RIP Charles Bradley

Sad news from Daptone Records:

Charles Edward Bradley
November 5th, 1948 - September 23rd, 2017

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Charles Bradley.

Charles was truly grateful for all the love he’s received from his fans and we hope his message of love is remembered and carried on. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the following organizations:
- All-Stars Project: https://allstars.org
- Music Unites: http://www.musicunites.org 


Bradley made two visits to NZ, I was lucky enough to catch him on the 2nd one, at The Powerstation. He was a wonderful performer, soulful, earthy, and so happy to be on stage, singing for the people.




From Rolling Stone: "Bradley notably began his career as a James Brown impersonator in 1967 and would perform periodically over the next several decades while he drifted across the United States, battling illiteracy, poverty and chronic unemployment.

His luck turned, however, after Daptone Records co-founder Gabriel Roth saw his James Brown act and linked him with Tom Brenneck, who would go on to produce Bradley's three albums. After recording numerous singles during the 2000s, Bradley released his debut album, No Time For Dreaming, in 2011 at the age of 62."

Bradley was diagnosed with stomach cancer in October 2016 and he took a break from performing. He successfully completed treatment and returned to live shows, promoting his third album Changes that came out that year. At the start of this month news broke that Bradley's cancer had spread to his liver and he stopped touring to get further treatment.

Daptone says Bradley passed away on Saturday in Brooklyn, "surrounded by family and friends including members of the bands he worked closely with: Menahan Street Band, His Extraordinaires, Budos Band and the Jimmy Hill Allstarz."

from NYT: '... Concerts often ended with Mr. Bradley in the crowd, embracing people one by one, with the singer near tears.

“I think he wanted to hug each person on this planet individually,” Gabe Roth of Daptone said. “I mean that literally, and anyone that ever saw him knows that he honestly tried.”