Charles Bradley

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. 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.

No Time for Dreaming & Soul of America (2011–2012) Bradley performing at Traumzeit-Festival in Duisburg in 2013. Brenneck and Bradley chose ten of these recordings to be released as Bradley's debut album No Time for Dreaming in 2011.

Victim of Love & Changes (2013–2016) Bradley's second album, Victim of Love came out on April 2, 2013.

Bradley's third album, Changes, 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.

Discography Studio albums

Singles Year Title Credited to Label & Catalog No. 2002 "Take It as It Come, Pt. 1" / "Take It as It Come, Pt. 2" Charles Bradley and Sugarman & Co. Daptone Records DAP-1005 2004 "Now That I'm Gone (Look How You're Crying)" / "Can't Stop Thinking About You" Charles Bradley and the Bullets Daptone Records DAP-1014 2006 "This Love Ain't Big Enough for the Two of Us" Charles Bradley and the Bullets Daptone Records DAP-1021 2007 "The World (Is Going Up in Flames)" / "Heartaches and Pain" Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band / Charles Bradley Daptone Records DAP-1034 / Dunham DNM-102 2008 "The Telephone Song" Charles Bradley Daptone Records DAP-1041 / Dunham DUN-103 2010 "No Time for Dreaming" / "Golden Rule" Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band Daptone Records DAP-1055 / Dunham DUN-107 2010 "Every Day Is Christmas (When I'm Lovin' You)" / "Mary's Baby" Charles Bradley featuring The Gospel Queens Daptone Records DAP-1058 / Dunham DUN-109 2011 "Heart of Gold" / "In You (I Found a Love)" Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band Daptone Records DAP-1059 / Dunham DUN-110 2012 "Stay Away" / "Run It Back" Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band / Menahan Street Band Daptone Records DAP-1065 / Dunham DUN-111 2013 "Strictly Reserved for You" / "Let Love Stand a Chance" Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band Daptone Records DAP-1070 / Dunham DUN-113 2013 "Confusion" / "Where Do We Go from Here" Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band Daptone Records DAP-1073 / Dunham DUN-114 2013 "Changes" / "Ain't It a Sin" Charles Bradley & The Budos Band / Charles Bradley & The Bullets Daptone Records DAP-1076 / Dunham DUN-115 2014 "Luv Jones" / "Change, Change, Change" Charles Bradley & LaRose Jackson Daptone Records DAP-1080 / Dunham DUN-117 2016 "Change for the World" / "Revelations" Charles Bradley / Menahan Street Band Daptone Records DAP-1095 / Dunham DUN-118 2019 "Lonely as You Are" Charles Bradley Innit Recordings 2019 "Lucifer" Charles Bradley Innit Recordings

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" on the compilation album Light in the Attic & Friends (2023)