Nikki Sudden

Nikki Sudden
Nikki Sudden at Cake Shop, New York - 24 March 2006.
Background information
Birth name	Adrian Nicholas Godfrey
Born	19 July 1956 (1956-07-19) London, United Kingdom
Died	26 March 2006(2006-03-26) (aged 49) New York, United States
Genres	Indie rock, alternative rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, rock critic
Instruments	Guitar, vocals
Years active	1977–2006
Labels	Creation
Associated acts	Jacobites, R.E.M., Swell Maps
Website	nikkisudden.com

Nikki Sudden (19 July 1956 – 26 March 2006)^[1] was a prolific English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He co-founded the post-punk band Swell Maps with his brother Epic Soundtracks (born Kevin Paul Godfrey) while attending Solihull School in Solihull.^[2]

Career

He was born Adrian Nicholas Godfrey in London, England.^[1] Main influences on Sudden's music was provided by such artists as T.Rex, The Rolling Stones, The Faces, Bob Dylan and Johnny Thunders. Following the break-up of Swell Maps in 1980, he started a solo career, as well as releasing records with Dave Kusworth as the Jacobites. Kusworth had been a member of the Dogs D'Amour and led his own band, The Bounty Hunters.

He collaborated with, among others, Mike Scott and Anthony Thistlethwaite of The Waterboys, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Mick Taylor of The Rolling Stones, Rowland S. Howard, Metrophase, Ian McLagan of Small Faces and The Faces, Phil Shoenfelt, Al DeLoner of Midnight Choir, Tom Ashton of The March Violets, members of R.E.M. and Sonic Youth. The Jacobites' tune "Pin Your Heart" was covered on The Lemonheads' 1997 single "The Outdoor Type".

Sudden also wrote for a number of music magazines, such as Spex, INTRO, Mojo, the local Birmingham based fanzine Waxstreet Dive, and Bucketful of Brains. At the time of his unexpected death, he was writing his autobiography, as well as a history of the Wick (an estate in Richmond once owned by Ronnie Wood, currently owned by Pete Townshend), and was due to perform in London on the 29 March 2006.

Nikki Sudden died suddenly from a heart attack,^[1] at the age of 49, after a concert at the Knitting Factory in Manhattan, New York.

Discography

Swell Maps

• A Trip to Marineville (1979)
• Jane From Occupied Europe (1980)
• Whatever Happens Next (1981)
• Collision Time Revisited (1982)
• International Rescue (1999)
• Sweep the Desert (2001)

The Jacobites

• The Jacobites (1984)
• Robespierre's Velvet Basement (1985)
• Lost in a Sea of Scarves (1985)
• The Ragged School (1986)
• Fortune of Fame (1988)
• Howling Good Times (1994)
• Heart of Hearts (1995)
• Old Scarlett (1995)
• Kiss of Life (1996)
• Hawks Get Religion (1996)
• God Save Us Poor Sinners (1998)

Solo

• Waiting on Egypt (1982)
• The Bible Belt (1983)
• Texas (1986)
• Kiss You Kidnapped Charabanc (with Rowland S. Howard) (1987)
• Dead Men Tell No Tales (1988)
• Crown of Thorns (1988)
• Groove (1989)
• Back to the Coast (1990)
• The Jewel Thief (with R.E.M.) (1991)
• Seven Lives Later (1996)
• From the Warwick Road to the Banks of the Nile (1997)
• Egyptian Roads (1997)
• Red Brocade (with The Chamberstrings) (1999)
• Liquor, Guns and Ammo (with R.E.M.) (2000) re-release of The Jewel Thief (1991)
• The Last Bandit (2000)
• The Nikki Sudden Compendium (2001)
• Treasure Island (2004)
• The Truth Doesn't Matter (2006)
• Golden Vanity (2009, with Phil Shoenfelt, original recording from 1998)
• Tel Aviv Blues (2011, original recording from 2002)
• Playing With Fire (2011, Outtakes from "Treasure Island" & "The Truth Doesn´t Matter")

Singles

• "Back To The Start" (1981) from Out Of Egypt
• "Channel Steamer" (1981) from Out Of Egypt
• "This Is Still England" (1986)
• "Christmas Morning" (1986)
• "Jangle Town" (1987) from Texas
• "Wedding Hotel" (1987) from Kiss You Kidnapped Charabanc
• "The Angels Are Calling" (1989)
• "The Sun Is Shining" (1990)
• "I Belong to You" (1991) from The Jewel Thief
• "Buick MacKane" (1991)
• "Whiskey Priest" (1992)
• "Bourgeois Blues" (1992)
• "So Many Girls" (1999) from Red Brocade
• "Hanoi Jane" (2005)
• "Barroom Blues" (2006)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Thedeadrockstarsclub.com - accessed September 2010
2. ^ Cartwright, Garth (2006-04-03). "Obituary: Nikki Sudden". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2006/apr/03/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries1. Retrieved 2008-03-18. 

External links

• Nikki Sudden homepage
• Nikki on myspace
• Nikki Sudden performs live on WFMU
• PUNKCAST#940 Live video from Cake Shop NYC on Mar 24 2006
• Biographical obituary that was first report of Sudden's death from NewYorkNightTrain.com

Persondata
Name	Sudden, Nikki
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	19 July 1956
Place of birth
Date of death	26 March 2006
Place of death