Me'shell NdegeOcello

From Outcyclopedia, the free and queer encyclopedia. Me'shell NdegeOcello is an openly bisexual bass guitarist, singer, pianist, and songwriter-composer. She is known not only for her great musical talent but also for her very outspoken views on race, sexuality, self-respect, and individuality, describing herself as "someone who does what she really feels."  Me'shell NdegeOcello was born Michelle Johnson in 1969 in Germany, where her father was stationed with the US military.   Her family relocated to Virginia in the early 1970s, where her father moonlighted as a jazz saxophonist and gave Michelle her first introduction to music.  As a teenager, she learned bass guitar, changed her name to Me'shell NdegeOcello (Swahili for "free like a bird"), and began playing in Washington, DC nightclubs, where she quickly developed a following. She enrolled in Howard University, but dropped out following an unplanned pregnancy which resulted in the birth of her son, Askia, in 1988. In 1989, she joined the musical group Women In Love, and the following year won three Wammies, the local equivalent of the Grammy.  After impressing a scout during a New York performance, she became the first female artist signed to Maverick Records. Her first album, Plantation Lullabies, was released in 1994, featuring songs like "I'm Diggin' You (Like An Old Record)," and the hit, "If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)." That same year, Bass Guitar Magazine named her as it's first female "Bassist of the Year," and Rolling Stone named her its "Brightest Hope of 1994." Hit rock singer John Mellencamp recognized Me'shell's great talent, inviting her to perform vocal and guitar with him in his cover of the Lou Reed classic, "Wild Night" on his Dance Naked album. She was also invited to contribute to the collaborative albums, Ain't Nothing But A She Thing and Lilith Fair Volume 3 as well as the soundtracks for White Man's Burden; Money Talks; and Higher Learning.  Me'shell's second album, Peace Beyond Passion, uses Biblical myth and imagery to make social commentaries.  Its selections include "God Shiva," "Leviticus: Faggot," "Deuteronomy: Niggerman," "Mary Magdalene," and "Bittersweet."  Her 1999 album, Bitter, is a tribute to those artists and others who have both influenced her art and inspired her soul.  Me'Shell's latest album, Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape, is described by her as "a seamless melange of hip hop, go-go, funk, soul, spoken word, jazz and rock & roll," and received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary R&B album.  Most recently, she has served as musical director for the "You Rock My Soul" AIDS benefit concert. External links: Me'Shell NdegeOcello Official Website Lyrics to "Wild Night" The Living Room: Famous GLBT Persons Entry revised 14 December, 2004. All text is available for use under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (see Copyrights for details).