Paul Spencer Denman (born July 1957). English

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

and

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

ist. With

Sade Adu Helen Folasade Adu ( yo, Fọláṣadé Adú ; born 16 January 1959), known professionally as Sade Adu or simply Sade ( ), is a Nigerian-born British singer, known as the lead singer of her eponymous band. One of the most successful British fe ...

, Andrew Hale, and

Stuart Matthewman Stuart Colin Matthewman (born 18 August 1960), also known as Cottonbelly, is an English songwriter, record producer and musician. With Sade Adu, Paul S. Denman, and Andrew Hale, he gained worldwide fame as the guitarist/saxophonist of the band ...

, Denman gained worldwide fame as the bass guitarist of the English band

Sade Sade may refer to: People * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine * Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band * Sade Baderinwa (born 1969), WAB ...

. He is also a member of the English band Sweetback.

Early life

Born in Hull, from 1959 to 1979 Denman lived on Greatfield Estate, Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, where Mick Ronson (1946 - 1993) also grew up, as Denman cites i
The Mick Ronson Story
: "Paul Denman, bass player with Sade, grew up on the same council estate in Hull, albeit a few years later: 'Michael had ambition, very much like myself. I'm pretty sure if he was here now he'd say" ''"Yeah, I can't wait to get out of Hull"'', and neither could I.' Aged 12, Denman attended a The Rats gig, the rhythm & blues band from Hull comprising

Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session musici ...

, Mick Woody Woodmansey, and Trevor Boulder who went on to become

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

’s backing band

The Spiders from Mars The Spiders from Mars were rock singer David Bowie's backing band in the early 1970s, and initially consisted of Mick Ronson on guitars, Trevor Bolder on bass guitar, and Mick Woodmansey on drums. The group had its origins in Bowie's earlier ba ...

. Showing a strong interest in music Denman’s parents bought him a bass guitar for his 13th birthday in July 1970. After watchin
Bowie and The Spiders from Mars audacious performance
of

Starman ''StarMan'' is a 1996 fantasy novel by Australian writer Sara Douglass. It follows the second book in the series, '' Enchanter'', with Axis marching north with his army to confront a formidable enemy. Background ''StarMan'' was first published ...

on the BBC's Top of the Pops primetime broadcast on Thursday 6 July 1972 that poignantly struck teenage Denman: "Every pop star I talk to from my generation... they all go back to Ziggy." At 15, he left Greatfield School to start a coppersmith apprenticeship at Hawker/Sidley, Hull, later British Aerospace in Bough, building military aircraft until leaving aged 22. After serving his musical apprenticeship on the local Hull circuit, Denman was inspired by the

Punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

scene and the Sex Pistols and bought a one way train ticket to London in August 1981. An act that eventually resulted to Denman joining Latin/Funk band Pride, which then evolved into the creation of the band Sade.

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 MusicMan Stingray Bass – natural finish 1977 Fretless Stingray Bass – natural finish 1985 Washburn AB40 acoustic bass Gretsch hollow body bass Emanuel Wilfer three quarter upright bass Schafer three quarter upright acoustic bass

Career

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,

, Paul Spencer Denman, Paul Anthony Cooke, Barbara Robinson,

Description: A creative Latin / Funk collection of seven musicians with diverse influences 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 (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 Heaven is a superclub in Charing Cross, London, England. It has a long association with London's LGBT scene and is home to long-running gay night G-A-Y. The club is known for Paul Oakenfold's acid house events in the 1980s, the underground n ...

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

– from the abbreviated name of Helen Folasade Adu.

Sade Sade may refer to: People * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine * Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band * Sade Baderinwa (born 1969), WAB ...
(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: Sunday 12 December 1982 –

Ronnie Scotts Ronnie may refer to: *Ronnie (name), a unisex pet name and given name * "Ronnie" (Four Seasons song), a song by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe *"Ronnie," a song from the Metallica album '' Load'' *Ronnie Brunswijkstadion, an association football stadium ...

, London, as Sade Adu. Supporting the band Pride. Sunday 27 February 1983 – Downstairs at

, Soho, London, UK as Sade Thursday 12 May 1983 – Congo Bill /

Danceteria Danceteria was a nightclub that operated in New York City from 1979 until 1986 and in the Hamptons until 1995. The club operated in various locations over the years, a total of three in New York City and four in the Hamptons. The most famous locat ...

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

Club, 30 W 21ST, New York Sunday 19 June 1983 – Downstairs at

, Soho, London, UK as Sade Friday 5 August 1983 – The Yow Club at The Albany, Deptford, South London, UK Saturday 10 December 1983 – U4 Club, Vienna, Austria Tuesday 21 February 1984 - Fagins, 65 Oxford Street, Manchester, UK Monday 27 February 1984 – Heaven Nightclub, Charing Cross, London, UK Wednesday 2 May 1984 – BBC Paris Studios, Lower Regent Street, London, UK Saturday 5 May 1984 – BBC Paris Studios, Lower Regent Street, London, UK Wednesday 27 June 1984 – Kursaal, Ostend, Belgium Friday 13 July 1984 –

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...

, 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:

, Andrew Hale, Paul Spencer Denman with various guest vocalists First album: Sweetback – October 1996 Second album: Stage 2 – 22 June 2004

Personal life

In 1984 Denman contracted

Tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

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

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...

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 St Leonards may refer to: Places Australia *St Leonards, New South Wales **St Leonards railway station *St Leonards, Tasmania, suburb of Launceston *St Leonards, Victoria Canada *St. Leonard's, Newfoundland and Labrador New Zealand * St L ...

, East Sussex, UK and Los Angeles, USA and is married to Kim Denman, a fashion designer. They have two children, visual artist and lecture
Angel-Rose
and musician Joe Dexter the singer and bassist of pop punk band

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

Awards and nominations

Discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denman, Paul Spencer Living people 1957 births English funk musicians English songwriters Grammy Award winners Musicians from Kingston upon Hull Sade (band) members Sophisti-pop musicians