When 64-year-old soul singer Charles Bradley talks about
releasing his debut record in 2011, he hearkens back to a conversation
with his mother. "My mother always told me, 'Son, Do you believe in
Moses?' And I said 'Yes I do.' 'Moses was an old man before he found who
he truly was.' And now that's where my story is coming from."
At age 13, Bradley's sister took him to see James Brown at the Apollo
Theater in Harlem. His life's dream was changed forever. "[As a child,]
what I really loved was oil painting. I always thought that was what I
was going to end up doing, but then I saw James Brown, and he turned my
whole thing around."
But the turnaround took a long time. As a young teen, Bradley ran away
from home. He lived on the streets and in subway cars for two years. His
first band broke up when his bandmates were drafted into the Vietnam
War. Bradley eventually moved out West, hitchhiking across the country
to live and work in Seattle, Canada, Alaska, and California, working odd
jobs as a carpenter, plumber, and cook for over 20 years while
beginning to play small club shows at night.
In 1996, more than 30 years after his encounter with Brown, his mother
called him back to Brooklyn, where he began moonlighting as a James
Brown impersonator known as "Black Velvet." It was also in Brooklyn that
he witnessed the biggest tragedy of his life, waking up in the middle
of the night to find his brother fatally shot in the head. "I was the
last person to talk to my brother and hold my brother. That is the most
hurting thing you can ever deal with."
In 2003, Bradley was discovered by the soul-reviving producer Gabriel
Roth, who has engineered records by Al Green, Booker T. Jones, and the
late Amy Winehouse. Roth's label Daptone Records dispenses unvarnished,
old-school soul that could come straight out of the 1960s, and Bradley's
debut on the label, No Time for Dreaming, combines the heart-on-sleeve soul of Brown with earnest gospel and the social consciousness of Marvin Gaye. No Time for Dreaming was named one of the best albums of 2011 by Billboard, Paste, and MOJO. Bradley had finally realized his childhood dream.
Hugging the fans
Charles Bradley's story has been widely told, and he wants it that way.
"I want people to know not just the artist, but me as a person. That's a
beautiful thing. Just imagine me coming to your house, and you don't
know me, you just know me as a musician. But who is that guy, other than
a musician? I am letting you know who I am and getting on stage and
singing the lyrics of my life story. What greater gift can I give you?"
Bradley's faith is transparent on stage and in person. "A lot of people
haven't been through what I have been through, and I couldn't get
through it without my faith in God. I believe in the promise of Jesus
when he says 'Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.' I
hold God to his word.
"I didn't know God was going to do something through music, but I know
that he knows I love music, and I know he gave me those gifts. He knew I
would do great things with it and love others with it."
Indeed he does. The energy Bradley pours into each and every live
performance has become a thing of modern-day legend. Playfully nicknamed
"The Screaming Eagle of Soul" for his bird-like dance moves and
soul-wrenching vocal roar, Bradley gives sermonettes on love and grace
at each of his shows and ends each show by going out into the crowd and
hugging fans. "I hope they take my love, listen to my lyrics, and hope
that it will help their lives. A lot of people out there are hurting;
they don't know who to go to. A lot of people don't believe in God the
way I do. I hope that everyone out there who listens, listens to my
pains, trials, and tribulations and knows that there is hope for them,
too."
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