Nikki Sudden

After the post-punk band <a href="spotify:artist:1FGzeqDPTLZwfbfxpmPAZn">Swell Maps</a> dissolved in the early '80s, lead singer Nikki Sudden began a diverse and restless solo career, during which he worked with a number of different bands and side projects. Sudden released his first solo record, Waiting on Egypt, in 1982, followed closely by The Bible Belt in 1983; both records recalled the music he made with <a href="spotify:artist:1FGzeqDPTLZwfbfxpmPAZn">Swell Maps</a>. In 1984, Sudden formed <a href="spotify:artist:3orlcbsczm88Gdvy6JomMV">the Jacobites</a> with drummer <a href="spotify:artist:0zXDICT0lBBvcKPgfPyR7l">Epic Soundtracks</a> (his brother, who was also a member of <a href="spotify:artist:1FGzeqDPTLZwfbfxpmPAZn">Swell Maps</a>) and guitarist/vocalist <a href="spotify:artist:69dw90AoTwYXjvQjABdrJU">Dave Kusworth</a>, who co-wrote the material with Sudden. The band developed a laid-back, wasted, romantic classic rock and pop style with acoustic guitars and a rolling rhythm section. <a href="spotify:artist:3orlcbsczm88Gdvy6JomMV">The Jacobites</a> released four albums and three EPs between 1984 and 1986, when <a href="spotify:artist:69dw90AoTwYXjvQjABdrJU">Kusworth</a> left the band. Sudden continued using the <a href="spotify:artist:3orlcbsczm88Gdvy6JomMV">Jacobites</a>' name, releasing Texas on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Creation%22">Creation</a> label in 1986. During the late '80s, Sudden ditched <a href="spotify:artist:3orlcbsczm88Gdvy6JomMV">the Jacobites</a> moniker and began making music that strongly recalled early <a href="spotify:artist:22bE4uQ6baNwSHPVcDxLCe">Rolling Stones</a>, including Texas and Dead Men Tell No Tales. While none of his albums ever attracted a large audience, Sudden remained a cult favorite throughout his career. High-profile guests began appearing on his albums: <a href="spotify:artist:2QoU3awHVdcHS8LrZEKvSM">Wilco</a>'s <a href="spotify:artist:2rDxtYUzTAYJJE3Bl3Z5IN">Jeff Tweedy</a> lent a hand on 1999's Red Brocade, and <a href="spotify:artist:3v4feUQnU3VEUqFrjmtekL">the Faces</a>' keyboardist <a href="spotify:artist:5HVDf6EAbKdW7Md5V3VL8I">Ian McLagan</a> played on the 2004 release Treasure Island. On March 26, 2006, Sudden passed away after a gig in New York City. He was working on a new album, The Truth Doesn't Matter, which was released in October. In the spring of 2011, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Easy+Action%22">Easy Action</a> released Playing with Fire, a carefully curated compilation of unreleased songs recorded and left off his last two studio albums; the collection featured liner notes by Sudden's bassist and friend, John Barry. A box set that included his first two solo albums, two <a href="spotify:artist:3orlcbsczm88Gdvy6JomMV">Jacobites</a> offerings, Kiss You Kidnapped Charabanc with <a href="spotify:artist:1ScuQ8TIlsmpeThaI18gYC">Rowland S. Howard</a>, Texas and Dead Men Tell No Tales -- plus a re-press of Sudden's first solo single -- packaged in a deluxe slipcase, were released as a strictly limited, Black Friday exclusive in December of 2014. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi