SuperHeavy was a one-off supergroup project consisting of Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, Dave Stewart, A. R. Rahman, and Damian Marley. Stone and Stewart have collaborated in the past with Jagger. Jagger said of the band, "We wanted a convergence of different musical styles... We were always overlapping styles, but they were nevertheless separate". Jagger wanted SuperHeavy to showcase different musical styles, with music ranging from reggae to ballads to Indian music.
History The existence of SuperHeavy was secret until May 2011. Mick Jagger, English musician and the lead vocalist of rock band the Rolling Stones, announced its formation on 20 May 2011. SuperHeavy was Dave Stewart's idea. Inspired by the sounds washing into his home in St Ann's Bay, Jamaica, Stewart urged Jagger to fuse their sound with that of Indian orchestras. Stewart and Jagger had mutual liking for Indian orchestrations; thus, A. R. Rahman was added to the supergroup. The name of the band is said to be inspired by Muhammad Ali.
In early 2009, Jagger, Rahman, Stewart, Joss Stone and Damian Marley experimented at Jim Henson Studios in Los Angeles, California, trying to "write songs which had meaning", during which they recorded 29 songs in 10 days. SuperHeavy is rounded out by Marley's rhythm section of bassist/composer Shiah Coore and drummer Courtney Diedrick along with a longtime Stewart collaborator, rock violinist Ann Marie Calhoun.
The group began recording their self-titled debut album in early 2009 at a studio in Los Angeles. The album was previewed at Jim Henson Studios, Los Angeles, on 30 June 2011. The band played eight of the recorded songs at the event. Their debut single, "Miracle Worker", released on 6 July 2011, received mostly positive reviews. Mick Jagger sings in Sanskrit on "Satyameva Jayathe" ("truth alone triumphs"), the second single, released on 9 August 2011. Composed by Rahman, the song also features Stewart, Stone and Marley.
Members Mick Jagger – vocals, guitar & harmonica Damian Marley – vocals & programming Joss Stone – vocals A. R. Rahman – vocals, piano, synthesizers, Continuum Fingerboard, drum programming Dave Stewart – lead guitar
Personnel: Marc VanGool - technician
Discography
Studio albums Title Details Peak chart positions AUT BEL DEN NL NOR NZ SWE SWI UK US SuperHeavy Released: 19 September 2011 Label: A&M Formats: CD, digital download 1 10 9 1 17 12 31 2 13 26
Singles Title Year Peak chart positions Album AUT BEL NL SWI UKPeak positions for singles in the United Kingdom: "Miracle Worker": "Miracle Worker" 2011 37 71 25 63 136 SuperHeavy "Satyameva Jayathe" — — — — —
Other charted songs Title Year Peak chart positions Album NL "Beautiful People" 2011 64 SuperHeavy
References
External links (now offline)