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.
You'd Be so Nice to Come Home To
Cannonball Adderley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'd be so nice by the fire
While the breeze on high, sang a lullaby
You'd be all my heart could desire
Under stars chilled by the winter
Under an August moon shining above
You'd be so nice, you'd be paradise
Under stars chilled by the winter
Under an August moon burning above
You'd be so nice, you'd be paradise
To come home to and love
In You'd Be so Nice to Come Home To, Cannonball Adderley describes a longing for someone who would be a perfect fit for him to return home to. The first verse expresses how comforting the person would be to come back to, and how they would be perfect next to a warm fire, while the singing wind would set the perfect ambiance for the two of them. The lyrics "You'd be all my heart could desire" indicates that Adderley yearns for perfection- someone who fulfills him in every way, emotionally and physically.
The second verse speaks of how lovely the person would be, regardless of the season. Even if it's winter, and the nights are chilly, or during the hot summer nights, they would always be perfect. Adderley continues to describe the person as paradise to come home to and love. The term paradise signifies how the person makes him feel and how they make his world perfect.
The song overall is a romantic ballad that describes the longing for a perfect lover or partner to come home to. The lyrics express the desire for perfection, comfort, and love that the person provides. You'd be so Nice to Come Home To by Cannonball Adderley was released as a jazz standard in 1956 and has inspired different covers by several artists, including Frank Sinatra in 1962.
Line by Line Meaning
You'd be so nice to come home to
Returning home to you would be the most pleasant thing imaginable.
You'd be so nice by the fire
Being warm and cozy with you by the fire would be lovely.
While the breeze on high, sang a lullaby
The wind's peaceful melody would complement the comfort of our surroundings.
You'd be all my heart could desire
You are the only thing my heart truly craves.
Under stars chilled by the winter
Beneath the night sky, made cold by winter's embrace,
Under an August moon shining above
Or basking in the light of the August moon above,
You'd be so nice, you'd be paradise
Being with you would transform either of these scenes into pure paradise.
To come home to and love
A place and a person to come home to and love, always and forever.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Sentric Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind