Many of those living outside the United Kingdom today may not yet be acquainted with the fact that the UK has a long history of rhythm and blues. Although the music first began in the United States, it quickly found a home on the British Isles and has remained popular ever since. In terms of R&B from the UK, Sade is one of the most important acts going. The group is named for its lead singer’s first name, her last name being Adu. 
She is a British Nigerian and a former member of the Latin soul band that went by the name of Pride in the early 1980′s. The group was officially formed in 1982 in London and originally toured in support of Pride after Adu left that group. It would not be long, just a year, before the group made their way across the Atlantic to appear at the Danceteria Club in New York City in 1983. One year after that, they released their first album on Portrait Records and it was called Diamond Life. The hit single from that album, Your Love is King, made its way to the No. 2 position on the UK charts and went Platinum 4 times over.
That was quite a start for the group, but it would not end there by any means. To date, Sade has released 6 studio albums, with their greatest period of productivity occurring during the 1980′s during which they released Diamond Life, Promise and Stronger Than Pride. 
However, since then Sade has released at least one studio album per decade: Love Deluxe in 1992, Lovers Rock in 2000 and Soldier of Love in 2010. Clearly, they are still inspiring their fan base and creating R&B that has captured the hearts of fans all over the world. The group won a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1986 and has sold a huge number of albums. In the US alone, they have sold over 23 million albums and even more than that across the globe to bring their grand total to 50 million albums sold worldwide.
Fans of this group will be delighted to learn that they are not only still creating music, they are still touring, as well. In fact, Sade is now bringing its special brand of R&B to Europe and North America in support of their most recent album, Soldier of Love. This will be their first global tour in over a decade and is sure to bring back memories for long time fans and win over the hearts of any newcomers who have not yet been dazzled by the group’s vocal prowess and raw soul. This is one tour not to miss.
