Faggot", and "Who Is He and What Is He To You?" have all charted in the Billboard top 20.
Ndegeocello is bisexual, and was a former long time lover of writer Rebecca Walker, with whom she is raising a son, although the relationship has ended. She sang background vocals on the song "I'd Rather be Your Lover" by Madonna, on her album Bedtime Stories.
She can also be seen in the documentary movie Standing in the Shadows of Motown
Discography
- Plantation Lullabies Maverick, 1993
- Peace Beyond Passion Maverick, 1996
- Bitter Maverick, 1999
- Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape Maverick, 2002
- Comfort Woman Maverick, 2003
- The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel, Shanachie 2005
Collaborators
The following additional musicians are featured on the recording Peace Beyond Passion:
- drums: Oliver Gene Lake
- guitar: Wah Wah Watson, Wendy Melvoin, Allen Cato, David Fiuczynski, David Torn
- percussion: Daniel Sadownick, Federico Gonzalez Pena, Luis Conte
- drum programming: David Gamson
- horns: Joshua Redman, Oliver Lake
- bass clarinet: Bennie Maupin
- organ: Billy Preston
- rhodes: Federico Gonzalez Pena
- string arrangements: Paul Riser
- production: David Gamson
Name-Related Trivia
Although named Mary Johnson at birth, this cynosure has had numerous name changes. For a while in the late 1990s, she was known as Bashir Shakur.Me'Shell NdegéOcello is pronounced MEE-shell n-duh-GAY-o-chel-o.
Her Birth Name is Michelle Lynn Johnson
External links
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