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Cannonball Adderley

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Musician

The Resume

    (September 15, 1928-August 8, 1975)
    Born in Tampa, Florida
    Birth name was Julian Edwin Adderley
    Alto saxophonist
    Played with Miles Davis (1958-59)
    Recorded the albums 'Presenting Cannonball Adderley' (1955), 'Sophisticated Swing' (1957), 'Jump for Joy' (1958), 'Cannonball Takes Charge' (1959), 'African Waltz' (1961), 'Bossa Nova' (1962), 'Nippon Soul' (1963), 'Money in the Pocket' (1966), 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy!' (1967), 'Accent on Africa' (1968), 'Country Preacher' (1969), 'The Black Messiah' (1970), 'Pyramid' (1974) and 'Lovers' (1975)
    Notable songs include 'Dis Here,' 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,' 'Jive Samba,' 'Work Song,' 'Walk Tall' and 'Sack o' Woe'

Why he might be annoying:

    His nickname was originally 'Cannibal,' referring to his huge appetite.
    He originally wanted to play tenor sax, and settled for alto only because of a shortage of instruments during WWII.
    He complained, 'The standards for performance are lower than ever.... Today a kid may be playing guitar just for his own enjoyment, then find that someone who doesn't play any better than he does just earned five million dollars with a couple of records.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was a high school teacher and band director in Florida for five years before starting his professional jazz career.
    When he arrived in New York, his playing was compared to that of Charlie Parker.
    He discovered singer Nancy Wilson and guitarist Wes Montgomery.
    His single 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy' was a rare jazz crossover hit, reaching #2 on the soul chart and #11 on the Billboard Top 40 (1967).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 13 Votes: 53.85% Annoying