Charles Bradley: Soul of America

One, two. One, two, three, four!

If you enjoy James Brown music, you're going to have a good time tonight.

We're tonight celebrating Black Velvet James Brown Junior's 62nd birthday! Whoo, 62!

So round about now put your hands together

because we've got a young man coming to the stage.

He's been on The David Letterman Show. Put your hands together

and meet and greet Black Velvet James Brown Junior!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# This is a man's world

# But it wouldn't be nothing

# Nothing... #

'I've been playing James Brown since I was 14 years old.'

# Yea-ea-eah!

# Yea-ea-eah! #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

'But now I want to do Charles Bradley.'

I've been struggling for over 42 years trying to make it in the industry

and at the age of 62, I'm just beginning to find my way through.

I never made enough money to support myself in music,

but I'm hoping that this album will make a turning point for me,

that I can support myself in music.

Hey, man. I'm going to give you water, OK? Hey, man.

That's my bird. He make me mad.

I get mad, I go in the back room and close the door and let him scream all he want to.

I have my little place. It's not what I want, but thank God I got a roof over my head!

When I go in my little apartment and lock my door,

I'm in peace,

but going into the projects,

going into the elevator,

getting in there, that's when the trouble starts.

You never know what's going to happen.

There's a guy downstairs. His name is Alfred. Very good guy. Don't bother nobody. Church guy.

They shoot up his place. He showed me all the holes.

I said, "Wow, man! I couldn't live on the first floor."

When it get too crazy at the projects, I go to my mom's house and I sleep in her basement.

So I come here and this is where I crash.

Until the next day, I go take care of the errands,

take care of everything to keep a roof over both our heads.

I like to get a little of this...

a little ball.

Just put these in.

How's that rice?

Let me see.

Just a little bit more.

I came from a family of eight.

My main goal is watching over... is my mom.

And I do the best I can.

It's my baby boy.

And I love him.

'I'm just making her life peaceful,

'so she can not worry about the bills and everything.'

I took that upon my shoulder.

I really didn't know what I was getting myself into, but now I'm in it, I won't change it.

All I can do is try to make something work where I can make a decent income,

where I can live and let live. That's all I can ask from life now.

# Round and round the road we go again

# Where it stop

# Nobody knows

# It's a cold, cold world

# It's a cold, cold world...

# How can we stop the changes going on in America today...?

# Oh, oh-oh-oh

# Go back

# Go back to the golden rule

# Go back

# Go back to the golden rule

# Bring it all down! #

That's a song from the new record No Time For Dreaming, Charles Bradley and The Menahan Street Band.

I can't believe you came out of nowhere as a virtual unknown to us.

Have you recorded before?

No. It's my first time, really, coming out.

I know you've been performing.

- Yes.

- As Black Velvet.

- Yes.

- So, now you're performing as Charles Bradley?

- Yeah, yeah.

You certainly have a great band backing you here

and with the folks over at Daptone, you know, what a great crew they are!

And you've seen what's happened with Sharon Jones

who, you know, just like you, went from complete obscurity to...

Who knows what kind of heights you could scale?

So, that's got to be an exciting moment for you.

I think God just answered my prayer.

You know, it's just like...

I asked myself why it took so long, but you can't question God when he wants to do things.

So, at my late age, it just started coming.

- What's next? Are you thinking big?

- I'm thinking the sky's the limit.

Congratulations on this great record. No matter what happens with it, it's a fine piece of work.

Charles Bradley on WFUV.

# This world

# Going up in flames

# And nobody

# Wanna take the blame

# Don't tell me how to live... #

I don't know how many artists have ever been 62 years old

and released their debut record. He may be the first.

The guy is just getting it going as far as I'm concerned.

He's worked very hard for a long time.

I hope that enough people can hear him sing,

so he can make the kind of life he wants and take care of his family.

# Huh!

# Yeah!

# I'm talkin' to you, girl

# Yeah!

# Only you... #

If you're into funk and soul music or Afrobeat and you live in New York,

Gabe Roth is the guy you want behind the board. You want these guys pushing you in the direction

because their records were phenomenal.

I just started making the kind of records I like listening to.

I think a lot of those soul records have a certain sincerity that I always like.

One morning, pretty early, nine or ten in the morning, I got a knock on my door and it was Charles.

He said, "I heard you were looking for singers. I heard you were looking for me."

I had no idea what he was talking about, so he shows me a videotape

of him singing James Brown songs. Sounds great.

Gabe Roth from Daptone Records brought him down to a rehearsal in Staten Island.

Gabe wanted us to record with a singer. Charles was a singer they hadn't found a band with on Daptone.

Charles had captured their attention.

I just figured, see how Charles works with them.

# Stop

# Stop it, baby

# Ooh

# I'm feelin' awful, baby

# And I'm locked up in a cage... #

I played with Tommy's band that he had over at Staten Island.

I just went over there one day and they was rehearsing, jamming.

They said, "Hey, man, sing on this, sing on this."

And I'm liking the music.

The lyrics were just popping in my head.

So, that all worked out well and we recorded those songs with Bradley at Daptone.

They were good songs, but they just didn't take off. Then we kind of went in different directions.

Two years went by

and I was doing James Brown in small clubs.

And then I got a call to come round and do a show with Sharon Jones.

We rehearse, we play the show, great. Me and Charles see each other for the first time in a couple of years.

We catch up a little bit. I say, "Charles, I'm working on some music.

"How about you come over one night and we give it a shot?" He said, "Yeah, Tommy, of course."

We magically recorded two songs in one night - The World Is Going Up In Flames and In You I Found A Love.

Charles was right here and I was right here pressing "record".

You know, we wrote it together and that was it.

The music was laid down, but he was just coming out with lyrics off the cuff.

And I was just putting it in the right place.

We haven't played so many shows with Charles up to this point.

We played a couple.

Charles wants to reach every single person in the audience.

What we rehearse and what goes down on stage is two different things. The band's going to be tight.

The only thing we tried to rehearse with Charles is to let Charles lead the band.

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