Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise was an American band from Detroit, Michigan. The group was a collaboration between Robert Bradley, a blind street singer, and three rock musicians.

History

It formed in 1994 when former members of the band Second Self met the blind street performer Robert Bradley. Bradley was born in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, and gained musical experience by singing as a child at The Alabama School for the Blind. He had spent several years in Detroit by 1994, performing occasionally on the street, and playing on Saturdays in Detroit's Eastern Market, when guitarist Michael Nehra, bassist Andrew Nehra, and drummer Jeff Fowlkes overheard Bradley through an open window while rehearsing for a new project. After listening to Bradley sing for an hour, they invited him up to Nehra's studio, The White Room, to record several acoustic songs, then asked him to become their vocalist. On September 17, 1996, RBBS released their 11-track debut. The result was marked as "an effective collaboration between a blind blues musician and a sympathetic Detroit rock trio." The album was produced by Michael and Andrew Nehra, and engineered and mixed by Michael Nehra. A live EP followed in 1999, and a follow-up studio album, ''Time to Discover'', in 2000. This album featured guitarist Michael Nehra, his brother Andrew as bassist, and guest vocals by

Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician, ...

. Allmusic reviewer Mark Morgenstein praised ''Time to Discover'' as "the first modern blues classic of the new millennium." The album was produced by Michael and Andrew Nehra, and engineered and mixed by Michael Nehra. Their next album, 2002's ''New Ground'', was noted as "earnest... exuding a hard-won optimism and working-man's head-down forbearance." It peaked at #38 on ''Billboard'''s Top Independent Albums chart. It was quickly followed by ''Still Lovin' You'' in 2003 also released on

Vanguard Records Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City. It was a primarily classical label at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s, but also has a catalogue of recordings by a n ...

and produced, engineered, and mixed by

Cherokee Studios Cherokee Studios is a recording studio facility in Hollywood founded in 1972 by members of 1960s pop band The Robbs. Cherokee has been the location of many notable recordings by such artists as Steely Dan, David Bowie, Journey, The Cars, Foreign ...

co-founder

Bruce Robb Bruce Robb is an American musician, record producer, engineer, and music supervisor. He is most recognized for his time as a member of "The Robbs" during the 1960s, then as a founder of Cherokee Studios in the 1970s; followed by decades of prod ...

. The group's next release was ''What About That: New Year's Eve in Bloomington'' (2006), a two-disc live album documenting the singer's once-annual New Year's stops at the Bluebird nightclub in Bloomington, Indiana. Produced by filmmaker/photographer/journalist Wes Orshoski, it features 22 songs, including four acoustic tracks recorded at soundcheck, an acoustic version of "Once Upon a Time," then-new songs "New Orleans" and "What About the Man," and an a cappella rendition of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken". Five years after their previous studio record, Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise released ''Out of the Wilderness'' in 2008. The songs "Love You in the Daytime," "Cryin’ My Eyes Out," and "Everybody Wanna Party" are featured in the motion picture ''Love N’ Dancing'', starring

Amy Smart Amy Lysle Smart (born March 26, 1976) is an American actress. A native of Los Angeles, Smart began her career modelling in Italy and subsequently enrolled in acting school. Her first role in film was in director Martin Kunert's anthology horror ...

and

Billy Zane William George Zane Jr. (born February 24, 1966) is an American actor. His breakthrough role was in the 1989 Australian film ''Dead Calm'', a performance that earned him a nomination for the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promi ...

. Bruce Robb returned as producer, engineer, and mixer.

Post-breakup

After the release of ''Out of the Wilderness'', Robert Bradley moved back to Alabama, where he quit performing professionally, though he still sang and played in church services. He ran a

vending machine A vending machine is an automated machine that provides items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or otherwise made. The fir ...

supply business until a back injury made the work too difficult to continue.Robert Bradley’s music is "born again" after return to Detroit
''The News Herald'', November 14, 2017. In 2016, he returned to Detroit and started

busking Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

again, which helped him reinvigorate his songwriting; as a result, he released a solo album, ''Down in the Bend'', on Funky D Records in 2017. Jeff Fowlkes joined

Too Slim and the Taildraggers Too Slim and the Taildraggers is an American blues rock band formed in 1986 in Spokane, Washington, United States. The band has had six albums peak in the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' Top Blues Albums. Members currently consist of Tim "Too Slim" L ...

in the mid-2010s. Mike and Andrew Nehra had founded audio equipment company Vintage King Engineering in 1993, and both continued their involvement with the company into the 2010s.Audio expert Vintage King hosts 20th anniversary party
''The Oakland Press'', July 30, 2013.

Film and TV work

*''

Love N' Dancing Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the lov ...

'' (2009) - This romantic comedy starring

and

features six original new Robert Bradley songs, including Smart's grand finale dance number, "You're My Lady." The film and soundtrack were released in May 2009. *''Playing for Change'' (2006) - Bradley appears as himself in this 2006 music documentary. The soundtrack was recorded live on the streets and in the subways of the three cities: Los Angeles, New Orleans and New York. *''

Lackawanna Blues ''Lackawanna Blues'' is an American play written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson that premiered in 2001. It was later adapted as a television movie that aired in 2005. The play dramatizes the character of the author's primary caregiver when he was growi ...

'' (2005) - Bradley appears in this HBO movie starring S. Epatha Merkerson and

Terrence Howard Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor. Having his first major roles in the 1995 films ''Dead Presidents'' and '' Mr. Holland's Opus'', Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of television and cinema roles ...

about Lackawanna, New York in 1956, at the dawn of integration. He performs on-screen, and has three songs featured on the soundtrack (including a duet with

Macy Gray Natalie Renée McIntyre (born September 6, 1967), known by her stage name Macy Gray, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She is known for her distinctive raspy voice and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday. Gray ha ...

Discography

;Albums *''Blackwater Surprise'' (

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

, 1996) *''Authorized Bootleg: Live'' (

, 1997) - limited edition CD featuring four live tracks *''Live'' (RCA, 1999) *''Time to Discover'' (

, 2000) *''New Ground'' (

Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives fr ...

, 2002) *''Still Lovin' You'' (

, 2003) *''What About That: New Year's Eve in Bloomington'' (Kufala, 2006) * ''Out of the Wilderness'' (2008) ;Compilation appearances *''Believing in Detroit: A Tribute to Vladdy and Sergei'' (JFW, 1998) - a limited-edition compilation, original recording, featuring "Shake It Off" *''KBCO Studio C Volume 12 Compilation Live In KBCO'' (KBCO, 2000) - recorded at a Boulder, Colorado radio studio, featuring "Baby", recorded live *''KFOG Live from the Archives 8'' (KFOG, 2001) - live, limited-edition compilation, featuring "Baby", recorded live in studio *''Wish You a Merry Christmas'' (2001) - limited collector's edition, rare three-track CD single *''Monitor This February/March 2002'' (2002) - compilation featuring "Train" *''It'll Come to You - The Songs of John Hiatt'' (

, 2003) - compilation featuring "It'll Come to You" *''Relix Magazine Music Sampler July 2006'' (Relix, 2006) - an import compilation featuring "Once Upon a Time" *''Lackawanna Blues Soundtrack'' (HBO Films/

, 2004) - produced by Bruce Robb, featuring Robert Bradley's "Dark Road," "Something Inside Me," and "Down on Me", a duet with Macy Gray

References

External links

* Allmusic's profile of RBBS {{Authority control Rock music groups from Michigan Musical groups established in 1994 Musical groups from Detroit 1994 establishments in Michigan