Neneh Cherry biography
Neneh Mariann Karlsson (born 10 March 1964), known as Neneh Cherry is a Swedish singer-songwriter and rapper of mixed Black African-European descent.
Early life
Cherry's biological father is from the Sierra Leone in West Africa and her mother, Moki, is from Sweden. However, she was raised by the African American jazz musician Don Cherry, whom her mother married early in her life.
Career
Early days in London
Cherry dropped out of school at 14 and moved to London, where she joined the punk rock band "The Cherries". Cherry moved through several bands, including New Age Steppers, Rip Rig + Panic, and Float Up CP. She also DJ'd, playing early rap music on the reggae pirate Dread Broadcasting Corporation.
Raw Like Sushi
She began a solo career with "Stop the War", a protest song about the Falkland Islands. She also worked with The The and musician Cameron McVey (a.k.a. Booga Bear), who co-wrote most of her debut album
Raw Like Sushi, and whom she would eventually marry. She was intimately involved in the Bristol Urban Culture scene, working as an arranger on Massive Attack's
Blue Lines album and helping out in various other ways in the scene. Both Robert Del Naja and Andrew Vowles of Massive Attack contributed to
Raw Like Sushi.
The single "Buffalo Stance" was an international blockbuster. "Buffalo Stance" eventually peaked at number 3 in the UK Singles Chart, and the US Billboard Hot 100, and number 1 on the US Dance chart. More singles released between 1988 and 1990 included "Manchild," "Kisses on the Wind," "Heart," and "Inna City Mama." She also found success with "I've Got You Under My Skin" (produced by Morris Temple of The Guards fame), a reworking of the Cole Porter song, which appeared on the Red Hot + Blue AIDS fundraising album. The single reached number 25 in the UK.
Homebrew
Cherry's second album was
Homebrew, but it was not as commercially successful as its predecessor. The album had some success on the dance charts with songs "Buddy X" and "Trout." "Buddy X" was a bigger hit years later in a remix by Dreem Teem and on college radio the "Trout" duet with Michael Stipe was popular.
Homebrew included the work of Geoff Barrow (on "Somedays"), who would later become part of Portishead.
Man
Her most recent solo album, 1996's
Man, was led by the track "Woman", her take on James Brown's 1966 track "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." It featured the worldwide hit single, "7 Seconds", featuring Youssou N'Dour; and "Trouble Man" a cover of a Marvin Gaye track. "7 Seconds" remained at number 1 in France for a record seventeen weeks in 1994. Another track, "Together Now", featured Tricky.
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