| Jah Wobble | |
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 Jah Wobble in 2005
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Wardle |
| Also known as | Jah Wobble |
| Born | 1958 Stepney, London, United Kingdom |
| Genre(s) | Post-punk Alternative World music Dub music |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Bass, vocals, keyboards, drums |
| Years active | 1978 - present |
| Label(s) | 30hertzrecords |
| Associated acts | Public Image Limited (1978 - 1980), The Damage Manual (2000) |
| Website | [1] |
Jah Wobble (born John Wardle, in Stepney in 1958) is an English bass guitarist, singer, poet and composer. Stepney is an inner-city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Post-punk was a popular musical movement in the mid to late 1970s following on the heels of the initial Punk rock explosion of the early 1970s Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of The term world music includes Traditional music (sometimes called Folk music or roots music of any culture that are created and played by indigenous musicians Dub is a form of music which evolved from Reggae in the late 1960s A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a Musical keyboard. A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Public Image Ltd ( PiL) were an English musical group formed in 1978 by vocalist John Lydon, Guitarist Keith Levene The Damage Manual is an industrial supergroup that originally formed in 2000. Stepney is an inner-city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but left the band after two years. Public Image Ltd ( PiL) were an English musical group formed in 1978 by vocalist John Lydon, Guitarist Keith Levene Following his departure from PiL, he went on to a successful solo career, continuing to the present. His daughter is actress Hayley Angel Wardle, and he is married to the Chinese-born guzheng player and harpist Zi Lan Liao. Hayley Angel Wardle (previously Hayley Wardle) (born 27 February 1983 is an actress born in London England The guzheng, also spelled gu zheng or gu-zheng ( or zheng (箏 ( gu-, 古 means "ancient" Zi Lan Liao (Chinese 廖[[wikt 子|子]] 岚; pinyin Liào Zǐlán born c
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Early life
Wobble grew up in Whitechapel's Clichy Estate in London’s East End, and is a long-time friend of John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) whom he had met in the 1970s along with John Simon Ritchie (later known as Sid Vicious) at London's Kingsway College (now Westminster Kingsway College). Whitechapel is a built-up Inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, England. John Joseph Lydon (born 31 January 1956 in London England also known as Johnny Rotten, is a British Rock musician best known as lead vocalist for the Punk John Simon Ritchie (born May 10, 1957, died February 2, 1979) better known as Sid Vicious, was an English Punk Westminster Kingsway College is a general further education college in Central London. According to Rotten's autobiography, Wobble was once on the short list of replacements for original Pistols bassist Glen Matlock. The Sex Pistols are an English Punk rock band that formed in London in 1975 Glen Matlock (born 27 August 1956 in West London, England) is a Bass guitarist most famous for being in the original lineup of the Punk rock There are several versions of the origin of his stage name, though it's unclear if these origins are more than apocryphal: One account places the origin on a drunken, mumbled version of Wardle's name by Sid Vicious; another states it was wordplay based on Wardle's name, and his fascination with the "wobbly" basslines of reggae and related genres, where praise to "Jah" — a near-homonym of "John" — is often offered. A stage name, also called a screen name, is a Pseudonym used by Performers and Entertainers such as Drunkenness or inebriation is the state of being intoxicated by consumption of Alcoholic beverages to a degree that mental and physical faculties are noticeably John Simon Ritchie (born May 10, 1957, died February 2, 1979) better known as Sid Vicious, was an English Punk Word play is a Literary technique in which the nature of the words that are used become the main subject of the work Reggae is a Music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s Jah (ˈdʒɑː is the shortened name for God YHWH, most commonly used in the Rastafari movement. In linguistics a homonym is one of a group of words that share the same pronunciation but have different meanings and are usually spelled differently
Musical career
Public Image Ltd (PiL)
Wobble started his musical career with John Lydon's post-Sex Pistols group Public Image Ltd (PiL). The Sex Pistols are an English Punk rock band that formed in London in 1975 Public Image Ltd ( PiL) were an English musical group formed in 1978 by vocalist John Lydon, Guitarist Keith Levene His trademark bass playing drew heavily on dub, which has remained an important feature of his music. Dub is a form of music which evolved from Reggae in the late 1960s In his early life and career, by his own admission,[1] Wardle was given to occasional bouts of aggression, brought on in part by a strict upbringing in London's East End and exacerbated by alcohol abuse. He has stated that the first Public Image Ltd. album was recorded so quickly due in part to the bassist's altercations with a studio producer and men at a nearby pub. He has, however, dismissed claims accusing him of extreme malice, such as setting fire to the former drummer for The Fall, Karl Burns, while Burns was session drumming for PiL. The Fall are an English Post-punk band formed in Prestwich, Greater Manchester in 1976 Karl Burns (born 1958, Manchester, England is a British musician best known as Drummer for The Fall, featuring in many incarnations of the band [1]
Wobble left his signature mark on PiL's seminal second album Metal Box released in 1979. Metal Box is the second Album by Public Image Ltd, released in 1979 by Virgin Records. However, he grew increasingly frustrated by the lacklustre creative atmosphere in the band, which he felt stifled his artistic ambitions and PiL's creative potential. Besides differences in artistic vision, further conflicts were brought on in part by heavy drug and alcohol abuse in the band [2]. Wobble then went on to recording and releasing his debut album The Legend Lives on - Jah Wobble in Betrayal, and found himself accused by other PiL members of having made unauthorized use of material from Metal Box for the making of Betrayal [2]. Wobble then left PiL in late 1980.
Early post-PiL years
Soon after leaving PiL, Wobble started his solo career by forming The Human Condition with guitarist Dave "Animal" Maltby and PiL's original drummer, Jim Walker. Jim Walker (born in Fort Kent Maine to a Canadian father and American mother was a founding director as well as the original drummer for the UK music group Public Image Ltd The Human Condition toured the UK, Europe, and USA in 1981, and made two cassette-only releases of their live shows (Live at the Collegiate Theatre and Live in Europe). The post-PiL years saw Wobble also collaborating with Can members Holger Czukay and Jaki Liebezeit on Czukay's solo projects (notably On the Way to the Peak of Normal and Rome Remains Rome) and Full Circle (released in 1984). Can was a musical group formed in West Germany in 1968 One of the most important Krautrock groups Can had a style grounded in the Experimental rock of Holger Czukay (born 24 March 1938) is a German musician probably best known as a co-founder of the Krautrock group Can. Jaki Liebezeit (born 26 May 1938, Dresden, Germany) is a Drummer probably best known as a founding member of Can, who has
In 1983, Wobble formed the Invaders of the Heart, a group with a fluid line-up that included many notable musicians, including acclaimed pedal steel guitarist B.J. Cole and percussionist Neville Murray. The pedal steel guitar is a type of Electric guitar that uses a metal slide to stop the strings rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar B J Cole (born Brian John Cole, 17 June 1946 Enfield, Middlesex) is an English Pedal steel guitarist who is best known for playing Wardle also appeared on the LP Snake Charmer billed as a co-leader alongside guitarist The Edge of U2, Czukay, Liebezeit, and producer François Kevorkian. David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961 in Barking, East London) more widely known by his Moniker The Edge, is a Musician known best François Kevorkian, alias François K, (born January 10, 1954) is a French DJ, Remixer, producer and Record
However, his critical stance towards the commercialization of the music industry, compounded by heavy drinking, led to his abandoning music for a short period in the mid-eighties. He then worked a variety of straight jobs, whilst continuing to perform and record his music in what spare time he had. These jobs included a long stretch with the London Underground. The London Underground is a Metro system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire In an oft-quoted tale it is related that he once, at Tower Hill Underground Station via the public address system, humorously regaled commuters with the deadpan announcement, "I used to be somebody. Tower Hill is an elevated spot north-west of the Tower of London, just outside the limits of the City of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. A public address or " PA " system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, Amplifier and Loudspeakers used to I repeat, I used to be somebody. "
By 1986, Wobble was clean and sober, and due to the repeated prompting of his friend and former bandmate, percussionist Neville Murray, Wobble returned to music professionally. In Cryptography, SOBER is a family of Stream ciphers initially designed by Greg Rose of QUALCOMM Australia starting in 1997 [3] Armed with a live recording of a concert he had made with a new line up of musicians during a European tour in 1988, Wobble travelled to New York City's New Music Seminar in 1989 to get back into the music business. The New Music Seminar was multi-venue Music showcase held annually in New York City during June in the 1980s and early 1990s After encountering some initial derogation hinting at the darker sides of his past, Wobble was able to secure an eleventh-hour record deal with a small European record label. [4] The live album, "Without Judgement", recorded in Holland was released in late 1989 and successfully revived Wobble's career, once again earning him respect and following from audiences and peers.
Early 1990s to present
Following on from the success of several critical and popular landmark recordings, most notably "Without Judgement" and "Rising above Bedlam", in the late 80's and early 90s, respectively, Wobble has since collaborated with a wide variety of musicians. His explorations into World music predated much of the genre's popularity. The term world music includes Traditional music (sometimes called Folk music or roots music of any culture that are created and played by indigenous musicians Jah Wobble's 1994 album Take Me To God was influenced by world music genres and enriched by contributions from a variety of artists of diverse cultural backgrounds, including Baaba Maal, Dolores O'Riordan, and Chaka Demus, and its uplifting sounds made it both a critical and commercial success. Baaba Maal is a Senegalese singer and Guitarist born in Podor, on the Senegal River. Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan (Burton (born 6 September 1971) is an Irish Singer and Songwriter. Chaka Demus (born John Taylor in 1965 West Kingston, Jamaica) is a well known Reggae musician and Deejay, best known for a string His music has spanned a number of genres, including ambient music and dance music, and in 2003, reworkings of traditional English folk songs. Ambient music is a Musical genre in which sound is more important than notes This article is about music for dancing in general You may also be looking for Electronic dance music. Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Though he has released recordings since the early 1980s, Wobble has been quite prolific from the mid-1990s to the present. He now runs his own label, 30 Hertz Records, and tours regularly throughout England and Europe with his current band, Jah Wobble & The English Roots Band.
Besides his work as a musician and composer, Jah Wobble also writes occasional book reviews for the The Independent. The Independent is a British compact Newspaper published by Tony O'Reilly 's Independent News & Media. [2] According to the liner notes of Alpha One Three he is currently working on his autobiography.
His current project, done in collaboration with his wife, the Chinese-born guzheng player Zi Lan Liao, (2008) is entitled Chinese Dub. The guzheng, also spelled gu zheng or gu-zheng ( or zheng (箏 ( gu-, 古 means "ancient" Zi Lan Liao (Chinese 廖[[wikt 子|子]] 岚; pinyin Liào Zǐlán born c [3]
List of collaborators
References
- ^ a b The Times Online, 24 March 2007, 'I’m still ye olde noble savage'
- ^ a b Simon Reynolds (2005). Rip it Up and Start Again - Postpunk 1978-1984. faber and faber. ISBN 978-0-571-21570-6.
- ^ see Wardle's notes for I Could Have Been A Contender
- ^ The Herald (Glasgow) 4th October 1996, David Belcher 'Wobble of firm resolve breaks mould'
Discography
External links
- Jah Wobble's site
- Jah Wobble Last.fm group
- Adrian Sherwood speaks about PiL
- Don Letts on PiL
- Keith Levene on PiL
- Jah Wobble video interview while in the studio
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