Tiny Bradshaw

Tiny Bradshaw really had a two-part career, in the 1930s in swing and from the mid-'40s on as a best-selling R&B artist. He majored in psychology at Wilberforce University but chose music as his career. Bradshaw sang early on with <a href="spotify:artist:5CH9h1pnlwBLqi38RiqZLM">Horace Henderson's Orchestra</a> (in addition to playing drums), Marion Hardy's Alabamians, the Savoy Bearcats, <a href="spotify:artist:140K78ooLk7HfhlWiTc9dM">the Mills Blue Rhythm Band</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:2QYQ1OaqqulNz8o2c80ViP">Luis Russell</a>. In 1934, he put together his own orchestra and they recorded eight spirited numbers for Decca later that year. A decade of struggle lie ahead and, when Bradshaw's big band recorded again, in 1944, the music was more R&B and jump-oriented. The majority of Bradshaw's recordings were cut during 1950-1954, although there would be one session apiece made in 1955 and 1958. All of his post-1947 output was made for King including the seminal "Train Kept A-Rollin'" in 1951. For several decades, that song became a staple of numerous garage bands along with notable recorded versions by <a href="spotify:artist:2lxX1ivRYp26soIavdG9bX">the Yardbirds</a> in the '60s and <a href="spotify:artist:7Ey4PD4MYsKc5I2dolUwbH">Aerosmith</a> in the '70s.

In 1954, Bradshaw suffered the first of two strokes, the second would be two years later. He spent the next few years recovering in a Florida hospital. In the meantime, King tried to keep his name from disapearring altogether by releasing a single made up of previous sessions. By early 1958, Bradshaw slowly returned to touring and leading his band. A final single was released by King, "Bushes" backed with "Short Shorts," which failed to gain any interest. Essentially Tiny Bradshaw's career was over. The record-buying public, led by teenagers, had already discovered <a href="spotify:artist:4xls23Ye9WR9yy3yYMpAMm">Little Richard</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:293zczrfYafIItmnmM3coR">Chuck Berry</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:43ZHCT0cAZBISjO8DG9PnE">Elvis</a>. While trying to make the transistion to the rock & roll market, Bradshaw passed away of a third stroke on November 26, 1958, at his home in Cincinatti. He was 53 years old. Bradshaw is remembered not only as a fine jump blues shouter, but a bandleader who employed some of the greatest jazz players as sidemen along the way including <a href="spotify:artist:3jzHHemEeRKqkjtG0KHSoo">Shad Collins</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5vaCDVsZZuXM6xw1VX8DR3">Russell Procope</a>, and Happy Caldwell (all in 1934); <a href="spotify:artist:217b0uqAzsOOhGcnoANZqj">Sonny Stitt</a> (who recorded with Bradshaw in 1944); Big Nick Nicholas; <a href="spotify:artist:0r0T1lZ0BIPJQhyQ2o75m9">Red Prysock</a>; <a href="spotify:artist:6UtT3cQVj0QgdZ89f5br5I">Bill Hardman</a>; and <a href="spotify:artist:4ZER6Et93aVvfwzaiwjjbI">Sil Austin</a>. ~ Scott Yanow & Al Campbell, Rovi