  Me'Shell NdegéOcello (Swahili
for "free like a bird") was born on
August 29, 1969, in Germany and was raised in
Washington, D.C. Since her debut LP hit the
record stores in 1993, Me'Shell has been
regarded as one of the best musicians of the
90s. Me'Shell has become known for her
ability to fuse funk, r&b, rock, and
jazz, and combine it her rich and personal
lyrics. Me'Shell was involved with jazz
programs at Duke Ellington School of the Arts
and Howard University, where she became an
accomplished bassist. She studied and played
in Washington, D.C. until the early 90s when
she moved to New York. Me'Shell has also
recorded with Steve Coleman, Caron Wheeler,
Lenny White, and was the musical director for
Arrested
Development's Saturday Night Live performance.
As Me'Shell's abilities began to get noticed,
she was courted by Paisley Park, Warner
Brothers, but signed with Madonna's Maverick Records
because of her assurance of artistic and
creative freedom.
 Me'Shell released her debut LP Plantation
Lullabies - the title is a metaphor for
"the plantations for the world, past and
present, whether they be reservations,
ghettos, both corporate and urban, or the
prison of a colonized mind." The single
"If That's Your
Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)" introduced
Me'Shell to a more mainstream audience, and
the LP was applauded by critics.
Although her debut LP didn't
propel Me'Shell to superstardom, she had made
her mark and introduced her sound. Time magazine
compared Me'Shell's LP to a Terry McMillan
novel, and Rolling Stone critics
hailed her as the "Brightest Hope"
for the next year.
 # 57
Singles Artist of the Year
Me'Shell hit the Top 40 with
"If That's Your
Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)."
 Me'Shell hit the Top 40 helping
out John Mellencamp with "Wild Night" from his LP Dance
Naked.
Me'Shell hit the Top 10 with "Wild Night."
Me'Shell hit #1 on the pop charts with
"Wild Night"
The video for "If That's Your
Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)" was nominated
for 2 MTV Video Music
Awards for Best Female Video and Best New Artist.
Me'Shell topped the Billboard
Adult Contemporary Singles chart for 8 weeks
with "Wild Night."
Me'Shell could be heard on the
soundtrack for Higher
Learning with "Soul
Searchin'."
Me'Shell was
nominated for Grammy Awards for Best Pop Collaboration with
Vocals
("Wild Night" with John Mellencamp), Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female, Best R&B Song (songwriter) ("If That's Your
Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)"), and Best R&B Album (Plantation
Lullabies).
 Me'Shell's second LP,Peace
Beyond Passion, was released. The LP increased
the admiration for Me'Shell by critics and
fans with its brilliance and provocative
lyrics. Me'Shell wrote 11 of the 12 tracks
which included "Leviticus: Faggot"
and the Bill Withers cover,
"Who Is He And What Is He To You."
The LP was an exploration of bigotry,
romance, and spirituality, presented with
force and passion.
Me'Shell topped the Billboard
Dance Club Play chart for a week with
"Who Is He And What Is He To You."
 Me'Shell topped the Billboard
Dance Music Club Play chart for a week with Chaka
Khan with
"Never Miss The Water."
Me'Shell was nominated for 2 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Vocal
Performance by a Duo or Group ("Never Miss The
Water"with Chaka
Khan) and Best R&B Album (Peace
Beyond Passion).
Peace
Beyond Passion was nominated for
numerous Lady of Soul Awards.
Me'Shell contributed a track to
the Batman
& Robin soundtrack - "Poison
Ivy."
 At the 2nd annual GLAMA
(Gay/Lesbian American Music Awards), Me'Shell
won for Best Female Artist and Best Video for
"Leviticus Faggot."
Me'Shell could be heard on the
soundtrack for Down
In The Delta with the track "My Soul
Don't Dream" (with Keb Mo').
 Me'Shell's next LP, Bitter, was released with a
cover of Jimi Hendrix track, "May This
Be Love."
Me'Shell performed at some of
the Lilith
Fair dates.
Me'Shell could be heard on the Indigo Girls' LP Come
On Now Social on the tracks "We Are
Together" and "Compromise."
 Me'Shell could be heard on the The
Best Man soundtrack with
"Untitled."
Me'Shell broke from her solo
tour to open for Sting at several of his
performances.
Me'Shell was
nominated for 3 California Music Awards
(Outstanding Female Vocalist, Outstanding
Bassist, and Outstanding R&B album (Bitter)).
Me'Shell won a California Music
Award for Outstanding R&B Album.
Me'Shell also won 2 Gay/Lesbian
American Music Awards (GLAMA): Female Artist
of the Year and Album of the Year.
 Me'Shell released Cookie:
The Anthropoligical Mixtape. Me'Shell said of the
LP: "Cookie is all my experiences... I
wanted to show all the transitions, from
Southern stride to gospel to blues to funk.
Musically, it comes from the African
Diaspora. It's my improvisational rhythm and
blues, my exploration of self, my
anthropological mix tape."
Me'Shell could be heard on the
soundtrack for Biker
Boyz with "Liliquoi Moon."
Me'Shell was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album (Cookie:
The Anthropoligical Mixtape).
 Me'Shell released her next LP, Comfort
Woman.
Me'Shell could be heard on the
compilation tribute to Dolly Parton LP, Just
Because I'm A Woman, with "Two Doors
Down."
 Me'Shell released Dance
Of The Infidel.
Me'Shell released the EP Article
3
overseas.
 Me'Shell could be heard on the
compilation Interpretations:
Celebrating The Music Of Earth, Wind &
Fire with the cover
"Fantasy."
Me'Shell released The
World Has Made Me The Man Of My Dreams.
 Me'Shell was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Urban / Alternative
Performance ("Fantasy").
Me'Shell released Devil's
Halo.
 Me'Shell released Weather.
Me'Shell digitally released Pour
une ame souveraine.
|
Plantation Lullabies
Released: October, 1993
Billboard
peak:
# 166
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "Plantation
Lullaby" - "I'm Diggin' You
(Like An Old Soul Record)" - "If That's Your
Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)" -
"Shoot'n Up And Gett'n High" -
"Dred Loc" -
"Untitled" - "Step Into
The Projects" - "Soul On
Ice" - "Call Me" -
"Outside Your Door" -
"Picture Show" - "Sweet
Love" - "Two Lonely Hearts (On
The Subway)" |
|
Peace Beyond Passion
Released: June, 1996
Billboard
peak:
# 63
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks: "Womb"
- "Way" -
"Deuteronomy" -
"Ecclesiastes: Free My Heart" -
"Leviticus: Faggot" -
"Mary Magdalene" - "God
Shiva" - "Who Is He (And What
Is He To You)" - "Stay" -
"Bittersweet" - "Tear And
A Smile" - "Make Me Wanna
Holler" |
|
Bitter
Released: August, 1999
Billboard
peak:
# 105
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks: "Adam"
- "Fool Of Me" -
"Faithful" -
"Satisfy" - "Bitter"
- "May This Be Love" -
"Sincerity" -
"Loyalty" -
"Beautiful" - "Eve" -
"Wasted Time" -
"Grace" |
|
Cookie: The
Anthropoligical Mixtape
Released: June, 2002
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks: "Dead N___
Blvd. (Part 1)" - "Hot
Night" - "Priorities 1-6"
- "Pocketbook" -
"Berryfarms" -
"Trust" - "Akel Dama
(Field Of Blood)" -
"Earth" - "Better By The
Pound" - "Criterion" -
"God.Fear.Money" -
"Jabril" - "Dead N____
Blvd. (Part 2)" -
"Pocketbook" (Missy Elliott
& Rockwilder Remix featuring Redman
& Tweet) |
|
Comfort Woman
Released: October, 2003
Rolling Stone
review: 
Billboard
peak:
# 150
Tracks: "Love Song
#1" - "Come Smoke My Herb"
- "Andromeda & The Milky
Way" - "Love Song #2" -
"Body" - "Liliquoi
Moon" - "Love Song #3" -
"Fellowship" - "Good
Intentions" - "Thankful" |
 |
Dance Of The Infidel
Released: June, 2005
Tracks:
"Mu-Min" - "Al-Falaq
133" - "Aquarium" -
"Papillon" - "Dance Of The
Infidel" - "The Chosen" -
"Luqman" - "When Did You
Leave Heaven" |
|
The World Has Made Me
The Man Of My Dreams
Released: September, 2007
Billboard
peak:
# 186
Rolling Stone: - Entertainment
Weekly: A
Tracks:
"Haditha" - "The
Sloganeer: Paradise" -
"Evolution" - "Virgo"
- "Lovely Lovely" -
"Elliptical" -
"Shirk" - "Article 3"
- "Michelle Johnson" -
"Headline" -
"Solomon" - "Relief: A
Stripper Classic" |
 |
Devil's Halo
Released: October, 2009
Tracks:
"Slaughter" - "Tie One
On" - "Lola" - "Hair
Of The Dog" - "Mass
Transit" - "White Girl" -
"Love You Down" - "Devil's
Halo" - "Bright Shiny
Morning" - "Blood On The
Curb" - "Die Young" -
"Crying In Your Beer" |
 |
Weather
Released: November, 2011
Tracks:
"Weather" - "Objects In
Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear"
- "Feeling For The Wall" -
"Chance" - "Oysters"
- "Rapid Fire" - "Chelsea
Hotel" - "Dirty World" -
"A Bitter Mule" - "Crazy
And Wild" - "Petite Mort"
- "Dead End" - "Don't Take
My Kindess For Weakness" |
iTunes
Amazon.mp3 |
Pour une ame souveraine
Released: October 9, 2012
Tracks: "Please
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" -
"Suzanne" - "Real
Real" - "House Of The Rising
Sun" - "Turn Me On" -
"Feelin' Good" - "Don't
Take All Night" (featuring Sinead
O'Connor) - "Nobody's Fault But
Mine" - "Be My Husband" -
"Black Is The Color Of My True
Love's Hair" - "See Line
Woman" - "Either Way I
Lose" - "To Be Young, Gifted
And Black" - "Four Women" |
iTunes
Amazon.mp3
vinyl |
Me'Shell Ndegeocello:
Ventriloquism
Released: March 16, 2018
Grammy Nominee: Best Urban
Contemporary Album
Tracks: "I Wonder If
I Take You Home" - "Nite And
Day" - "Sometimes It Snows In
April" - "Waterfalls" -
"Atomic Dog 2017" -
"Sensitivity" - "Funny How
Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)"
- "Tender Love" - "Don't
Disturb This Groove" - "Private
Dancer" - "Smooth
Operator" |
 |
The Omnichord Real Book
Released: June 16, 2023
Tracks: "Georgia
Ave" - "An Invitation" -
"Call The Tune" - "Good
Good" - "Omnipuss" -
"Clear Water" - "ASR"
- 'Gatsby" - "Towers" -
"Perceptions" - "Tha
King" - "Burn Progression"
- "onelevensixteen" -
"Vuma" - "The 5th
Dimension" - "Hole In The
Bucket" - "Virgo 3" |
 |
No More Water: The
Gospel Of James Baldwin
Released: August 2, 2024
Tracks:
"Travel" - "On The
Mountain" - "Baldwin Manifesto
1" - "Raise The Roof" -
"The Price Of The Ticket" -
"What Did I Do?" - "Pride
1" - "Pride II" -
"Eyes" - "Trouble" -
"Thus Sayeth The Lord" -
"Love" - "Hatred" -
"Tsunami Rising" -
"Another Country" -
"Baldwin Manifesto 2" -
"Down At The Cross" |
| Note: Song title and
position links lead you to the song's Top
40 chart run (from the ARC Weekly Top
40)
and LP links take you to Amazon.com for that LP (often
including track listings and sound
samples). |
|
|
