Nikki Sudden (July 19, 1956?March 26, 2006) was a prolific English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He co-founded the post-punk band Swell Maps with his brother Epic Soundtracks (born Kevin Paul Godfrey) while attending Solihull School in Solihull.^[1]

Career

Following the band's break-up in 1980, he started a solo career, as well as releasing records with Dave Kusworth as The Jacobites. Kusworth had been a member of the Dogs D'Amour and led his own band, The Bounty Hunters.

Sudden's influences included bands such as T.Rex, The Rolling Stones and Johnny Thunders. He also collaborated with, among others, Mike Scott and Anthony Thistlethwaite of The Waterboys, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, members of Sonic Youth, Mick Taylor of The Rolling Stones, Rowland S. Howard, Ian McLagan of The Faces and members of R.E.M.. The Jacobites' tune "Pin Your Heart" was covered on The Lemonheads' 1997 single "The Outdoor Type".

Sudden also wrote for a number of music magazines, such as Spex, INTRO, Mojo and Bucketful of Brains. At the time of his unexpected death, he was writing his autobiography, as well as a history of the Wick (an estate in Richmond once owned by Ronnie Wood, currently owned by Pete Townshend), and was due to perform in London on the 29th of March.

Nikki Sudden died of a heart attack in his sleep on March 26, 2006 after a concert in New York City.

Discography

Swell Maps

• A Trip to Marineville (1979)
• Jane From Occupied Europe (1980)
• Whatever Happens Next (1981)
• Collision Time Revisited (1982)
• International Rescue (1999)
• Sweep the Desert (2001)

The Jacobites

• The Jacobites (1984)
• Robespierre's Velvet Basement (1985)
• Lost in a Sea of Scarves (1985)
• The Ragged School (1986)
• Fortune of Fame (1988)
• Howling Good Times (1994)
• Heart of Hearts (1995)
• Old Scarlett (1995)
• Kiss of Life (1996)
• Hawks Get Religion (1996)
• God Save Us Poor Sinners (1998)

Solo

• Waiting on Egypt (1982)
• The Bible Belt (1983)
• Texas (1986)
• Kiss You Kidnapped Charabanc (with Rowland S. Howard) (1987)
• Dead Men Tell No Tales (1988)
• Crown of Thorns (1988)
• Groove (1989)
• Back to the Coast (1990)
• The Jewel Thief (1991)
• Seven Lives Later (1996)
• From the Warwick Road to the Banks of the Nile (1997)
• Egyptian Roads (1997)
• Red Brocade (1999)
• Liquor, Guns and Ammo (2000) re-release of The Jewel Thief
• The Last Bandit (2000)
• The Nikki Sudden Compendium (2001)
• Treasure Island (2004)
• The Truth Doesn't Matter (2006)

Singles

• "I Belong to You" (1991) from The Jewel Thief

External links

• Nikki Sudden homepage
• Nikki on myspace
• Nikki Sudden performs live on WFMU
• PUNKCAST#940 Live video from Cake Shop NYC on Mar 24 2006
• Biographical obituary that was first report of Sudden's death from NewYorkNightTrain.com

References

de:Nikki Sudden fr:Nikki Sudden pl:Nikki Sudden

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