Charles Bradley: Soul of America Page #5

You got the Post? You got the Post?

Ohhh...

They don't have the Post.

- How's everybody doing?

- Hey, Charles! How you doing?

- I'm holding up.

Aaaah!

Shoot!

Oh...my...God.

Yes!

Oh, my God. Look at this!

- Ah, sh*t. They got me in the paper.

- They got you in the paper? Oh, my goodness!

- Oh, man. What you doing?

- That's me right there.

Jesus... I thank God for this.

Oh, my God.

This guy's been... He's been doing a lot of struggling within himself,

but it's gonna be OK today. It's gonna be OK.

We were talking for years and I look at him and I say to myself,

- "He's gonna be there..." Is he in the paper?

- Yeah.

- He's in the paper?!

- Yeah!

- I'm talking and you're in the paper?!

- Right there.

My Lord.

- You couldn't have knocked on my door and told me that?

- I just found out!

I told you, honey! I told you, baby!

- Right.

- You know, I love you.

- What?

- You told me.

- I told you.

It's happening!

I told you. Keep the faith and never stop believing and you're already there! What you worried about?

- You've been there and it's already done.

- Congratulations.

- God has been good. And if you cry,

it's a good cry. When you do, hold your head up cos He has you still.

I love you, brother. I won't forget.

'Tonight is my first night.

'Me only on stage. Charles Bradley.

'My chance has finally come and I'm hoping everybody out there will come out

'to show me their support.'

You all right?

Are you coming tonight? You always tell me you're gonna come.

This is the place where, before they fixed it up,

I lived in here for about... God, about 2 years.

It was abandoned. And now it's a church. The guy that owned it sold it and they fixed it up.

But that... This was home one time and this guy, Jose,

he is the one that really gave me electricity from his place. It kept me going.

That's why we're such close friends today.

Most people could have given up and not done anything.

Just settle into a job. He's been plugging away.

It's hard enough for people in their 30s to launch a career. For someone in their 60s, it's almost insane.

- You like rhythm and blues?

- We're going.

- We've got our tickets.

- Ah, come on!

'I just hope it's a decent night,

'some people turn out and he's got a room to perform to and feels good about the record. Cos we do.'

Wow!

Wow!

Sold out!

- My God.

- 'No Time For Dreaming.

'Please welcome to the stage, Mr Charles Bradley!'

I was on the guest list and working for the label and had friends in the band and I had to wait outside

like, I don't know, 25 minutes before I could get in the door. It was sold out.

Ladies and gentlemen, I got a special lady in the house.

My mama's in the house some place.

Mama!

Mama!

Look around you. In the red over there is my mama.

But ladies and gentlemen, she gave me the start.

- #

- O-o-oh

- #

- Go back Go back to the golden rule

- # Golden rule

- Ay-ay, go back

- #

- Go back to the golden rule

# Golden rule... #

You know...

Let me say a few words right now.

You...you...you...

- made me to be the person I am.

- Love you, Charles!

- Thank you.

Thank you.

I thank you and I hope to God that I can keep giving you love,

decency and honesty.

- #

- Aaaah

- #

- Aaaah

- #

- What am I gonna do?

- #

- What am I gonna say?

- #

- Yaaaah!

- #

AUDIENCE ROARS:

What love can I ask for around me right now? Tell me God ain't real.

This love I feel around me will make me reach into my heart

and give everybody a little piece to say I love you.

It was one of my special shows.

He changed my life. Changed my life.

It's infectious, you know? He's in love with what he's doing and in love with his audience.

When he says, "I love you, guys," you feel it.

Amazing. I brought my friend from Italy and...what do you think?

Amazing.

'I think it was too small a place for the people that came there cos a lot of people were turned down.

'It hurt me to see that, but for the joy, the love the people gave me that was there, oh, my God.'

They wanted more from me and I looked in the traces of their faces. Oh, my God.

It was a tear dropper.

Oh, man!

- #

- Ay-yi-yi

- #

- Oh, baby

- #

- This world...

- #

Lord have mercy!

- #

- And nobody wanna take the blame

- #

- Don't tell me how to live my life...

- #

'I knew the record was going to do real well, but I didn't know how quickly. People don't know him well'

and the sales for a guy just putting out his first LP, I mean, it's unbelievable.

- #

- Ooooh

- #

- Come on, baby...

- #

'It's really against the odds to think that a 62-year-old black man from Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn,

'is going to have his first record and within the first couple of weeks'

sell more than most records are selling in a year at this point.

- #

- So what am I gonna do?

- #

I don't think it's a done deal and I don't think it's easy.

A lot more people have got to buy his record, he's got to sing a lot more shows, make a lot more records.

It's a long path, you know, and he's a late starter.

- #

- I can't turn my head away...

- #

'It's above any of our expectations already and I think the record's got wheels. It's not stopping now.

'We haven't seen the biggest sales.'

- #

- It's burning up in flames...

- #

Aaaaah!

Lord have mercy!

- Yeah!

- Oh, my God!

We're leaving to go to Europe to do some touring

and I hope Europe will love what I'm doing, what I'm giving to them.

And now it's clean as a baby's...tail.

- How long will you be gone, baby?

- About three weeks.

- Three weeks, baby? I'm gonna miss you.

Uh-uh, you live right here.

- Every three days, I'm gonna call you.

- OK, darling.

I'm a bad boy. You ain't got no water to throw on me now.

You ain't got no water. I can tickle you.

I can tickle you now.

And like my mom said today,

she never believed I would get to this level.

I want to see how far I can make myself go in life.

See can I go further than any of my family members have ever been

and say, "I took me there."

Young peoples out there, watch out.

The old man's coming up for you. Do your job better. If you don't, I'll do it for you.

# I'll take the long road Yeah, yeah

# The long road

# But I am sure that I will get there

# Yes, I will

# You can take that short cut

- #

- I'll take the long road

# I don't mind You can take that short cut

- #

- I'll take the long road

# You take that short cut Yeah, yeah

# But surely, surely Surely I will get there... #

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