Narada Michael Walden

Narada Michael Walden (/ˈnɑːrᵊdə/ NAH-rə-də; born Michael Walden, April 23, 1952, Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States) is an American producer, drummer, singer, and songwriter. He was given the name Narada by guru Sri Chinmoy in the early 1970s and his musical career spans three decades, in which he was awarded several gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards. Walden has also owned and operated Tarpan Studios, a recording studio in San Rafael, California, since the mid-1980s.

Performing career

His stage career included appearances with John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra (where he replaced legendary drummer Billy Cobham),^[1] Jeff Beck (on Beck's album Wired) and Tommy Bolin Band.

His first solo album, Garden of Love Light, was released in 1976 and included the track "Delightful", a song from the Tommy Bolin Band setlist. The lone single released from the album, it charted at #81 on the R&B charts in the spring of 1977.

1976 also saw him feature prominently on the album Vimana by Italian Progressive rock band Nova, on which he is both the main drummer to the band, and composed one of the tracks.

His 1979 album Awakening peaked at #15 on the R&B charts, spawning a Top 10 hit with "I Don't Want Nobody Else (To Dance with You)". Later that year, his album The Dance of Life yielded the Top 5 single "I Shoulda Loved Ya", which also made the UK Top 10 in 1980. He continued to score sporadic solo hits throughout the 1980s. "Gimme Gimme Gimme", his 1985 duet with Patti Austin, reached #1 in Sweden. In 1988, he scored another UK top 10 hit and a #1 US Dance hit, with "Divine Emotions" under the name Narada.

Achievements

Number-one hits have included several collaborations

• Whitney Houston
  • "How Will I Know"
  • "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
  • "So Emotional"
  • "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"
  • "I'm Every Woman"
  • "All the Man That I Need"
• Sister Sledge
  • "All American Girls"
• Mariah Carey
  • "I Don't Wanna Cry"
  • "Heartbreaker"
• Aretha Franklin
  • "Freeway of Love"
• Aretha Franklin & George Michael
  • "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (duet)
• Diana Ross
  • "Take Me Higher"
• Jermaine Stewart
  • "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off"
• Regina Belle
  • "Baby Come to Me"
• Starship
  • "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"
• Lisa Fischer
  • "How Can I Ease the Pain"
• Tevin Campbell
  • "Tell Me What You Want Me to Do"
• Al Jarreau
  • "Heaven & Earth"
• June Pointer
  • "Parlez Moi D'Amour"
• The Pointer Sisters
  • "Be There"

He has contributed to a diverse range of musical genres including rock, jazz, pop and jazz fusion.

He was awarded Grammys for Producer of the Year in 1988,^[1] Album of the Year for the movie soundtrack The Bodyguard in 1993^[1] and the R&B Song of the Year in 1985 for Aretha Franklin's "Freeway of Love." He was also named as one of the "Top Ten Producers With the Most Number One Hits" by Billboard magazine.

Discography

Albums

• Garden of Love Light – 1976
• I Cry, I Smile – 1977
• Awakening – 1979
• The Dance of Life – 1979
• Victory – 1980
• Confidence – 1982
• Looking at You, Looking at Me – 1983
• The Nature of Things – 1985
• Divine Emotion – 1988
• Sending Love to Everyone – 1995
• Thunder – 2012
• Love Lullabies for Kelly – 2014
• Evolution - 2015

Singles

• "Delightful" (1977)
• "Give Your Love a Chance" (1979)
• "I Don't Want Nobody Else (To Dance with You)" (1979)
• "I Shoulda Loved Ya" (1979)
• "Tonight I'm Alright" (1980)
• "The Real Thang" (1980)
• "Summer Lady" (1982)
• "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" (1983)
• "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme" (1985)
• "Divine Emotions" (as Narada) (1988)
• "Can't Get You Outta My Head" (1988)

Soundtracks

• Beverly Hills Cop II
• Perfect
• Licence to Kill
• The Bodyguard
• Jason's Lyric
• 9½ Weeks
• Crooklyn
• Free Willy
• Mannequin
• The Associate
• Now and Again
• Innerspace
• Bright Lights, Big City

Other collaborations

As drummer

• Mahavishnu Orchestra – Apocalypse (1974), Visions of the Emerald Beyond (1975), Inner Worlds (1976)
• Tommy Bolin – "Marching Powder" on Teaser (1975)
• Weather Report – "Black Market" and "Cannon Ball" on Black Market (1976)
• Jeff Beck – Wired (1976)
• Ray Gomez – Volume (1980)
• Allan Holdsworth – Velvet Darkness (1976)
• Jaco Pastorius – "Come On, Come Over" on Jaco Pastorius (1976)
• Robert Fripp – "Breathless", "NY3", "I've Had Enough of You" on Exposure (1979)

As producer (and drummer)

• George Benson – While the City Sleeps... (1986)
• Steve Winwood – Junction Seven (1997)
• Phyllis Hyman
• LaToya London – "Every Part of Me," "Learn to Breathe," and "State of My Heart"
• Stacy Lattisaw – Let Me Be Your Angel, With You, Sneakin' Out, Sixteen and Perfect Combination.
• Al Green – "Your Heart's in Good Hands"
• Shanice Wilson – "I Hate to Be Lonely", "Love Is the Gift" (English theme song found only in Square Enix's video game The Bouncer)
• Ray Charles
• Diana Ross – "If You're Not Gonna Love Me Right", "I Will Survive"
• Wild Orchid –
• Tevin Campbell – "Tell Me What You Want Me to Do"
• Angela Bofill – "Too Tough", "Tonight I Give In", "I'm on Your Side"
• MyTown – "Love Sent Angel" from Mytown
• Luba – "How Many"
• Taral Hicks – "Whoopty Whoop", "Don't Let the Feelin' Go Away", "I Wish You Were Here"
• Phaze II
• Andy Vargas
• Debelah Morgan
• Jai
• Jermaine Stewart – "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off"
• Natalie Cole ("Good to Be Back")
• Clarence Clemons
• Puff Johnson
• Eddie Murphy – "Put Your Mouth on Me"
• Carl Carlton – "The Bad CC"
• Michelle Gayle – "Sweetness", "Freedom", "Happy Just to Be with You", "Baby Don't Go", "All Night Long"
• Amii Stewart
• Sister Sledge – All American Girls
• Sheena Easton – "So Far, So Good" from the Original Soundtrack of the movie About Last Night, No Sound but a Heart and My Cherie
• Pia Zadora – "Pia Z"
• Don Novello and Cat McLean – "Everyone Is Free to Wear Camouflage"
• Brian Evans – "At Fenway"
• Vickie Natale
• Whitney Houston

References

External links