Narada Michael Walden (born April 23, 1952) – Oneness-Cry (1977)

Walden's second solo LP did not chart, but contained this slow jam masterpiece featuring himself on piano and drums and Ray Gomez on soul-stirring guitar.

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Narada Michael Walden is a multi-talented singer, songwriter, musician and producer.

Walden was born in Michigan and moved to Miami after college in the early 1970s, where he drummed with rock bands. He joined guitarist John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1974, after the first incarnation of the group had dissolved acrimoniously. Besides Walden, the new lineup included violin player Jean-Luc Ponty.

Walden played on the final three albums the group released that decade - Apocalypse (1974) (which was produced by George Martin and recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra), Visions of the Emerald Beyond (1975), and Inner Worlds (1976).

After this incarnation of the group split up in 1976, Walden recorded his first solo LP for Atlantic Records. Garden of Love Light was released in late 1976. Its highlights included the nearly ten-minute jazz-funk workout “The Sun Is Dancing” featuring Will Lee on bass and David Sancious on keyboards, and the beautiful slow jam “First Love” with special guest Carlos Santana on guitar.

The following year in 1977 came I Cry, I Smile, the first album Walden produced himself. The LP did not chart, but was full of great songs. It featured the funky grooves of “Mango-Bop” and “Heaven's Just a Step Ahead” and the beautiful closing cut “So Long” with its timeless lyrics “So long doesn’t matter to me…’cuz I will love you through eternity.”

I Cry, I Smile’s masterpiece was the soul-stirring, near-instrumental slow jam “Oneness-Cry.” Walden played drums and piano on the track, with the great Ray Gomez on guitar, Clifford Carter on keyboards, and Neil Jason on bass. Christine Faith, Elisa Delieson, Cheryl Alexander provided backing vocals.

In 1979, Walden released a pair of albums that finally broke through to a mass audience. Awakening came first, which reached #15 on the R&B album charts. Next was The Dance of Life, which hit #9 R&B and crossed over to #74 on the Billboard 200. It would be Walden’s best-selling solo album of his career.

The Dance of Life’s chart success was propelled by its hit single “I Shoulda Loved Ya,” which was co-written by Walden with bassist T.M. Stevens and famed songwriter "Allee" Willis, who co-wrote “September” for Earth, Wind & Fire.

In the 1980s, Walden became a superstar producer, working with artists including Stacy Lattisaw, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and Mariah Carey. He continues to record today, recently releasing the superb message song “A World Without War” (2022) in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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