Mary Jackson & Perry Bradford's Jazz Phools - All The Time (1923)

Perry Bradford (Feb.14,1893, Montgomery, Alabama - April 20,1970, New York City) was an African American composer, songwriter, and vaudeville performer.

Perry Bradford grew up in Atlanta where his family moved when he was six, and in 1906 started working with minstrel shows. He played in Chicago as a solo pianist as early as 1909 and visited New York City the following year.

Through extensive experience with traveling minstrel shows and theatre companies, Bradford obtained huge exposure and experience to Negro folksongs. A huge feat of Bradfords was severing the walls of racial prejudice that kept Negro singers from recording. He is, too often, unrecognized for this accomplishment. Prior to Bradfords influence, Negro artists recorded in a style that was closely similar to those of white dance orchestras. There was little to no trace of Negro musical characteristics present in their recordings. Bradford persevered in getting the recording industry to value recordings of Negro artists recording in the style of their own subculture.

As a pianist, singer, dancer and composer, Bradford worked in theatre circuits throughout the South and into the North for the next decade (1908-1919) in a song and dance act billed as "Bradford and Jeanette". While in New York City, Bradford convinced Fred Hager, of OKeh Records, to record Mamie Smith and became her musical director. Smith starred in Bradford's show Made in Harlem (1918). Bradford was also responsible for Smith being the first African American blues singer to appear on record (singing his "Crazy Blues") in 1920. Bradford claimed that his revue, Made in Harlem, was the first stage production that offered blues matter to the large, northern audience in Harlem. Bradford was able to organize the first recording session, That Thing Called Love, that highlighted a Negro artist, accompanied by a white studio band, performing material specific to the Negro culture.

He had offices in the Gaiety Theatre office building in Times Square. Bradford toured and recorded with Smith, worked with Alberta Hunter and also headed seven recording sessions of his own during 1923-27. Among Bradford's sidemen were Johnny Dunn, Bubber Miley, Garvin Bushell, Louis Armstrong (on two numbers in 1925), Buster Bailey, and James P. Johnson.

Bradford continued to promote blues and jazz recordings by publishing and managing. Bradfords influence in the recording industry was negatively affected by the crash of the stock market, as well as by changes in the character of jazz and Negro songs. He was an irregular participant after the 1940s.

With the rise of the Great Depression, Bradford slipped away into obscurity. In later years, he appeared to exaggerate his role in early blues, possibly a reaction to his being nearly forgotten. In 1957, Little Richard had a hit with Bradford's "Keep A-Knockin'". In 1965, Bradford's autobiography "Born With the Blues" was published (New York: Oak Publications) with a foreword by Noble Sissle. His best-known songs were "Crazy Blues", "That Thing Called Love", and "You Can't Keep a Good Man Down".


Mary Jackson & Perry Bradford's Jazz Phools - All The Time (1923)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Mary
• Jackson
• Perry
• Bradford
• 1923
• 20s

[05Toamasina1938]

@KawhackitaRag

Thanks you

We ll never know

[KawhackitaRag]

@05Toamasina1938 It might have been, but I would think that Bradford would not have allowed Fowler to appear on a session with Bradford's name on it, because of the court battle circa January 1923 over the copyright ownership of Fowler's song "He May Be Your Man", the end result of which caused Bradford to have to spend four months in jail. I would imagine that Bradford was not friends with Fowler after that incident.

This pianist could be Porter Grainger, in my opinion.

[05Toamasina1938]

The pianist SOUNDS very much like LEMUEL FOWLER under a pseudo !!!!!!!!