Jan Bradley
Addie "Jan" Bradley (born July 6, 1943)[1] is an American soul singer.
Jan Bradley | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Addie Bradley |
| Born | July 6, 1943 Byhalia, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Genres | Soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1962–1971 |
Biography
Bradley was born in Byhalia, Mississippi, United States,[1] and grew up in Robbins, Illinois. She was noticed by manager Don Talty (who also managed Phil Upchurch) at a high school talent show singing with the Passions.[2][3] After graduating, she auditioned for Curtis Mayfield, and soon recorded the Mayfield-penned "We Girls", which became a hit regionally in the Midwest (on Talty's Formal Records label).[4] Several singles followed, and another Mayfield song originally issued on Formal, "Mama Didn't Lie" (b/w "Lovers Like Me"), was released nationally in the U.S. by Chess Records in 1963 and hit No. 8 US Billboard R&B chart and No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1]
Following the single's success, Mayfield and Chess got into a legal battle over the publishing rights to Mayfield's songs, and as a result Bradley was no longer able to work with him. She started writing her own songs and released several further singles on Chess. "I'm Over You" hit No. 24 R&B in 1965;[4] other Chess releases included "Just a Summer Memory" b/w "He'll Wait on Me", "It's Just Your Way", and "These Tears" b/w "Baby What Can I Do". Bradley continued working with Talty after her arrangement with Chess ended, releasing singles for the smaller Adanti, Hootenanny, Doylen, Spectra Sound, and Night Owl labels.
Bradley stopped singing professionally in the early 1970s; she raised a family and became a social worker.[1] She resides in the south suburbs of Chicago and has two children named Timothy and Jamila.[4] She is also the grandmother of three and continues to sing in her church choir. Her records remained popular among devotees of Northern soul. Her catalog of music, both writing and singing, includes soul, pop and rock and roll.
Discography
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B [5] |
US Pop [5] | |||
| 1962 | "Behind the Curtains" | ― | — | |
| "We Girls" | ― | ― | ||
| "Whole Lot of Soul" | ― | ― | ||
| "Christmas Time" | ― | ― | ||
| 1963 | "These Tears" | ― | ― | |
| "Mama Didn't Lie" | 8 | 14 | ||
| 1964 | "Please Mr. DJ" | — | — | |
| "Curfew Blues" | — | — | ||
| 1965 | "Back in Circulation" | ― | ― | |
| "I'm Over You" | 24 | 93 | ||
| "The Brush Off" | ― | ― | ||
| 1966 | "Just a Summer Memory" | ― | ― | |
| 1967 | "Trust Me" | — | ― | |
| "Your Kind of Lovin'" | ― | ― | ||
| 1968 | "You Gave Me What's Missing" | ― | ― | |
| 1971 | "Tricks of the Trade" | ― | ― | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | ||||
References
- Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 312/3. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- Pruter, Robert (1996). Doowop: The Chicago Scene. University of Illinois Press. p. 158. ISBN 978-0252022081.
The four, minus Lee Brown, had attended Blue Island High and had sung in the Passions, a group with female lead Addie Bradley. Record entrepreneur Don Talty discovered the group but wanted only Bradley. He rechristened her Jan ...
- Pruter, Robert (1992). Chicago Soul. University of Illinois Press. p. 155. ISBN 978-0252062599.
Jan Bradley was born Addie Bradley, July 6, 1943, in Byhalia, Mississippi, and at around four years of age moved with her family to ... I was like a sophomore in high school, Blue Island Eisenhower, and I met this group of guys, the Passions
- Hogan, Ed. "Artist Biography". AllMusic.
- "Jan Bradley Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". Music VF. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
External links
- Jan Bradley discography at Discogs