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 Got It!
Cannonball Adderley Lyrics
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Tell me to save my tears
Well I'm so mad about him
I can't live without him
Never treats me sweet and gentle
The way he should
I've got it bad
My poor heart is so sentimental
Not made of wood
I've got it so bad
And that ain't good
But when the fish are jumpin'
And Friday rolls around
My man an' I, we gin some
We pray some, and sin some
He don't love me like I love him
The way he should
I've got it bad
And that ain't good
Yes I've got it bad
And that ain't good
The lyrics to Cannonball Adderley's song "I Got It Bad" explore the pain, longing, and frustration of unrequited love. The singer of the song acknowledges that she is surrounded by people who advise her to save her tears and move on, but she can't seem to get her love interest out of her head. She describes her lover as someone who never treats her the way she deserves to be treated, but she still can't help but feel deeply for him. The juxtaposition of her sentimental heart, which she notes is "not made of wood," and the knowledge that her love is not returned creates a poignant and relatable emotional conflict for the listener.
The second stanza takes us through the singer's weekly routine with her lover, which seems to be both a source of comfort and a bittersweet reminder of their unbalanced relationship. They pray and "sin some," implying that their relationship is both spiritual and sensual, but throughout it all, the singer recognizes that her lover does not reciprocate her feelings. The final line of the song, "Yes, I've got it bad, and that ain't good," drives home the message that unrequited love can be painful and difficult to move on from.
Overall, "I Got It Bad" is a beautifully written and performed jazz standard that explores the complicated emotions of love, longing, and heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Though folks with good intentions
Tell me to save my tears
Well I'm so mad about him
I can't live without him
Despite well-intentioned advice to move on, the singer is so deeply in love with her man that she cannot fathom living without him.
Never treats me sweet and gentle
The way he should
I've got it bad
And that ain't good
Her love interest does not treat her with the tenderness she expects, but she is desperately in love with him nevertheless.
My poor heart is so sentimental
Not made of wood
I've got it so bad
And that ain't good
The singer's heart is vulnerable and emotional, making her love for this man all-consuming.
But when the fish are jumpin'
And Friday rolls around
My man an' I, we gin some
We pray some, and sin some
The singer finds solace in spending time with her man, regardless of their flaws, enjoying frivolous pastimes and seeking redemption together through prayer.
He don't love me like I love him
The way he should
I've got it bad
And that ain't good
The singer is painfully aware that her love is unrequited, and that her level of commitment is not reciprocated.
Yes I've got it bad
And that ain't good
The singer is trapped in the grip of a love that is all-consuming yet unfulfilling.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Duke Ellington, Paul Francis Webster
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind