Ekuqaleni kukaDisemba 2020, ongowokuzalwa eBasseterre wagubha iminyaka engama-70. Ungasho mayelana nomculi uJoan Armatrading - abayisithupha kwelinye: umculi, umbhali womculo, umculi womculo, umkhiqizi, isigingci kanye nomdlali wopiyano.
Naphezu kokuthandwa okungazinzile, unezindondo zomculo ezihlaba umxhwele (I-Ivor Novello Awards 1996, i-Order of the British Empire 2001). Usengumculi onebala elimnyama osezitholele indawo emfanele ohlwini lwabaculi, kanye nabaculi abamhlophe, abanezikhundla eziphezulu eBrithani.
Umhlangano ojabulisayo ka-Joan Armatrading
UJoan uyingane yesithathu emndenini omkhulu we-Armatrading. Lapho eneminyaka engu-8, e-Birmingham, uqala ukufunda ukudlala isiginci. Eminyakeni emibili kamuva, ngaphansi kwethonya lesifiki esivela eCaribbean, uP. Nestor wahlangana eduze nomculo we-pop.
Ukujwayelana kwabo kuba isinqumo esiwujuqu kuJoan osemusha. Kusukela ngaleso sikhathi kuqhubeke, ekugcineni wanquma ukukhetha kokudala impilo yakhe. Ndawonye baqamba izingoma eziqanjwe ngokwehlukana. Khona-ke balungiselela i-debut eyinhloko ngaleso sikhathi ekuphileni kwabo - ukubamba iqhaza kumculo othi "Izinwele" eLondon.
Umsebenzi wokuqala kaJoan Armatrading
Umphumela womsebenzi wabo ngokuhlanganyela kwaba i-albhamu ethi "Whatevers For Us". Kodwa uyena owabangela ukuhlukana kwabo. Umdidiyeli uGus Dudgeon uthanda ukucula kwe-Armatrading. Lo mcimbi emsebenzini wakhe ngo-1972 wawuyisiqalo somsebenzi omkhulu womculi. I-albhamu yokuqala eyedwa yabikezelwa ukuthi izoba yimpumelelo. Kodwa-ke, izingoma, ezihambisana nomshayi wesigingci uDave Johnston noRay Cooper ezigubhini, azizange zidale injabulo emphakathini. Icwecwe alizange lidayise.
Ukuqopha studio "Curb", eminyakeni emithathu kamuva, ukulungisa lesi simo unquma ukuthengisa i-albhamu ku-US ukukhathazeka "A & M". UJoan ungena nabo isivumelwano. Umphumela wokuqala wenkontileka uthi "Back To The Night", i-albhamu esizwa umdidiyeli uPete Gage. Kodwa ngisho naye akaphili ngokuvumelana nalokho okulindelwe, naphezu kokubamba iqhaza kuka-Andy Summers noGene Rossel. Abawathengi amarekhodi futhi.
Ukuncibilika okuthile emsebenzini wakhe kwenzeka ngo-1976. Okungukuthi, ngenkathi i-"Joan Armatrading", elinye lamaqoqo amane ngaphansi komdidiyeli u-Glyn Johnson, ishaya ama-LPs aphezulu angama-20 aseBrithani. Ingoma ethi "Love & Affection" yayiphakathi kwezingoma eziyishumi ezihamba phambili.
Black Stripe Joan Armatrading
Ukuhlanganiswa okulandelayo, "Show Some Emotion" kanye "To The Limit", kuhluke kangcono kunezandulelayo, kodwa akuqukethe okuphambili. I-"Steppin' Out" kwaba ukusebenzisana kokugcina nomkhiqizi ngenkathi evakashela i-United States, kodwa ayizange iphumelele. Ibhawa elimnyama selingene kwelakhe futhi. Ithalente alizange lilethe ukuthandwa kwe-Armatrading.
Isikhathi esithile wabambisana no-Henry Dewey, kodwa lokhu akulethi imiphumela. I-"Rosic" ithola kuphela emigqeni engezansi yezilinganiso, i-albhamu encane ethi "How Cruel" ikhishwa ngamanani alinganiselwe e-US naseYurophu.
Ukukhetha okulandelayo komkhiqizi kuphumelele. URichard Gotterer, weThe Strangeloves kanye nomdidiyeli weBlondie. "Mina, Mina, Mina" ngingene ku-Top 30. Ingoma ethi "All The Way From America" yaba, uma ingeyona i-hit, yabe idumile eBrithani.
Lapho ngineminyaka engama-31, i-Armatrading yabhala umsebenzi olandelayo - "Hamba Ngaphansi Kwezitebhisi". Umshayi webhesi waseJamaica u-Sly Danbury kanye nomculi u-Andy Partridge baqashelwa ukuqoshwa. Izingoma ezimbili ezikhishwe kule albhamu ngesikhathi esisodwa - "I'm Lucky" kanye "No Love and The Key" (1983).
Irekhodi kanye nokuhlanganiswa kwe-"Track Record" ekugcineni kusungule isikhundla sika-Joan e-UK. Uthole isikhundla sokuba ngumculi onabalandeli bakhe. Bekuyindilinga ewumngcingo, kodwa ngimbonga kakhulu ngobuhlakani bakhe.
Siyini isizathu sokungazinzi kwe-Armatrading enekhono?
Akekho ophendule kahle lo mbuzo. Mhlawumbe ukushintsha okuvamile kwabakhiqizi. Akazange akwazi ukuxhuma ubuciko nomuntu oyedwa noma ababili. Noma isizathu singendlela yayo enesizotha ngokweqile yokusebenza nokuguquguquka - yonke into ibushelelezi, akukho mlilo. Kalula nje - kuyisicefe: ukusebenza kahle kusiginci, amakhibhodi. Kodwa konke mayelana nento efanayo - uthando nokuphila, ukunemba kakhudlwana, impilo yansuku zonke. Ayigqamisi indlela yezwi, nakuba ngokungangabazeki ikhona, kodwa ibeka phambili isitayela sombhali ekusebenzeni.
I-Secret Secrets 1985, iphinde yakhululwa nomdidiyeli omusha uMichael Howlett. Ukuqanjwa "Isilingo" kunempumelelo elinganiselayo, ukubeka kancane. Ukubandakanyeka komthwebuli wezithombe owaziwayo wekhava akuzange kusize. Futhi wayemiselwe ukuya ekukhohlweni.
Inqubo elandelayo yokudala azikhiqiza yona. Ngo-1988, uJoan umema uMark Knopfler noMark Brezhiski ukuba basebenze ndawonye, kodwa lokhu akusindisi noma kunjalo. "Isiteji Sokumemeza" siyehluleka, njengabaningi abakhishwe ngaphambilini.
Kuyacaca ukuthi lokho abathengi abafuna ukukuzwa akuhambisani nomqondo wekhwalithi yomculo nezingoma ze-Armatrading. Ukwehluleka kokuthi "Isiteji Sokumemeza" kuphinde kwaqinisekisa le nguqulo.
I-Armatrading ikwazile ukulungisa kancane isimo phakathi kwamaqembu e-rock yaseBrithani. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, abagxeki abazange bamthethise. Kwakungekho ukuqashelwa okuvela ezilalelini. Abathandi bomculo babefuna ukukhiqizwa okuhlukile, hhayi ukuzola futhi, endaweni ethile, izingoma eziyisicefe nezingoma zikaJoan.
Elinye ithuba lempumelelo
Ukuvakasha kosizo lomndeni wasebukhosini kanye ne-Amnesty International kudlalelwe ezandleni. Abangane bakaMandela ngo-1988 basekela izikhundla zakhe ngendlela efanayo. Kodwa akukho lutho lwamahhala - eminyakeni emine, u-Joan uzibona esohlwini lwabasekeli be-conservatism yeqembu laseBrithani. Nakuba ayehlala eqhelelene namaqili ezombusazwe, akazange ahlanganyele emicimbini enjalo.
Kodwa kulapho kuphele khona futhi. Iminyaka elandelayo ayimphumeleli ngokudala izinto, imizamo yomuntu ngamunye yokubuya futhi athole uthando lwabalaleli ayinasizathu. Konke kuphindaphindiwe, naphezu kwemizamo yakhe kanye nokubandakanyeka kwabaculi abadumile nabadlali. Akukho okusizayo.
Ukucula kwaba uhlangothi lwakhe olunamandla. Ene-alto eyisithulu, wayefana noNina Simone. Izwi elinamandla kakhulu lowesifazane onesikhumba esinsundu ontekenteke lenza ukuba izingxoxo zinqamuke futhi zabahlaba umxhwele labo ababeqonda okungenani okuthile ekukhulumeni.
Engathi akalilahlile ithemba. I-Armatrading isenabalandeli bayo, bonke abazinikele njengakuqala. Uyaqhubeka nokwenza akuthandayo futhi akalishiyi ithemba lemvuselelo. Mhlawumbe kuyoba enye engaziwa muntu, futhi uzokwazi ukumangaza wonke umuntu futhi azikhumbuze. Okungenani i-Armatrading ilwela lokhu.
