Alex Bradford (January 23, 1927 – February 15, 1978) (professionally known as Professor Alex Bradford) was a multi-talented
gospel composer, singer, arranger and choir director, who was an influence on artists such as
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...
,
Bob Marley and
Ray Charles, and who helped bring about the modern mass choir movement in gospel.
Biography
Born in
Bessemer, Alabama
Bessemer is a southwestern suburb of Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. The population was 26,019 at the 2020 census. It is within the Birmingham- Hoover, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area, of which Jefferson County is the ...
, United States, he first appeared on stage at the age of four, then joined a children's gospel group at the age of 13, soon obtaining his own radio show. He organized another group after his mother sent him to
New York City following a racial incident; he continued singing after returning to attend the
Snow Hill Institute in
Snow Hill, Alabama
Snow Hill is an unincorporated community in Wilcox County, Alabama, United States. Snow Hill has one site included on the National Register of Historic Places, the Snow Hill Normal and Industrial Institute.
Snow Hill is referenced in the film ' ...
, where he acquired the title "Professor" while teaching as a student.
He moved to
Chicago in 1947, where he worked briefly with
Roberta Martin
Roberta Evelyn Martin (February 12, 1907 – January 18, 1969) was an American gospel composer, singer, pianist, arranger and choral organizer, helped launch the careers of many other gospel artists through her group, The Roberta Martin Singers.
...
and toured with
Mahalia Jackson, then struck out on his own with his own group, the Bradford Singers, followed by another group, the Bradford Specials. He recorded his first
hit record, "Too Close To Heaven" (1954), billed as Professor Alex Bradford and his singers, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a
gold disc,
then followed it with a number of other successes in the rest of the decade.
Artists such as
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...
imitated Bradford's energetic style, ranging from a gravelly bass to a whooping falsetto, and his flamboyant stage presence.
Ray Charles, for his part, not only borrowed some of Bradford's vocal mannerisms but based his Raelets on the Bradford Specials. His 1962 gospel song composition "Let the Lord Be Seen in Me", recorded for his ''One Step & Angel on Vacation'' album, was also recorded in 1964 by an emerging force in Jamaican music,
Bob Marley & the Spiritual Sisters. Marley later adopted the Rastafarian faith, but along with his mother, at first he sang gospel in the local Shilo Apostolic Church.
In 1961, when his recording career was in decline, Bradford joined the cast of the
off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
show ''
Black Nativity
''Black Nativity '' is an adaptation of the Nativity story by Langston Hughes, performed by an entirely black cast. Hughes was the author of the book, with the lyrics and music being derived from traditional Christmas carols, sung in gospel sty ...
'', based on the writings of
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...
, which toured Europe in 1962. A member of the Alex Bradford Singers at that time was
Madeline Bell, who settled in England after the show ended. Bradford appeared in ''
Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope'', for which he won the
Obie award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...
in 1972.
Death
Alex Bradford died in
Newark, New Jersey, at age 51 years old, in 1978 after a
stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
. At the time of his death he was preparing the musical ''
Your Arms Too Short to Box with God''.
References
Further reading
*Tony Heilbut, ''The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times'' Limelight Editions, 1997, .
*Horace Clarence Boyer, ''How Sweet the Sound: The Golden Age of Gospel'' Elliott and Clark, 1995, .
External links
*
*
*
Allmusicbr>
Alabama Hall Of FameAlex Bradford & The Bradford Singers, yahoo.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradford, Alex
1927 births
1978 deaths
20th-century African-American male singers
American gospel singers
Savoy Records artists
People from Bessemer, Alabama
Apollo Records artists