In just three days, the Screaming Eagle of Soul will descend upon Deer Lake Park to give the crowds at the Burnaby Roots and Blues Festival exactly what they came for: pure, raw, unfiltered emotion channeled through live music.
When Charles Bradley gets on stage and grabs the mic, he doesn't hold back, letting his feelings show on his face, in his body and especially in his voice.
"I was on stage one time and felt like I was flying, and the spirit just hit me and I just got into it," he said. "Sometimes 20 or 30 words come to you at one time while you're on stage, and you can't say all those 30 words in one word, so the best way to do it is scream it; and that's what I do, and that's why they call me the Screaming Eagle of Soul."
From his apartment in Brooklyn, New York, Bradley took time out of his busy recording
and touring schedule last week to chat with the Burnaby NOW about his rise to fame at an age when most people consider retiring.
In the last three years, the 64-year-old soul singer has seen his star rise dramatically with the release of his first album, No Time For Dreaming, in 2011 and his second album, Victim of Love, released in April of this year.
His sound is reminiscent of the 1960s and '70s funk and soul greats, with added earnestness thrown in for good measure.
On YouTube, a few of Bradley's best-known singles have been viewed more than a million times each, and Rolling Stone Magazine called him one of the 10 "must see" acts at this year's Lollapalooza Festival.
But it wasn't until he was in his 50s that the James Brown impersonator met Gabriel Roth, co-founder of Daptone Records, and was able to embark on his life-long dream of making it as a singer under his own name.
"I've always been determined and searching for my dream, and God knows, it's been a long time coming," he said.
For most of his life, Bradley struggled to find work and make ends meet. Born in Florida in 1948, he was abandoned by his mother at eight months, and raised by his grandmother until he was eight, when his mother re-connected with him and brought him to live with her in Brooklyn, New York.
In his early teens, Bradley saw James Brown perform at the Apollo Theatre, and from that moment on, he knew definitively that his life's goal was to be a singer himself.
"I was doing like, little hymns in church and stuff, but I never really got serious until I saw James Brown," he said.
Working odd jobs in kitchens and taking on a decades-long stint as a James Brown impersonator, Bradley found he was talented in the role of "Black Velvet," his stage name but still wanted to see his own name in lights.
In his 20s, Bradley hitchhiked all over North America, from New York up to Alaska, and down to California, where he stopped in Beverley Hills to see if he could connect with
anyone who might help him with his career.
He went door-to-door, introducing himself as an aspiring singer to anyone who answered, but it wasn't long before someone called the police.
Before the cops showed up to question him about his reason for being in the affluent neighbourhood, however, one resident took him aside and offered him a few kind words of encouragement.
"She said, 'I admire your spunk,'" Bradley said. "She gave me a crisp $100 bill and a basket of food. She said, 'Son, keep going after your dream, don't stop.' And then (the police) put me in the car, they took me back to the heart of L.A. and told me if they ever see me again they're going to put me in jail."
Bradley says he hasn't forgotten the kindnesses shown to him in his life, and as much as he's reached out to others, he is now more than willing to give back.
At one show, he was scheduled to perform on an outdoor stage, but the weather turned sour and festival organizers suggested he cancel the set.
But he saw the crowd standing in the driving rain, waiting for him, and decided the show had to go on.
"I went up on the stage, and people started screaming. I saw how wet they were getting, and I said, 'You know what, if you guys can get wet, so can I,' so I jumped off the stage," he said.
"I had a white shirt on, and jumped into the mud, and everybody grabbed me. We were laughing, we were joking ... and everybody was just enjoying themselves. But then I ran down onto the stage and grabbed the microphone, and I got a shock that went right through my body. Nobody ever knew, and I didn't ever tell anybody. ... I just thought, that shock was worthwhile."
Bradley says he is grateful for the opportunity to share his music and hopes he is an example to anyone pursuing a dream, no matter what age or stage of life they may be in.
"I want to be the one to show them it's not too late to succeed ... to find love for who you are and let your light shine," he said.
Bradley will perform on the main stage from 6:45 to 8 p.m. at Deer Lake Park on Aug. 10. For more information or to buy tickets, visit www.burnabyblues festival.com.
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