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.
There Is No Greater Love
Cannonball Adderley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Than what I feel for you
No greater love,
No heart so true
There is no greater thrill
Than what you bring to me
No sweeter song
You're the sweetest thing
I have ever known
And to think that
You are mine alone.
There is no greater love
In all the world, it's true
No greater love
Than what I feel for you
You're the sweetest thing
I have ever known,
And to think that
You are mine alone.
There is no greater love
In all the world, it's true
No greater love
Than what I feel for you
In Cannonball Adderley's song, "There Is No Greater Love," the listener is immersed in a declaration of love towards another. The lyrics convey a sense of the singer's immense adoration and devotion towards their love interest. The lines "there is no greater love than what I feel for you" and "no heart so true" express a sense of completeness that the singer feels with their partner. The use of the word "true" indicates that the singer believes that their love is pure, deep, and genuine.
The second verse follows a similar pattern, focusing on the importance and joy that the love interest brings to the singer's life. The lines "no sweeter song than what you sing to me" suggest that the love interest's words and actions bring a sense of euphoria to the singer. Additionally, the line "you're the sweetest thing I have ever known, and to think that you are mine alone" conveys a deep sense of possessiveness and happiness on the singer's part.
Overall, the song presents a picture of a love that is all-consuming, with nothing able to compare to the intensity of the emotions involved.
Line by Line Meaning
There is no greater love
The love I have for you is incomparable
Than what I feel for you
My love for you is the greatest thing I have felt
No greater love,
Nothing can match the enormity of what I feel for you
No heart so true
No other heart can love you as purely as mine does
There is no greater thrill
You give me the greatest excitement that I have ever felt
Than what you bring to me
The joy that you bring into my life is unparalleled
No sweeter song
No other melody is as beautiful as your voice
Than what you sing to me
The sound of your voice is the sweetest thing I have ever heard
You're the sweetest thing
You are the most beautiful and kind person I have ever met
I have ever known
I haven't met anyone as wonderful as you
And to think that
It's amazing to consider that
You are mine alone.
I'm incredibly lucky to have you all to myself
In all the world, it's true
This is not an exaggeration, it's a fact that there is no greater love
Than what I feel for you
That's how much I love you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ISHAM JONES, MARTY SYMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind