| Mr Hudson | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Benjamin Hudson |
| Also known as | Mr Hudson, Mr Hudson and the Library |
| Born | 21 October 1979 |
| Origin | Birmingham, England |
| Genres | R&B, alternative, pop |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | Mercury Records, G.O.O.D. Music, Universal Music Group |
| Associated acts | KiD CuDi, Big Sean, Kanye West, Jay-Z, N-Dubz |
| Website | mrhudson.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Guitar, piano | |
Benjamin Hudson McIldowie (born 1979, Birmingham, England), known professionally as Mr Hudson, is an English R&B/pop artist based in London, England. Mr Hudson is signed to rapper and producer Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music. He has listed various influences, most notably Chet Baker, David Bowie, The Police, Andre 3000, Marvin Gaye, Phoenix, The Specials, Billie Holiday, Rosster, Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzee Rascal.[1]
Mr Hudson initially recorded with his band under the name Mr Hudson & The Library. Their first album, Tale of Two Cities, was released in 2007. The Library were Joy Joseph (Steel Pan, backing vocals, percussion), Torville Jones (piano), Maps Huxley (AKA Robin French, bass guitar) and Andrew "Wilkie" Wilkinson (drums). They were known for their energetic live performances and were nominated for "Best Newcomer" at the 2007 UK Festival Awards.
As a solo artist, Mr Hudson has worked with acts such as Kanye West, Dizzee Rascal, N-Dubz, KiD CuDi, Tinie Tempah, Jay-Z, Big Sean and Caspa, and also toured with Calvin Harris. His vocal performances have been compared to those of Sting.[2] He is now accompanied by Joy Joseph (vocals and steel drum), Rob Barron (electric keyboard), Raphael Mann (bass guitar) and Andrew "Wilkie" Wilkinson (electric drums).
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He grew up in the Handsworth Wood area of the city and attended King Edward's School, Birmingham in Edgbaston. Hudson attended Oxford University, where he read English Literature at St Anne's College.[3] He was part of Coco Sumner's band I Blame Coco at one point, co-writing the song 'I blame Coco'.
One of his first appearances was on JUMPOFF producer battles in 2001 alongside Gunther Thompson. Mr Hudson first came to prominence after being featured on Later with Jools Holland on 8 December 2006.[4] The band's debut LP, titled A Tale of Two Cities, was released in 2007 to strong reviews and received national airplay on Jo Whiley and Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 shows.
In 2007, Mr Hudson and The Library embarked on a tour through twelve British libraries as part of the 'Get It Loud' initiative, and also supported Amy Winehouse on her tour, along with Paolo Nutini, Mika and Groove Armada.[2] During the summer of 2007 they appeared at several UK festivals, such as Glastonbury, T in the Park, The Big Chill, V Festival, Godiva Festival, and Bestival. In October 2007, the band played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in support of The Police. They also supported Kanye West on his Europe leg of his Glow in the Dark Tour, performing in Dublin, Belfast and other European cities.
In 2008, Mr Hudson began recording as a solo artist. Maps Huxley was replaced in 2008 by Raphael Mann, and in 2009 Torville Jones was replaced by Bobby Barron. Although the name 'The Library' is no longer used, these musicians form his backing band for live performances, and Joy Joseph, Wilkie Wilkinson, Torville Jones and Raphael Mann contributed to recording sessions for the "Straight No Chaser" album. In 2010 the band was augmented by guitarist/vocalist Ali Forbes. On 11 November 2008, "There Will Be Tears" was given its first UK radio airplay on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show as 'The Hottest Record in the World Right Now'. Mr Hudson's new album – given a working title of Straight No Chaser[5] was released in mid-2009 with Kanye West acting as co-producer. As announced in December 2008, Mr Hudson will tour the UK to preview material from his forthcoming album visiting cities such as London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Newcastle.[6]
Mr Hudson is featured on Paranoid on Kanye West's fourth album, 808s & Heartbreak. He also co-produced "Street Lights" as well as supplying additional vocals on "Say You Will" and "Amazing". Kanye West has stated: "I believe Mr Hudson has the potential to be bigger than me, to be one of the most important artists of his generation".[7] In the autumn of 2009 Mr Hudson supported Calvin Harris on his UK tour.
The production on the band's debut album uses acoustic guitar interspersed with piano, backing vocals and bass guitar, steelpan, electric drums and unusual rhythm patterns. Two of the tracks from A Tale of Two Cities are covers; "On The Street Where You Live", is a cover of a number from the musical My Fair Lady[8] and "Everything Happens to Me" was popularized by Frank Sinatra and Chet Baker. On 4 August 2009, Mr Hudson released a new album, Straight No Chaser (via GOOD Music and Mercury Records), executive produced by Kanye West.
"I wanted to make a mainstream record, not structured or ornate," he explains. "The first album feels like an Escher drawing, all these layers and you don't know where you're going at any point. The way the songs are written and produced on this one is much more direct. It's not trying to reinvent the wheel. It's straight, no chaser."[9] Mr Hudson switched on the Blackpool town centre lights alongside Laura White. He performed Supernova and White Lies.
In an interview, singer Ben Hudson was asked to describe the album: "My mission statement was to make a pop record, but not a throwaway pop record. My heroes are people like Bowie and Prince and Damon Albarn. I didn't want to do anything niche. Kanye threw down the gauntlet. He said, 'Let's see if we can make you a popstar'. I was like 'Let's have a go!'. It's a bit more widescreen, a bit more punchy, but the eclecticism of the first record's still there. There's a tune where I'm a cross between Deliverance and Sade".[10]
In 2010, Mr Hudson collaborated with British dubstep artist Caspa on the track Love Never Dies (Back For The First Time), which is a new version of a previous Caspa track known simply as Back For The First Time. Rapper Nero appeared on the remix. On July 29 it was named by BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe as his Hottest Record in the World Today.[11]
On 26 May 2011 it was revealed that Hudson is working on his third album, and stated he wanted a rougher, "more English" sound.[12]
On 2 July 2011 Hudson was identified as a featuring artist on Kanye West and Jay-Z's collaborative album Watch The Throne, via Jay-Z's official website.[13]
He took part in the MyPenguin project launched by the publisher Penguin to encourage the public to design their own covers to classic paperbacks. Mr. Hudson collaborated with London graffiti artist Mighty Mo of London Frontline, to create a cover for Animal Farm by George Orwell.[14]
In April 2010 Mr Hudson supported Global Cool's campaign for flight-free holidays.[15]
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