Paul Denman

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Paul Denman
Background information
Born	(1957-07-29) 29 July 1957 (age 64) Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England
Instruments	Bass guitar
Years active	1980s–present
Associated acts	Sade Sweetback

Paul Spencer Denman (born July 1957) is an English songwriter and bass guitarist. With Sade Adu, Andrew Hale, and Stuart Matthewman, he gained worldwide fame as the bass guitarist of the English band Sade.^[1] He is also a member of the English band Sweetback.

Denman lived on Greatfield Estate, Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, from 1959 until 1979. The same estate as Mick Ronson, which lead Denman aged 12 to attend one of the The Rats gigs ^[2] whose members Mick Ronson, Mick Woody Woodmansey, Trevor Boulder, later went on to become David Bowie’s backing band The Spiders from Mars.

Interested in music from an early age Denman’s parents bought him a bass guitar as a birthday gift aged 13.   Denman left Greatfield school at 15, to start an apprenticeship as a coppersmith at Hawker/Sidley, later British Aerospace in Bough, Hull, building military aircraft until age 22.  Denman served his musical apprenticeship on the Hull circuit, performing in bands since the age of 13, and finally at the age of 24, inspired by Punk and the Sex Pistols, Denman bought a one way train ticket to London.  An act that eventually lead to Denman joining Latin/Funk band Pride which lead to the creation of the band Sade with other Pride members.^[3]

Instruments[]

Denman is a right-handed bass player and rarely uses guitar picks.

First guitar – a second hand bass £13 from a local charity shop

MusicMan Stingray Bass – natural finish 1978^[4]

MusicMan Stingray Bass – natural finish 1977

Fretless Stingray – natural finish 1985

Washburn AB40 acoustic

Gretsch Hollow Body

Three quarter upright bass by Emanuel Wilfer

Three quarter upright Schafer acoustic bass

Bands[]

The Posers (1977–1980)[]

Founded: Hull, UK

Line up:  Paul Anthony Cooke, Paul Spencer Denman, Allan Beedle

Description: unsigned prog-rock/new wave/punk band.

Rehearsed at Mayfield Street Studios, Hull.

In 1980 all 3 members relocated full time to London with the intention of furthering the band’s career

The First Third (1980–1981)[]

Founded:  London, UK

Line up: Paul Anthony Cooke, Paul Spencer Denman, Allan Beedle

Description: unsigned prog-rock/new wave/punk band.

Rehearsed at Vaz Studios, Amherst Road, Stoke Newington, North London.

Pride (1981–1983)[]

Formally known as Arriva.

Founded:  North London, UK

Line up:  Nick Moxsom, Ray Saint John, Stuart Matthewman, Paul Spencer Denman, Paul Anthony Cooke, Barbara Robinson,^[5] Sade Adu

Description:  A creative Latin / Funk collection of seven musicians with diverse influences ^[6]

Notable live performances:

1982 – The band performed on a back of a lorry outside Le Beat Route, 16–17 Greek Street, Soho, London.

September 1982 – performance at The Fridge Club, London.

Thursday 16 September 1982 – performance at Danceteria, New York^[7] (Sade Adu had already been in New York as part of the 21 Blitz Kids Invasion whilst designing for the Demob label as part of the Axiom fashion show at The Underground Club on 17 and Broadway on 5/6 May 1981).

February 1983 – filmed at Heaven Nightclub in London for BBC Oxford Roadshow but failed to secure a record deal.

Notable songs: Manhandled, Ecstasy, Pride, The President.

From Pride offshoot bands and other projects were formed including:

PSP - an instrumental live band, using the initials of the names of the trio (Paul Spencer Denman, Stuart Matthewman, Paul Anthony Cooke), all originally from Hull, Yorkshire.

Sade – from the abbreviated name of Helen Folasade Adu.

Sade (December 1982 – present)[]

Founded:  North London, UK

Line up:

Sade Adu, Andrew Hale, Stuart Matthewman, Paul Spencer Denman,  Paul Anthony Cooke (final performance U4 Club Vienna, 11 December 1983)

First single: Your Love Is King, on 7 inch vinyl released Saturday 25 February 1984

Early notable live performances:

December 1982 – Ronnie Scotts, London supporting the band Pride.

Sunday 27 February 1983 – Ronnie Scotts, Soho, London, UK

Thursday 12 May 1983 – Congo Bill / Danceteria Club, 30 W 21ST, New York

Thursday 19 May 1983 – Congo Bill / Danceteria Club, 30 W 21ST, New York

Sunday 19 June 1983 – Ronnie Scotts, Soho, London, UK

Friday 5 August 1983 – The Yow Club at The Albany, Deptford, South London, UK

Saturday 10 December 1983 – U4 Club, Vienna, Austria

Monday 27 February 1984 – Heaven Nightclub, Charing Cross, London, UK

Wednesday 2 May 1984 – BBC Paris Studios, Lower Regent Street, London, UK^[8]

Saturday 5 May 1984 – BBC Paris Studios, Lower Regent Street, London, UK^[8]

Wednesday 27 June 1984 – Kursaal, Ostend, Belgium

Friday 13 July 1984 – Montreux Jazz Festival, Casino de Montreux, Montreux, Switzerland

Monday 30 July 1984 – Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London, UK

Thursday 7 February 1985 – Festival Delia Canzone Italiana di Sanremo

Wednesday 8 May 1985 – Golden Rose, Casino de Montreux, Montreux, Switzerland

Saturday 13 July 1985 – The band cemented their success at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium performing Why Can’t We Live Together, Is It A Crime, Your Love Is King.

Sweetback (early 1994 – present)[]

Founded:  New York / London / Los Angeles

Line up:  Stuart Matthewman, Andrew Hale, Paul Spencer Denman with various guest vocalists

First album: Sweetback –  October 1996^[9]

Second album: – Stage 2–22 June 2004^[10]

Personal life[]

In 1984 Denman contracted Tuberculosis.

Denman has multiple tattoos including a homages to the Sex Pistols on one wrist, and The Clash on the other wrist.

A lifelong supporter of Hull City Football Club “The Tigers”, attending his first match in 1966, Denman has the club crest tattooed over his heart.

Denman currently lives between St Leonards, East Sussex, UK and Los Angeles, USA and is married to Kim Denman, a fashion designer.  

They have two children, visual artist and lecturer Angel-Rose, and musician Joe Dexter the singer and bassist of pop punk band Orange.

Awards and nominations[]

Discography[]

References[]