Since ShockHound — where I've been employed full-time as Managing Editor (as well as show host, interviewer and word-slinger) for the past 3 1/2 years — will soon be put to sleep by its owners, I'm going to start stockpiling some of my favorite pieces from the site on this blog; that way, they'll still have a place to "live" after the site vanishes into oblivion.
This interview with soul singer Charles Bradley, which I conducted this year at SXSW and which ran last week, is one of my recent faves; not only was it a real honor to rap with this very lovely man, but it was also one of those conversations that gave me some new perspective on things at a moment when I really needed it. Thank you, Mr. Bradley...
CHARLES BRADLEY: LOVE IS THE KEY — INTERVIEW BY DAN EPSTEIN
There's been a lot of talk in recent years about "retro-soul," but though Charles Bradley has just recently released his debut album, there's nothing "retro" or any other hyphenated adjective about him: Plainly and simply, Charles Bradley is soul.
He is also a man in the unusual position of promoting his first full-length at the age of 62. The Florida-born, Brooklyn-raised Bradley initially set his sights on becoming a professional singer after "The Godfather of Soul," James Brown, blew his young mind during a show at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater in 1962. But life unfortunately had other plans for Bradley, who spent most of the next four decades bouncing between kitchen gigs (including a nine-year stint as a cook in a New York mental institution) and various odd jobs while struggling to make ends meet.
Bradley continued to make music whenever he got the chance, however; and in the early part of this decade, he was discovered and befriended by Daptone Records co-founder Gabriel Roth, who in turn connected Bradley with Menahan Street Band founder Thomas Brennick, who has also worked with the funky likes of Antibalas, the Budos Band, and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings. Bradley and Brennick hit it off, and began to write songs together; their first collaborative efforts, "The World (Is Going Up In Flames)" and "Heartaches and Pain," were fueled by the deep sadness that gripped Bradley following the shooting death of his brother.
The results of their collaboration can be heard on Bradley's debut, the stunning No Time For Dreaming, which has floored more than a few aficionados with its pure, heart-piercing blast of classic R&B. Some have compared Bradley's emotive singing to that of Otis Redding; we hear more Wilson Pickett with a touch of James Carr, but it doesn't really matter — if those legends of soul music mean anything to you, you'll understand why you need to pick up No Time For Dreaming, like, pronto.
ShockHound caught up with Bradley last month in Austin, Texas, where he was on the verge of blowing away one SXSW audience after another with a series of goosebump-raising, eye-moistening performances. In our exclusive interview, the soul singer revealed himself to be as beautiful as his music.
SHOCKHOUND: You released your debut album, No Time For Dreaming, this year. Can you talk a little about what it’s about?
CHARLES BRADLEY: It’s about, honestly, the life that I’ve lived — pains, hardships, a lot of things that made me want to give up.
SHOCKHOUND: How did the project come about?
BRADLEY: I made a friend, we were just friends, and that was Tom. He said, “Charles, I want to record you.” And I thought he was joking. It took a whole year for him come back to me. He said, “Charles, I’m living in Brooklyn now. I want to record you.” I said, ah… One day I went to his house; he gave me a little hot toddy, we sent out on the patio, sit outside and started talking and he said, “Charles, I want to record you.” So, he got a little tape and starting taping everything I was saying; and at that time I was going through a lot of hardship because I just lost my brother. He said, “Charles, we should put that in music.” We went to his room, his bedroom; he had an organ and piano in there, we started playing on that and he started taping it. I did not truly think seriously that anything would happen with it, but I came back [later and] did a little more, and he was taping it. Then he got the band and started playing music behind it, then one day I got home and he said, “Charles, come over — I want you to hear something.” I came over and was at the studio, Gabe’s studio and I heard “Heartaches and Pains.” I couldn’t take it. I had to get up and walk out of there. So I said, "Maybe it was my emotion, let me take it home and I’ll let my Mother, brother and sister hear it." And all of them started crying, because they knew where that came from.
SHOCKHOUND: And it just kind of built from there?
BRADLEY: From then on Tom kept on calling me, “Charles, got to get a new one, got to do this, got to do this,” and we just kept going. I think God touched his heart to give me a chance in life. 62 years old, just making the first album and I’ve been seeking for it ever since I was 14 years old. Been living in the streets, been through it all, and this guy had belief in me at this age? I thank him. I thank God for us, and I thank Tom. I think the world is feeling my music and know that all the lyrics came from the heart. If I can help this world be a better place then I’m grateful. It hurts me to see what's happening in Japan, the earthquakes and all these things going on; the parts of [the world] where they’re fighting, killing others, it hurts me. I wish to God that I can say something as a human being, to say something good, to stop everybody from fighting. Yes, we need nice things, beautiful things in this world; but the only way we can make it right is love.
SHOCKHOUND: After the earthquake hit Japan, it seemed that almost everyone I knew was posting "The World (Is Going Up In Flames)" on their Facebook pages in response.
BRADLEY: [Bowing head sadly] It hurts, it hurts. What joy I get to hurt you? No joy. What joy I get to see a smile on your face that makes my heart say, "Wow, I feel good!"? That’s what I’m about. Sometime I say to myself, "Father, this is not my home." My mother always said, “Keep being the person that you are; God will hear you one day.” Took 62 years, but he finally heard me; and I thank God for that, and I thank all of you.
SHOCKHOUND: What does James Brown mean to you?
CHARLES: James Brown was a person that, when I was living in the streets, going through the hardships, his lyrics kept me strong. He’s like truly what they said, a “Godfather.” I thank him for the lyrics that he gave me that I listened to, and helped me to keep going. Because when you’re living in the streets, living in abandoned buildings, going through a lot of hardships, watching your brother and sisters taking needles and getting high...as a matter of fact. I used to be there holding the needle while they'd stick it in their arm and I said, “Don’t do that.” They wanted to give it to me; they said, “Brother, forget about life — just feel high.” Something in my heart said, "No, Charles, that’s not your place." And I tried to stop them; like, “How Long,” if you listen to the lyrics, that’s where all that fits in there. Everything that I do, I have a meaning for doing it. At my age, what I'm doing now, if I could use me as an instrument to show the world that I’ve been through it, I’ve been through the hardship; don’t turn to hate, love is the key. Give the love. You don’t know who is out there [that] you’re saving their life; and if I’m doing this, thank you Lord. When I leave this world, I'll say, "I don’t need this body no more I’m going back to the light, I did my job."
SHOCKHOUND: You saw James Brown play the Apollo when you were a kid. What do you remember about that experience?
BRADLEY: I saw him at 14 years old; my sister took me to go see James Brown. She said, “Charles, come on, I want to take you to see James Brown.” I said, “I don’t want to go see nobody sing; anyone can sing.” She said, “Charles, you’ve got to see him. I’ll pay your way.” I said, “Okay!” [Laughs] She took me to see James Brown, and when I saw James Brown he had these strobe lights on him, they all these flashing lights that said, "James Brown," and he took one feet up and glided across the stage. I said, “Oh my god. I want to be like that!" And ever since then I was doing James Brown. Then I moved out to California and I got a job as a chef at a place called the Hipper Joint, and James Brown was appearing there. I went in the back room [to try and talk to him]; he said, “No, no, no, no,” but I was a little persistent. They called him for curtain time, “James Brown, five minutes curtain time,” so he came to the curtain and sat right there, and I was sitting there talking to him. He said, “You’re not going to make anyone think I’m an evil person? I’m not an evil person, but sometimes all of the fans, everybody hitting on you, and your mind is focused and they’re playing on your intelligence. I love everybody, but sometimes you have to say no and mean it, and they think you’re an aggressive person when you’re doing that.” I said, “James give me a chance! I’ve been looking for a long time.” He said, “Young man, you’ve got to go back to New York. New York is where your opportunity lies at.” God knows he said it, so he said, “Go back to New York.” So, that’s where I met him at. It’s like, wow, I’ll never forget those memories.
SHOCKHOUND: Are there any other singers besides James Brown who really mean something to you?
BRADLEY: I love Otis Redding, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and I love Barbra Streisand. [Laughs] The reason why I like Barbra Streisand because she did “Memories.” “Memories” actually fits my life, every lyric that she made in that song. Gladys Knight, she did it over, but I still like the way Barbra Streisand did it. Bobby Womack, love him. Love Diana Ross, she’s one of my favorite lady singers, and Aretha Franklin. Those roots come from the gut of your pain. You’ve got to go through pain to sing soul. If you’ve been through the hardships when you sing soul, it’s something about the lyrics that touch the soul inside and people can feel it. We’re all human; we know hurt and pain, and joy.
Man, that's great stuff, Dan!
Posted by: Reed | April 24, 2011 at 01:47 PM