Adderley is remembered for his 1966 single "Mercy Mercy Mercy", a crossover hit on the pop charts, and for his work with trumpeter Miles Davis, including on the epochal album Kind of Blue (1959). He was the brother of jazz cornetist Nat Adderley, a longtime member of his band.
The name 'Canonball' is supposed to have originated from his being nicknamed 'cannibal' in his youth, on account of his prodigious eating
Early life and career
Originally from Tampa, Florida, Adderley moved to New York in the mid-1950s. His nickname derived originally from "cannibal", a title imposed on him by high school colleagues as a tribute to his voracious appetite.
His educational career was long established prior to teaching applied instrumental music classes at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Cannonball moved to Tallahassee, Florida when his parents obtained teaching positions at Florida A&M University. Both Cannonball and brother Nat played with Ray Charles when Charles lived in Tallahassee during the early 1940s. Cannonball was a local legend in Florida until he moved to New York City in 1955, where he lived in Corona, Queens.
It was in New York during this time that Adderley's prolific career began. Adderley visited the Cafe Bohemia, where Oscar Pettiford's group was playing that night. Adderley had brought his saxophone into the club with him, primarily because he feared that it would be stolen, and he was asked to sit in as the saxophone player was late. That performance established his reputation.
Prior to joining Miles Davis' band, Adderley formed his own group with his brother Nat after signing onto the Savoy jazz label in 1957. He was noticed by Miles Davis, and it was because of his blues-rooted alto saxophone that Davis asked him to play with his group.
Adderley joined the Miles Davis Sextet in October 1957, three months prior to John Coltrane's return to the group. Adderley played on the seminal Davis records Milestones and Kind of Blue. This period also overlapped with pianist Bill Evans' time with the sextet, an association that led to recording Portrait of Cannonball and Know What I Mean?.
His interest as an educator carried over to his recordings. In 1961, Cannonball narrated The Child's Introduction to Jazz, released on Riverside Records.
Band leader
The Cannonball Adderley Quintet featured Cannonball on alto sax and his brother Nat Adderley on cornet. Cannonball's first quintet was not very successful; however, after leaving Davis' group, he formed another, again with his brother, which enjoyed more success.
Later life
By the end of the 1960s, Adderley's playing began to reflect the influence of the electric jazz, avant-garde, and Davis' experiments on the album Bitches Brew. On his albums from this period, such as Accent on Africa (1968) and The Price You Got to Pay to Be Free (1970), he began doubling on soprano saxophone, showing the influence of Coltrane and Wayne Shorter. In that same year, his quintet appeared at the Monterey Jazz Festival in California, and a brief scene of that performance was featured in the 1971 psychological thriller Play Misty for Me, starring Clint Eastwood. In 1975 he also appeared (in an acting role alongside Jose Feliciano and David Carradine) in the episode "Battle Hymn" in the third season of the TV series Kung Fu.
Joe Zawinul's composition "Cannon Ball" (recorded on Weather Report's album Black Market) is a tribute to his former leader. Pepper Adams and George Mraz dedicated the composition "Julian" on the 1975 Pepper Adams album (also called "Julian") days after Cannonball's death.
Songs made famous by Adderley and his bands include "This Here" (written by Bobby Timmons), "The Jive Samba", "Work Song" (written by Nat Adderley), "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (written by Joe Zawinul) and "Walk Tall" (written by Zawinul, Marrow and Rein). A cover version of Pops Staples' "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)?" also entered the charts.
Adderley was initiated as an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity (Gamma Theta chapter, University of North Texas, '60, & Xi Omega chapter, Frostburg State University, '70) and Alpha Phi Alpha (Beta Nu chapter, Florida A&M University).
Adderley died of a stroke in 1975. He was buried in the Southside Cemetery, Tallahassee, Florida. Later that year he was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.
I Cover The Waterfront
Cannonball Adderley Lyrics
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I'm watching the sea,,
Will the one I love,
Be coming back to me?
I cover the waterfront,
In search of my love,
And I'm covered by,
A starless sky above.
(chorus)
Here am I,
Patiently waiting,
Hoping and longing,
Oh! How I yearn!
Where are you?
Are you forgetting?
Do you remember?
Will you return?
I cover the waterfront,
I'm watching the sea,
For the one I love,
Must come back to me.
In "I Cover The Waterfront," Cannonball Adderley croons about love, loss, and longing. The singer is standing at the edge of the water, waiting for a lover who has gone away. The sea stretches out before him, a vast and endless expanse. He's questioning whether his love will return, and in the meantime, he's searching frantically for any sign of their impending arrival.
As the song continues, the singer becomes increasingly desperate. He's out in the open air, with nothing to shield him from the cold winds and a starless night sky. His love is everything to him, and without them, he feels alone and adrift. The chorus repeats this sense of yearning, with the singer hoping and praying that their lover will come back to them, even as they wonder if they're being forgotten.
The lyrics of "I Cover The Waterfront" are beautifully evocative and full of emotion. They capture the universal experience of waiting and yearning for someone who seems impossibly far away. Even as the songwriter casts his gaze out to the ocean, he's looking inward, trying to grapple with the heartache and loneliness that comes with being separated from the ones we love.
Line by Line Meaning
I cover the waterfront,
I am constantly searching the harbor for my loved one.
I'm watching the sea,
I am keeping a close watch on the waters, waiting for a sign of my love's return.
Will the one I love,
I wonder if the person I love will come back to me.
Be coming back to me?
I am eagerly anticipating the return of my beloved.
In search of my love,
I am scouring the beach for any clues of my loved one's whereabouts.
And I'm covered by,
The sky above me is dark and gloomy, creating a sense of isolation.
A starless sky above.
Despite the lack of hope, I remain steadfast in my search for my love.
Here am I,
This is where I am.
Patiently waiting,
I am waiting with patience for my love's return.
Hoping and longing,
I am filled with hope and desire for the return of my love.
Oh! How I yearn!
I am yearning for my beloved.
Where are you?
I am questioning the whereabouts of my love.
Are you forgetting?
I am wondering if my love has forgotten about me.
Do you remember?
I am pleading with my love to remember our love and return to me.
Will you return?
I am desperately hoping that my love will return to me.
For the one I love,
My search and longing is for the person I deeply love.
Must come back to me.
I am confident that my love will return to me.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edward Heyman, John W. Green
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind