Charles Bradley

Biography

Charles Edward Bradley (November 5, 1948 – September 23, 2017) was an American funk and soul singer. After years of obscurity and a part-time music career, Bradley came to prominence in the early 2000s. His performances and recording style were consistent with the revivalist approach of his main label Daptone Records, celebrating the feel of funk and soul from the 1960s and 1970s. One review said he "echoes the evocative delivery of Otis Redding".
Bradley was the subject of the documentary Soul of America which premiered at South by Southwest in 2012. He died of stomach cancer on September 23, 2017.

Early life

Abandoned by his mother at eight months of age, Bradley was raised by his maternal grandmother in Gainesville, Florida. At age eight, his mother returned, and took him to live with her in Brooklyn, New York.
In 1962, his sister took him to the Apollo Theater to see James Brown perform. Bradley was so inspired by the performance that he began to practice mimicking Brown's style of singing and stage mannerisms at home.
When he was fourteen, Bradley ran away from home to escape poor living conditions—his bedroom was in a basement with a sand floor—and lived on the streets during the day and slept nights in subway cars for two years. Later, he enlisted in Job Corps which eventually led him to Bar Harbor, Maine to train as a chef. A co-worker told him he looked like James Brown and asked if he could sing; Bradley overcame his stage fright (when a crew member pushed him through the curtains onto the stage) and performed five or six times with a band. His bandmates were later drafted into the Vietnam War, and the act never re-formed.
Bradley worked in Maine as a cook for ten years, and then decided to head west, hitchhiking across the country. He lived in upstate New York, Seattle, Canada and Alaska before settling in California in 1977. There, Bradley worked odd jobs and played small shows for 20 years. He earned extra money doing James Brown performances, where he used such stage names as the Screaming Eagle of Soul, Black Velvet and even James Brown Jr.

Black Velvet and initial recordings (1996–2010)

In the mid-1990s, Bradley's mother called him and asked him to move back in with her in Brooklyn so she could get to know him. It was there he began making a living moonlighting as a James Brown impersonator in local clubs under the name Black Velvet. During this time, Bradley experienced more difficulties, including almost dying in a hospital after having an allergic reaction to penicillin, and, in a separate episode, awakening at his mother's house to a commotion as police and ambulances were arriving to the scene of his brother's murder close by.
While performing as Black Velvet, he was eventually discovered by Gabriel Roth (better known as Bosco Mann), a co-founder of Daptone Records. Roth introduced Bradley to his future producer, Daptone artist Tom Brenneck (then the songwriter and guitarist for The Bullets, and later for Menahan Street Band) who invited Bradley to his band's rehearsal. Bradley asked that the band simply perform while he made up lyrics on the spot. After writing several songs, Daptone released some of these initial recordings on vinyl starting in 2002.

No Time for Dreaming & Soul of America (2011–2012)

Brenneck and Bradley chose ten of these recordings to be released as Bradley's debut album No Time for Dreaming×No Time for Dreaming2011 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1The World (Is Going Up in Flames)3:232The Telephone Song3:483Golden Rule3:304I Believe in Your Love3:555Trouble in the Land1:026Lovin’ You, Baby5:287No Time for Dreaming2:538How Long3:559In You (I Found a Love)3:2210Why Is It So Hard?4:1011Since Our Last Goodbye4:1712Heartaches and Pain2:56 in 2011.
In the spring of 2012, Charles Bradley: Soul of America, a documentary directed by Poull Brien, debuted at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Brien first met Bradley when he directed the music video for "The World (Is Going Up In Flames)×The World (Is Going Up in Flames)July 2007 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAThe World (Is Going Up in Flames)3:27BHeartaches & Pain2:56". This feature film told Bradley's story from his childhood in Florida, to the days of homelessness and heartache, then later his gigs as Black Velvet, and finally ended with him touring and recording at Daptone Records. The film included his performance at festivals around the world.

Victim of Love & Changes (2013–2016)

Bradley's second album, Victim of Love×Victim of Love2 April 2013 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Strictly Reserved for You3:432You Put the Flame on It3:493Let Love Stand a Chance3:594Victim of Love3:295Love Bug Blues3:006Dusty Blue3:217Confusion3:458Where Do We Go from Here3:119Crying in the Chapel3:5510Hurricane3:3211Through the Storm4:42 came out on April 2, 2013.
Bradley's third album, Changes×Changes1 April 2016 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1God Bless America1:312Good to Be Back Home3:043Nobody but You4:014Ain't Gonna Give It Up3:565Changes5:466Ain't It a Sin3:527Things We Do for Love3:318Crazy for Your Love4:229You Think I Don't Know (But I Know)3:3010Change for the World3:3611Slow Love3:39, was released on April 1, 2016, and featured a cover of the Black Sabbath song "Changes" along with the original song "Change for the World", which became popularized shortly after his death as the theme for the first three seasons of the Netflix animated comedy series Big Mouth. He continued to perform live, often together with other Daptone artists.
In August 2016, Bradley fell ill and canceled a Canadian tour and his appearance at the Cambridge Folk Festival due to take place on July 30.

Death

Bradley died on September 23, 2017, of stomach cancer in Brooklyn, New York, at the age of 68. He was surrounded by family and friends, including members of all the bands he worked closely with.
Since his death Bradley has featured on several archive recordings, including a live-recording from the Apollo Theatre, as part of the Daptone Super Soul Revue release.

Other appearances

"Take It As It Comes" from The Sugarman 3 album Pure Cane Sugar (2002)
"Stay Away" (Nirvana cover) from Spin's Newermind album, a compilation of Nirvana covers (2011)
Krampus (singing voice) American Dad!, episode "Minstrel Krampus" (2013)
Himself (performing "Ain't It A Sin"), Luke Cage (2017)
"Grant Green" from the Mr Jukes album God First (2017)
"Otis" from Eddy Mitchell album La Même Tribu (2017)
A cover of Sixto Rodriguez's "I'll Slip Away×I'll Slip Away2012 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAI'll Slip AwayBI'll Slip Away" on the compilation album Light in the Attic & Friends (2023)