Biography

Charles was truly a transcendent singer who led a remarkable life, overcoming unimaginable adversity to achieve great success and international acclaim very late in his life. What was really special about him and made him different from everybody else in the world was how he understood his pain as a cry for universal love and humanity. He felt that if he loved enough–-if we all loved each other enough—we could take away the world ’s pain and sadness. That is why he jumped off the stage and literally tried to hug everybody he could. It's why he took such great care of a mother that had abandoned him. It's why he sang and danced like a lunatic. It's why he screamed like an eagle. Although Bradley didn't release his first album until 2011, his relationship with Daptone Records started a decade earlier, when he knocked on the door of Daptone co-founder Gabriel Roth's apartment. After seeing Bradley perform Black Velvet, his James Brown cover act, Roth and Neal Sugarman brought Bradley into the studio to cut "Take It As It Come" which would turn into his first single on Daptone. In 2003, Roth introduced Bradley to Tom Brenneck (longtime producer, co-writer and friend) who then went on to work with Bradley on all of his upcoming releases throughout their decade-long partnership. On September 23rd, 2017, Charles Edward Bradley passed away from cancer, surrounded by his family, friends and bandmates. His final album, Black Velvet, is a celebration of his life.