Bradley is a soul/R&B singer from Florida whose late-life rise to fame story was recently documented in the film Soul of America, which premiered at SXSW in 2012.
His unique path to becoming a singer began at the age of 14 when his sister took him to Apollo Theater for a James Brown concert. Following the show Bradley began doing James Brown impersonations at home, even adopting some of his mannerisms too. But soon after this experience, Bradley's home life turned rocky and he ran away, traveling from place to place before finding work a few years later with the Job Corp.
Because of the Jobs Corp, Bradley studied and became a chef, working in the field all over America for 20 years working and performing small shows singing on the side before returning to Brooklyn in 1997 to live with his mother. It was here that Bradley launched his career as a James Brown impersonator called Black Velvet before finally being discovered by Gabriel Roth, co-founder of Daptone Records.
In 2011 at the age of 62, after a life of struggling, Bradley released his debut album entitled No Time For Dreaming followed by a second album in 2013. He is spending 2014 touring the world with his band called The Extraordinaires. Learn more about Charles Bradley on his personal site.
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