Jack Steadman (born 1989 or 1990), also known by the name of his solo project Mr Jukes (sometimes stylised as mr jukes), is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer best known as the vocalist and primary songwriter of the
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band
Bombay Bicycle Club
Bombay Bicycle Club is an English indie rock band from Crouch End, London, consisting of Jack Steadman, Jamie MacColl, Suren de Saram, and Ed Nash. They are guitar-fronted and have experimented with different genres, including folk, electr ...
since its formation in 2005. He released his debut album as Mr Jukes, ''God First'', in 2017.
Career
Bombay Bicycle Club announced a hiatus in January 2016 as the band members had decided to pursue their own individual projects. Steadman had embarked on a round-the-world trip without flying and recording his solo album. In
Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
, Steadman boarded a cargo ship and set up a studio in his cabin and began writing his solo album.
The name Mr Jukes comes from a character in
Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the Eng ...
's ''
Typhoon
A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...
'' named Jukes, who was second in command on a ship heading into a
typhoon
A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...
. Steadman read the book while he was travelling on the cargo ship. The opening song of Mr Jukes' debut album is titled after the same novella.
On 21 March 2014, English singer/songwriter
Sivu
James Page, known professionally as Sivu (pronounced see-voo), is an English singer and songwriter. He has released two studio albums, ''Something on High'' (2014) and ''Sweet Sweet Silent'' (2017). His third studio album, ''Wild Horse Running'', ...
released the single "Can't Stop Now". The digital single included a remix by Mr Jukes.
Mr Jukes' debut album ''God First'' was released on 14 July 2017.
Steadman drew inspiration from
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
,
soul
The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
and
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
to write the album, which features several collaborations, including with
Lianne La Havas
Lianne Charlotte Vlahavas (born 23 August 1989), known professionally as Lianne La Havas ( ), is a British singer-songwriter. Her career began after being introduced to various musicians, including singer Paloma Faith, for whom she sang backing ...
,
Charles Bradley,
De La Soul
De La Soul ( ) is an American hip hop music, hip hop group formed in the village of Amityville on Long Island, New York (state), New York in 1988. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, eccentric lyrics, and contributions to the evoluti ...
,
Horace Andy
Horace Andy (born Horace Keith Hinds, 19 February 1951) is a Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as " Skylarking", as well as "Government Land", "Angel", "Spying Glass", and "Five Ma ...
,
Lalah Hathaway
Lalah Hathaway (born December 16, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter and music producer. Credited as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, First Daughter of Soul", she is the first-born daughter of musician and soul singer Donny Hathawa ...
,
BJ the Chicago Kid
Bryan James Sledge (born November 23, 1984), better known by his stage name BJ the Chicago Kid (or simply BJ), is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Sledge is best known for frequently collaborating with Top ...
.
In 2021, the collaborative project ''The Locket'' recorded by Steadman and
Barney Artist was released. The London-based artist Barney Artist also contributed to ''God First''
's track "From Golden Stars Comes Silver Dew" (with Lalah Hathaway). ''The Locket'' features 10 tracks cut from sessions that span over 18 months, with its title track referring to memories of happier times: "we fill a locket with memories we protect, and don't forget to keep it round your neck". The record features two guest artists - Lex Amor on the sixth track "Autumn Leaves" and Kofi Stone on the eighth, titled "Check The Pulse".
The Locket
in Bandcamp
Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...
Discography
References
External links
*
Island Records artists
1990s births
Living people
British musicians
Year of birth missing (living people)
{{UK-musician-stub