Perry Bradford
John Henry "Perry" Bradford (born February 14, 1893 in Montgomery , Alabama , † April 20, 1970 in New York City ) was an American pianist , singer , composer and band leader and unit manager for Okeh Records .
Live and act
Bradford grew up in Atlanta , where his family moved in 1902. They lived near the local jail, where young Perry heard the inmates singing and was first introduced to the blues . In 1907 he became a member of the formation "Allen's New Orleans Minstrels"; in this traveling minstrel troupe he appeared as a singer and dancer. Finally he left the company and worked as a solo pianist, a. a. in Chicago . In 1910 he came to New York , where he became head of the recording studio for the Okeh Records record company in the 1920s . He arranged numerous recordings with well-known jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong , James P. Johnson , Clarence Williams , Don Redman and Fats Waller as well as blues singers such as Mamie Smith , who recorded his composition "Crazy Blues", as well as Edith Wilson and Alberta Perkins .
In 1921 he wrote the revue Put and Take with James Tim Brymn and Spencer Williams . Around 1925 he founded the formation "The Jazz Phools" with Armstrong, which recorded titles such as Lucy Long, I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle (1925) and The Jazzhounds (1927). Under his own name, further recordings were made in the 1920s under the band names Perry Bradford and his Gang or Bradford's Jazz Phools . a. Louis Armstrong , Buster Bailey , James P. Johnson , Fats Waller, and Don Redman . In 1923 he was sentenced to prison for violating copyright laws .
His singing style also had an impact on rock 'n' roll ; Little Richard names him an important influence. He had a hit in 1957 with the Bradford song "Keep A Knockin '". In 1965 his autobiography "Born with the Blues" was published. He was also the composer of the tracks "Evil Blues", "You Can't Keep a Good Man Down", and "That Thing Called Love".
Discography (selection)
The following albums include recordings with Perry Bradford as singer:
- Louis Armstrong: Louis Armstrong Vol 1 - Young Louis "The Sideman" (MCA)
- Louis Armstrong: Louis Armstrong and the Blues Singers (Affinity, 1924-1930)
- James P. Johnson: Hot Piano (Topaz, 1921-1944)
- Willie The Lion Smith : 1925–1927 (Classics)
literature
- Leonard Feather , Ira Gitler : The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press, New York NY 2007, ISBN 978-0-19-532000-8
- John Jörgensen & Erik Wiedemann : Jazz Lexicon . Munich, mosaic, ca.1960
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bradford, Perry |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bradford, John Henry Perry |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American record producer, pianist and singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 14, 1893 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Montgomery , Alabama |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 20, 1970 |
| Place of death | New York City |