Andrew Hale

Most people think of Sade as the beautiful Nigerian born lady, but Sade is actually the whole band consisting of Stuart Matthewman (sax and guitar), Paul, Helen, Andrew & Stewart aka SADE Andrew Hale (keyboards), Paul Spencer Denman (bass) and Helen Folasade Adu (vocals).
In the early 80's Sade Adu was performing as one of three vocalists in a promising jazz-funk collective known as Pride. In 1984, Sade re-emerged as lead singer and principal songwriter of the group bearing her name, accompanied by her former Pride cohorts Matthewman, Hale and Denman. The rest -- with more than 40 million albums sold worldwide -- is history!
Stuart Matthewman, Andrew Hale and Paul Denman released their first album as "Sweetback" in 1996. The album features guest vocalist from Leroy Osbourne, along with Maxwell and Amel Larrieux of The Groove Theory.
The Sweetback saga began in early 1994, at the end of Sade's "Love Deluxe" world tour. Stuart Matthewman returned to New York to build his own studio: He'd already begun recording and releasing a series of underground 12-inch singles under such names as Cottonbelly and Edge Test, records which were received enthusiastically in clubs from London to Los Angeles. In addition, Stuart co-wrote, produced and played on three tracks - "Welcome," "Whenever Wherever Whatever," and "Lonely's The Only Company" - from Maxwell's acclaimed debut album, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite.
Meanwhile in London, Andrew Hale (through his company Deliverance) created soundscapes for fashion shows by such leading designers as Paul Smith and collaborated on his own music with Toshi and Kudo of noted Japanese production team Major Force. Not content with dressing himself as oddly as possible, Paul Denman attempted to get all of L.A. to do likewise by opening a boutique called Goddess in partnership with his wife.
As time passed and the Sweetback collaboration progressed, Stuart, Andrew and Paul continued to exchange DATs, engage in protracted late-night phone calls, and visit each other's home cities. Gradually their efforts brought together a diverse array of guest performers: Groove Theory vocalist Amel Larrieux, progressive r&b star Maxwell, Philly rap queen Bahamadia, and Sade cohort Leroy Osbourne, each of whom takes a step beyond their own established styles on Sweetback.