Myron Carlton "Tiny" Bradshaw (September 23, 1907 – November 26, 1958)
- accessed July 2010 was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

bandleader, singer, composer, pianist, and drummer. His biggest hit was "Well Oh Well" in 1950, and the following year he recorded "

The Train Kept A-Rollin' "Train Kept A-Rollin'" (or "The Train Kept A-Rollin'") is a song first recorded by American jazz and rhythm and blues musician Tiny Bradshaw in 1951. Originally performed in the style of a jump blues, Bradshaw borrowed lyrics from an earlier so ...

", important to the development of

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

; he co-wrote and sang on both records.

Early years

Myron Carlton Bradshaw was born in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

, the son of Cicero P. Bradshaw and his wife Lillian Boggess. Bradshaw graduated from high school in Youngstown.Mohr, Kurt. 1961. Discography of Tiny Bradshaw. Jazz-Publications. Reinach, Switzerland. 16pp. After graduating from

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University is a private historically black university in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans. It participates in t ...

with a degree in psychology, Bradshaw turned to music for a living. In

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, he sang and played drums with

Horace Henderson Horace W. Henderson (November 22, 1904 – August 29, 1988), the younger brother of Fletcher Henderson, was an American jazz pianist, organist, arranger, and bandleader. Henderson was born in Cuthbert, Georgia, United States. While later a ...

's campus oriented ''Collegians''.Biography by Scott Yanow at Allmusic.com
Retrieved 3 April 2013 Then, in 1932, Bradshaw relocated to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where he drummed for Marion Hardy's Alabamians, the

Charleston Bearcats Leon Alexander Anthony Abbey (May 7, 1900 – September 1975) was an American jazz violinist and bandleader. Biography He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 7, 1900, to Luther James Robert Abbey and Eva Lee Alexander. He started his care ...

(later the

Savoy Bearcats The Savoy Bearcats were an eleven-piece jazz band, led by Leon Abbey, which was the house band at the Savoy Ballroom in New York City from its opening in 1926 to 1928. The band's name was changed from the Charleston Bearcats while they were at the ...

), and the

Mills Blue Rhythm Band The Mills Blue Rhythm Band was an American big band active during the 1930s. The band was formed in New York City, United States, in 1930 by drummer Willie Lynch as the Blue Rhythm Band, and then briefly operated as the Coconut Grove Orchestra. ...

, and sang for

Luis Russell Luis Russell (August 5, 1902 – December 11, 1963) was a pioneering Panamanian jazz pianist, orchestra leader, composer, and arranger. Career Luis Carl Russell was born on Careening Cay, near Bocas del Toro, Panama, in a family of African-Car ...

Bandleader

Tiny Bradshaw with saxophone players from his band

In 1934, Bradshaw formed his own swing orchestra, which recorded eight sides in two separate sessions for

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

that year in New York City. The band's next recording date was in 1944 for

Manor Records Manor Records was a jazz record label founded in the mid 1940s. Manor was run Irving Berman, who also owned Regis Records. Its catalogue included Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Tiny Bradshaw, Paul Bascomb, Sid Catlett, Jimmie Lunceford, and the ...

, at which point its music was closer to rhythm and blues. He recorded in 1947 for

Savoy Records Savoy Records is an American record company and label established by Herman Lubinsky in 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. Savoy specialized in jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel music. In September 2017, Savoy was acquired by Concord Bicycle Music. ...

. The band recorded extensively for the rhythm and blues market with King Records between late 1949 and early 1955, and had five hits on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

. His most successful record at the time was "Well Oh Well", which reached no.2 on the R&B chart in 1950 and stayed on the chart for 21 weeks. Two follow-ups, "I'm Going To Have Myself A Ball" (no.5, 1950) and "Walkin' The Chalk Line" (no.10, 1951) also made the chart before a break of almost two years. What is now Bradshaw's best known recording was "

" (1951) — not a chart hit at the time — which passed from rhythm and blues history into

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

's legacy. The song was recorded by

Johnny Burnette John Joseph Burnette (March 25, 1934 – August 14, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter of rockabilly and pop music. In 1952, Johnny and his brother, Dorsey Burnette, and their mutual friend Paul Burlison formed the band that became k ...

& The Rock 'N' Roll Trio in 1956 and by

The Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...

with

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...

in 1965. It was covered again by

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...

in 1974 and by

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...

in 1977. Furthermore,

Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...

reported in an interview that the first song played, at the very first rehearsal of what would become the English rock band

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

was "

". Bradshaw returned to the R&B chart in 1953 with "Soft" (no.3), an instrumental later recorded by

Bill Doggett William Ballard Doggett (February 16, 1916 – November 13, 1996) was an American pianist and organist. He began his career playing swing music before transitioning into rhythm and blues. Best known for his instrumental compositions "Honky Tonk" ...

, and "Heavy Juice" (no.9). Both of these 1953 hits featured

Red Prysock Wilburt "Red" Prysock (February 2, 1926 – July 19, 1993) was an American R&B tenor saxophonist, one of the early Coleman Hawkins-influenced saxophonists to move in the direction of rhythm and blues, rather than bebop. Career With Tiny Grimes ...

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

. Bradshaw's later career was hampered by severe health problems, including two

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 ...

s, the first in 1954, that left him partially paralyzed. He made a return to touring in 1958. His last session that year resulted in two recordings, "

Short Shorts "Short Shorts" is a song written and performed by Tom Austin, Bill Crandell, Bill Dalton, Russ Viers, and Bob Gaudio, members of The Royal Teens. It reached #2 on the U.S. R&B chart and #3 on the U.S. pop chart in 1958. The group originally rele ...

" and "Bushes" (King 5114), which proved an unsuccessful attempt to reach out to the emerging teenage record market. Weakened by the successive strokes as well as the rigors of his profession, Bradshaw died in his adopted hometown of

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

from another stroke in 1958. He was 51 years old.

Legacy

Bradshaw is remembered for a string of rhythm and blues hits. As a bandleader, he was an invaluable mentor to important musicians and arrangers including Sil Austin, Happy Caldwell,

Shad Collins Lester Rallingston "Shad" Collins (June 27, 1910 – June 6, 1978) was an American jazz trumpet player, composer and arranger, who played in several leading bands between the 1930s and 1950s, including those led by Chick Webb, Benny Carter, Count ...

Wild Bill Davis Wild Bill Davis (November 24, 1918 – August 17, 1995) was the stage name of American jazz pianist, organist, and arranger William Strethen Davis. He is best known for his pioneering jazz electric organ recordings and for his tenure with t ...

, Talib Dawud,

Gil Fuller Walter Gilbert "Gil" Fuller (April 14, 1920, Los Angeles, California – May 26, 1994, San Diego, California) was an American jazz arranger. He is no relation to the jazz trumpeter and vocalist Walter Fuller (musician), Walter "Rosetta" Fuller. I ...

Gigi Gryce Gigi Gryce (born George General Grice Jr.; November 28, 1925 – March 14, 1983), later Basheer Qusim, was an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, clarinetist, composer, arranger, and educator. While his performing career was relatively short, ...

Big Nick Nicholas George Walker "Big Nick" Nicholas (August 2, 1922 – October 29, 1997) was an American jazz saxophonist and singer. Strongly influenced by his hero, Coleman Hawkins, Nicholas in turn influenced a young John Coltrane to compose his tribute "B ...

Russell Procope Russell Keith Procope (August 11, 1908 – January 21, 1981) was an American clarinetist and alto saxophonist who was a member of the Duke Ellington orchestra. Before Ellington Procope was born in New York City, United States, and grew up in S ...

Curley Russell Dillon "Curley" Russell (19 March 1917 – 3 July 1986) was an American jazz musician, who played bass on many bebop recordings. He was born in New York, United States. He was nicknamed "Curley" for his curly hair. A member of the Tadd Damero ...

, Calvin "Eagle Eye" Shields,

Sonny Stitt Edward Hammond Boatner Jr. (February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982), known professionally as Sonny Stitt, was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of his ...

, Noble "Thin Man" Watts, and

Shadow Wilson Rossiere "Shadow" Wilson (September 25, 1919 – July 11, 1959) was an American jazz drummer. Much of Wilson's early work was with swing jazz orchestras. He played with Frankie Fairfax's Campus Club Orchestra in 1936, with Lucky Millinder in ...

Discography

Singles

Decca Records *''194'' The Darktown Strutter's Ball/The Sheik Of Araby (1934) *''236'' Ol' Man River/I'm A Ding Dong Daddy (1934) *''317'' Mister, Will You Serenade/She'll Be Coming 'Round The Mountain (1934) *''456'' Shout, Sister, Shout/I Ain't Got Nobody (1934) Regis Records *''1010'' Straighten Up And Fly Right/Bradshaw Bounce (1944) *''1010'' After You've Gone/Salt Lake City Bounce (1944) *''1011'' After You've Gone/Salt Lake City Bounce eissued with the correct number(1944) Manor Records *''1052'' Butterfly/Schoolday Blues (aka P.S. 81 Blues) (1945) *''1082'' After You've Gone/Salt City Bounce eissue of Regis 1011(1945) *''1147'' V-2/I Found Out Too Late (1946) *''1149'' Salt Lake City Bounce/After You've Gone eissued with the correct title(1946) *''1181'' Bride And Groom Boogie/Six Shooter Junction (1946) Savoy Records *''650'' These Things Are Love/I've Been Around (1947) *''655'' Take The Hands Off The Clock/If I Had A Million Dollars (1947) King Records *''4337'' Teardrops/Gravy Train (1949) *''4357'' Well Oh Well/I Hate You (1950) *''4376'' Boodie Green/After You're Gone (1950) *''4397'' I'm Going To Have Myself A Ball/Butterfly (1950) *''4417'' Breaking Up The House/If You Don't Love Me, Tell Me So (1950) *''4427'' Walk That Mess/One, Two, Three, Kick Blues (1950) *''4447'' Two Dry Bones On The Pantry Shelf/Brad's Blues (1951) *''4457'' Bradshaw Boogie/Walkin' The Chalk Line (1951) *''4467'' I'm A High Ballin' Daddy/You Came By (1951) *''4487'' T-99/Long Time Baby (1951) *''4497'' The Train Kept A-Rollin'/Knockin' Blues (1951) *''4537'' Mailman's Sack/Newspaper Boy Blues (1952) *''4547'' Lay It On The Line/Rippin' And Runnin' (1952) *''4577'' Soft/Strange (1952) *''4621'' Heavy Juice/The Blues Came Pouring Down (1953) *''4647'' Free For All/Off And On (1953) *''4664'' Later/South Of The Orient (1953) *''4687'' Ping Pong/Powder Puff (1953) *''4713'' Overflow/Don't Worry 'Bout Me (1954) *''4727'' The Gypsy/Spider Web (1954) *''4747'' Stack Of Dollars/Cat Fruit (1954) *''4757'' Light/Choice (1954) *''4777'' Cat Nap/Stomping Room Only (1955) *''4787'' Pompton Turnpike/Come On (1955) *''5114''

/Bushes (1958)

Compilations

*''Walk That Mess! The Best Of The King Years'' Westside #WESA-824 (1998) *''The EP Collection...Plus'' See For Miles #SEECD-703 (1999) *''The Chronological Tiny Bradshaw 1934-1947'' Classics (Blues & Rhythm Series) #5011 (2002) *''The Chronological Tiny Bradshaw 1949-1951'' Classics (Blues & Rhythm Series) #5031 (2002) *''Breaking Up The House'' Proper Pairs #PVCD-101 (2002) *''Well Oh Well: The Very Best Of Tiny Bradshaw'' Collectables #2880 (2004) *''Heavy Juice: The King Recordings 1950-55'' Rev-Ola #CRBAND-3 (2006)

References

External links

Singles discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradshaw, Tiny 1907 births 1958 deaths American jazz drummers American jazz bandleaders American jazz singers American jazz pianists American male pianists Jump blues musicians Wilberforce University Musicians from Cincinnati Musicians from Youngstown, Ohio Decca Records artists Savoy Records artists King Records artists Manor Records artists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American pianists Jazz musicians from Ohio 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Savoy Bearcats members