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.
St. Louis Blues
Cannonball Adderley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hate to see that evening sun go down
Cause my baby, he's gone left this town
Feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
If I'm feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
I'll pack my truck and make my give-a-way
St. Louis woman with her diamond ring
Pulls that man around by her, if it wasn't for her and her
That man I love would have gone nowhere, nowhere
I got the St. Louis blues, blues as I can be
That man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me
I love my baby like a school boy loves his pie
Like a Kentucky colonel loves his mint 'n rye
I love my man till the day I die
The lyrics of Cannonball Adderley & Gil Evans's song St. Louis Blues express a deep sense of anguish, pain, and sadness after someone has lost their lover. The opening line of the song states, "I hate to see that evening sun go down," which signifies a sense of hopelessness and despair felt by the singer. The departure of the singer's lover is the reason why he hates the setting of the sun; its disappearance signifies the loneliness and emptiness that is felt in his life.
In the song, there is a sense of resignation of the singer to fate: "Feelin' tomorrow like I feel today, if I'm feelin' tomorrow like I feel today, I'll pack my truck and make my give-a-way." The use of the word "give-a-way" in the lyrics refers to giving up on life altogether. The singer's love for his woman is demonstrated in the line "I love my baby like a school boy loves his pie," which puts a light-hearted touch on an otherwise sorrowful song.
The most significant line of the song is "I got the St. Louis blues, blues as I can be," which is the song's title. This line sets up the rest of the lyrics, and the song's theme is cemented in the feeling it conveys.
Line by Line Meaning
I hate to see that evening sun go down
I dread the end of today's light
I hate to see that evening sun go down
It's a depressing time cause my partner left this town
Feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
The feeling of today will likely persist tomorrow too
If I'm feelin' tomorrow like I feel today
I'll give away my possessions and run
St. Louis woman with her diamond ring
A woman from my city flaunts her jewels
Pulls that man around by her, if it wasn't for her and her
The guy she's with is only there for her wealth
That man I love would have gone nowhere, nowhere
My lover would be lost without his sugar mama
I got the St. Louis blues, blues as I can be
I feel so down, can't get up easily
That man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea
My beloved is as emotionless as stone in the ocean deep
Or else he wouldn't have gone so far from me
He left me alone when he clearly didn't care
I love my baby like a school boy loves his pie
I cherish my lover like a boy loves a treat
Like a Kentucky colonel loves his mint 'n rye
I adore him just like a Southern gentleman enjoys his drink
I love my man till the day I die
I will love him with everything in me up until my final breath
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: WILLIAM C HANDY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind