Paul Spencer Denman (born 29 July 1957) is an English

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

and

musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

. With

Sade Adu Helen Folasade Adu ( ; born 16 January 1959), known professionally as Sade Adu or simply Sade ( or ), is a British-Nigerian singer and songwriter who is the lead vocalist of her band Sade. One of the most successful British female artists in ...

, Andrew Hale, and Stuart Matthewman, Denman gained worldwide fame as the bass guitarist of the English band

Sade Sade may refer to: People * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine; namesake of the word ''sadism'' * Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band * ...

. He is also a member of the English band Sweetback. In 2024, Denman, along with the rest of the band was nominated for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.

Early life

Born in Hull, from 1959 to 1979 Denman lived on Greatfield Estate, Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, where Mick Ronson (1946 - 1993) also grew up, as Denman cites i
The Mick Ronson Story
: "Paul Denman, bass player with Sade, grew up on the same council estate in Hull, albeit a few years later: 'Michael had ambition, very much like myself. I'm pretty sure if he was here now he'd say ''"Yeah, I can't wait to get out of Hull"'', and neither could I.' Aged 12, Denman attended a The Rats gig, the rhythm & blues band from Hull comprising

Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session musici ...

, Mick Woody Woodmansey, and Trevor Boulder who went on to become

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

’s backing band The Spiders from Mars. Showing a strong interest in music Denman’s parents bought him a bass guitar for his 13th birthday in July 1970. After watchin
Bowie and The Spiders from Mars audacious performance
of Starman on the BBC's Top of the Pops prime time broadcast on Thursday 6 July 1972 that poignantly struck teenage Denman: "Every pop star I talk to from my generation... they all go back to Ziggy." At 15, he left Greatfield School to start a coppersmith apprenticeship at

Hawker Siddeley Hawker Siddeley was a group of British manufacturing companies engaged in list of aircraft manufacturers, aircraft production. Hawker Siddeley combined the legacies of several British aircraft manufacturers, emerging through a series of mergers ...

, Hull, later British Aerospace in Brough, building military aircraft until leaving aged 22. After serving his musical apprenticeship on the local Hull circuit, Denman was inspired by the

Punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

scene and the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...

and bought a one way train ticket to London in August 1981. An act that eventually resulted to Denman joining Latin/Funk band Pride, which then evolved into the creation of the band Sade.

Fretted Bass Guitars

Denman is a right-handed bass player and rarely uses guitar picks. First bassguitar – a second hand bass £13 from a local charity shop MusicMan Stingray Bass – natural finish 1978 MusicMan Stingray – natural finish 1977 Gretsch hollow body bass Washburn AB40 acoustic bassguitar

Fretless Bass Guitar A fretless bass is an electric bass guitar whose neck lacks frets and thus is smooth like traditional string instruments, and like the neck of an acoustic double bass. While the fretless bass is played in all styles of music, it is most common in ...

MusicMan Stingray – natural finish 1985

Double Basses The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched chordophone in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions such as the octobass). It has ...

Emanuel Wilfer (3/4 size) Schafer (3/4 size)

Career

The Posers (1977–1980)

Founded: Hull, UK Line up: Paul Anthony Cooke, Paul Spencer Denman, Allan Beedle. Description: Unsigned prog-rock/new wave/punk band. Rehearsed at Mayfield Street Studios, Hull. In 1980 all 3 members relocated full time to London with the intention of furthering the band’s career.

The First Third (1980–1981)

Founded: London, UK Line up: Paul Anthony Cooke, Paul Spencer Denman, Allan Beedle. Description: unsigned prog-rock/new wave/punk band. Rehearsed at Vaz Studios, Amherst Road, Stoke Newington, North London.

Pride (1981–1983)

Formally known as Arriva. Founded: North London, UK Line up:�
Nick Moxsom
Ray Saint John, Stuart Matthewman, Paul Spencer Denman, Paul Anthony Cooke, Barbara Robinson,

Description: A creative Latin/Funk collection of seven musicians with diverse influences. Notable live performances: 1982 – The band performed on a back of a lorry outsid
Le Beat Route
16–17 Greek Street, Soho, London. September 1982 – performance at The Fridge Club, London. Thursday 16 September 1982 – performance at Danceteria, New York (Sade Adu had already been in New York as part of the 21 Blitz Kids Invasion whilst designing for the Demob label as part of the Axiom fashion show at The Underground Club on 17 and Broadway on 5/6 May 1981). February 1983 – filmed at

Heaven Nightclub Heaven is a gay superclub in Charing Cross, London, England. It has played a central role and had a major influence in the development of London's LGBT scene for over 40 years and is home to long-running gay night G-A-Y. The club is known fo ...

in London for BBC Oxford Roadshow but failed to secure a record deal. Notable songs: Manhandled, Ecstasy, Pride, The President. From Pride offshoot bands and other projects were formed including: PSP - an instrumental jazz inspired live band, using the initials of the names of the trio (Paul Spencer Denman, Stuart Matthewman, Paul Anthony Cooke), all originally from Hull, Yorkshire.

– from the abbreviated name of Helen Folasade Adu.

Sade Sade may refer to: People * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine; namesake of the word ''sadism'' * Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band * ...
(December 1982 – present)

Founded: North London, UK Line up: Sade Adu, Andrew Hale, Stuart Matthewman, Paul Spencer Denman, Paul Anthony Cooke (final performance U4 Club Vienna, 11 December 1983). First single: Your Love Is King, on 7 inch vinyl released Saturday 25 February 1984. Early Sade notable live performances: Sunday 12 December 1982 – Ronnie Scotts, London, as Sade Adu. Supporting the band Pride. Sunday 27 February 1983 – Downstairs at Ronnie Scotts, Soho, London, UK as Sade Thursday 12 May 1983 – Congo Bill / Danceteria Club, 30 West 21st Street, New York Thursday 19 May 1983 – Congo Bill / Danceteria Club, 30 West 21st Street, New York Sunday 19 June 1983 – Downstairs at Ronnie Scotts, Soho, London, UK as Sade Friday 5 August 1983 – The Yow Club at The Albany, Deptford, South London, UK Saturday 10 December 1983 �
U4 Club
Vienna, Austria Tuesday 21 February 1984 - Fagins, 65 Oxford Street, Manchester, UK - supporting first single release Monday 27 February 1984 –

, Charing Cross, London, UK Wednesday 2 May 1984 – BBC Paris Studios, Lower Regent Street, London, UK Saturday 5 May 1984 – BBC Paris Studios, Lower Regent Street, London, UK Friday 8 June 1984 -

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

, London, UK Wednesday 27 June 1984 – Met Mike In Zee, Kursaal-Westhelling 12, 8400 Oostende, Belgium Friday 13 July 1984 –

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annu ...

, Casino de Montreux, Montreux, Switzerland Monday 30 July 1984 –

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a G ...

, Southbank Centre, London, UK Thursday 30 August 1984 - Musik & Gäste, Züspa-Halle, Zurich, Switzerland Friday 7 September 1984 - Inkstick Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan Saturday 8 September 1984 - Laforet Museum Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan Sunday 9 September 1984 - Laforet Museum Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan Monday 10 September 1984 - Tsubaki House, Tokyo, Japan Friday 14 September 1984 - Inkstick Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan Saturday 15 September 1984 - Hibiya Yagai Ongakudou, Tokyo, Japan Friday 21 September 1984 - Veronica's Rocknight, Ahoy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Saturday 29 September 1984 - Mostra Internazionale di Musica Leggera, Palazzo dei Congressi, Riva del Garda, Italy Sunday 30 September 1984 - Studio 3 RAI di Via Teulada, Rome, Italy Monday 22 October 1984 - Alabamahalle, Munich, Germany Tuesday 23 October 1984 - Newcastle City Hall, Newcastle, UK Wednesday 24 October 1984 - Edinburgh Playhouse, Scotland, UK Friday 26 October 1984 - Whitla Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland Saturday 27 October 1984 - The Stadium, Dublin, Ireland Monday 29 October 1984 - Colston Hall, Bristol, UK Tuesday 30 October 1984 - Dome, Brighton, UK Thursday 1 November 1984 - Apollo, Oxford, UK Friday 2 November 1984 - Odeon, Birmingham, UK Sunday 3 November 1984 - Apollo, Manchester, UK Monday 5 November 1984 - Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, UK Tuesday 6 November 1984 - Sheffield City Hall, Sheffield, UK Thursday 8 November 1984 - Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK Friday 9 November 1984 - Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK (recorded for BBC Radio 1 In Concert, first broadcast 29 December 1994, released on vinyl, and later CD) Sunday 25 November 1984 - Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany Thursday 7 February 1985 – Festival Delia Canzone Italiana di Sanremo Wednesday 8 May 1985 – Golden Rose, Casino de Montreux, Montreux, Switzerland Saturday 13 July 1985 – Live Aid, Wembley Stadium, London at 2.55pm - 3.10pm performing Why Can't We Live Together, Is It A Crime, Your Love Is King. Cementing their success.

Sweetback (early 1994 – present)

Founded: New York / London / Los Angeles Line up: Stuart Matthewman, Andrew Hale, Paul Spencer Denman with various guest vocalists First album: Sweetback – October 1996 Second album: Stage 2 – 22 June 2004

Personal life

In 1984 Denman contracted

Tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. Denman has multiple tattoos including a homages to the

on one wrist, and

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

on the other wrist. A lifelong supporter of Hull City Football Club “The Tigers”, attending his first match in 1966, Denman has the club crest tattooed over his heart. Denman currently lives between St Leonards, East Sussex, UK and Los Angeles, USA and is married to Kim Denman, a fashion designer. They have two children, visual artist and lecturer Angel-Rose, and musician Joe Dexter the singer and bassist of pop punk band

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

Awards and nominations

Discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denman, Paul Spencer Living people 1957 births English funk musicians English male songwriters Grammy Award winners Musicians from Kingston upon Hull Sade (band) members Sophisti-pop musicians