Charles Bradley

"Charles Bradley is a man. Born in 1948, he soon moved to Brooklyn, New York and it was there he spent most of his childhood living on the streets. In 1962 Bradley witnessed an event that would forever shape his life: he saw James Brown live at The Apollo. It was from this point on he knew exactly what he was destined to do. With this inspiration he would leave the streets of Brooklyn and make a name for himself. Over the next several decades, he found himself traveling across the country; from Maine to Alaska and eventually to California. He worked as a chef during his days, picking up gigs when he could. It wasn’t until he was about to make a down payment on his first house that he was laid-off from his job of 17 years. At this point he was forced to reflect on where his priorities were. Ultimately he decided to move back east to be with his family in Brooklyn.

Home again in Brooklyn, he began to make appearances in local clubs. He performed his James Brown routines under the alter ego “Black Velvet”. Finally, at the age of 51, he was doing what he truly wanted to do. Yet, as soon as things were finally going his way, tragedy struck. Bradley was greeted with the devastating news that his brother had been shot and killed. Life became bleak once again. He turned to his only outlet, the microphone. While singing his heart out at the Tarheel Lounge in Bedstuy, Gabriel Roth of Daptone Records was listening. Roth recognized his god-given talent and invited him to the record family. Once he was a part of the family, he was introduced to guitarist and songwriter Thomas Brenneck. They struck a chord and became friends. Bradley confided his life story in Brenneck; it was from there that they crafted an album with the hopes that it captured the essence of Charles Bradley."

Tirado daqui.