Charles Bradley

Charles Edward Bradley was an American singer. Abandoned by his mother at eight months of age, Bradley was raised by his maternal grandmother in Florida. At age eight, his mother took him to live with her in Brooklyn, New York. After seeing James Brown Bradley was so inspired by the performance that he began to practice mimicking Brown's style of singing and stage mannerisms at home. when he was 14 he ran away from poor living circumstances and lived on the streets for a couple of years, living in the subway & abandoned cars. He eventually got a job at the coastline learning how to cook. One of his co-workers told him he looked a lot like James Brown & asked if he could sing. This led to earning extra money as a cover-artist where he used such stage names as the Screaming Eagle of Soul, Black Velvet and even James Brown Jr.

After years of obscurity and a part-time music career as a James Brown imitator, Bradley came to prominence in his early 50s. His performances and recording style were consistent with the revivalist approach of his main label Daptone Records, celebrating the feel of funk and soul music from the 1960s and 1970s.