Ralphcast

Charles Bradley began his music career late in life as a James Brown impersonator. His soulful voice attracted much attention, however, since it was obvious that he was not just another copycat. After he was discovered by Daptone Records, Charles soon found himself recording under his own name with his own songs. A throwback soul man, his music sounds like it came out of Motown or Stax in the 1960’s-1970’s The biggest shocker in all this- why did it take so long for him to get “discovered”? If he had been a part of the Motown/Stax wave in the 1960’s, he could have easily reached legend status alongside Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye and (of course) James Brown. We can only imagine what might have been. Luckily, he was eventually able to share his talents with the world. You can sample his sound here:  https://youtu.be/JX08dY1wf0w Mr. Bradley passed away of stomach cancer earlier today.

We're taking a two month break! You'll see occasional updates, but we won't return to regular posting until December 1, 2017!

The California legislature this past week renamed a portion of Interstate 5 near Pacoima in the San Fernando Valley after Rock & Roll legend Ritchie Valens who grew up in Pacoima. Ritchie was born in Pacoima and developed his own musical style. La Bamba, Come On Let's Go & Donna were just a few of his hits; produced by him at a young age. Ritchie produced a catalog of hits that many musical artists would only dream of; all produced when he was just a teenager. He would die in a horrific plane crash at the age of 17 alongside Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper on a day that would eventually be called The Day the Music Died.  Ritchie Valens was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. And now, his hometown is honoring him with the ultimate southern California tribute- naming a Freeway after him.