Charles Bradley Isn't Done Fighting For America

After a life of hardship, the soul singer takes a stand against greed, racism, and Donald Trump.

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On the opening track of his new album, Charles Bradley introduces himself as "a brother that came from the hard licks of life." An organ softly plays the opening chords to "God Bless America" in the background. "It made me stronger, to stand strong that know that America represents love for all humanity and the world."

Here's what Charles Bradley understands better than anyone in this country: It can give and it can take. For most of his life, Bradley saw the latter. He was raised in poverty by his grandmother until he ran away from home at the age of 14. He lived on the streets for years, and he traveled the country struggling to work on and off as a chef and a musician. He experienced first hand a tumultuous and deeply racist time in American politics. He was just down the street when his nephew murdered his brother.

Bradley was in his early 60s when he finally saw some of the American dream. He was working as a James Brown impersonator in the early 2000s when he was discovered by Daptone Records co-founder Gabriel Roth. Since then, he's released three albums, most recently Changes, which came out in April. His story became the subject of a documentary called Soul of America. He's played across the world at some of the most iconic venues and festivals, including a sold out run this summer.

And at 68 years old and finally able to taste some of that hard-earned success, Bradley isn't done fighting.

After a lifetime of feeling powerless while watching the pain people can inflict on each other, Bradley can finally do something about it. He can get on stage and "just talk to the people," as he told me. He can rip that weathered voice of American soul, he can fight back tears walking through his adoring fans, he can tell them that greed is destroying us, he can keep praying.

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One of the most inspiring things about the new album is how thankful and optimistic it is. How do you find that perspective, even among the trials you've gone through?

Charles Bradley: I always wanted this in my 30s and 40s, but I got it at the age of 62. It's bittersweet. I've been fighting for so long, Matt. I finally got here, and I just need to show the world how badly I wanted it and put out the best music that I can push out. I just have to open up when I'm on stage because that's what I did in my life. I want people to know what I've been through, and the love and the honesty that I have kept inside me. I just open my heart and let my heart go free.

You have one of the most inspiring stories in music. Do a lot of people reach out to you saying you've helped them? Who's the most memorable person you've talked to?

The song "Changes," the one that I just made. The guy who wrote the original [version] of that song, he had texted my manager and wanted to thank me. He said, "Charles, you took this song and you made it your own, and it's one of the greatest songs that you've done. I'm very happy and proud of you."

After a few years of phenomenal success and touring, how do you stay connected to the man you were before you released your first record on Daptone?

I was doing James Brown and Otis Redding before. And when I wasn't doing that, I was good with my hands and could do work with my hands. When I went to Gabriel Roth's studio, I showed him I was good with my hands and started working as a handyman in his studio. I asked him for a chance, and he gave me a song to sing with Sharon Jones. I didn't really like the song, but I wanted the chance so bad, I learned it. With music, if I can't feel it and put my soul to it and my heart, I can't do it. When I got on stage, I just set my spirit free and put out the lyrics that I wanted to put out. When I got off stage, they said, "Charles, you didn't do the song that we told you to do," and I said I couldn't do it. Lyrics have a meaning to it, and they have a meaning in my heart. And when I say something, I want to mean it. And that's the way I do my music now. Like that song Changes, that song means something. The lyrics fit my spirit.


What's the most important lesson you've learned?

My grandmother always told me that regardless of what the world gives you, stay humble. Stay strong in your beliefs, and be honest. And when you're wrong, be a man and say you're wrong. And be strong when you're right. The world that we live in today, it'll take your rightness and make you wrong. But when you know in your heart that you're right, you can stay strong. But when you know that you're wrong, it always takes a man to say, "My apologies." Once I got in a fight with one of my brothers, and I went back to him and he thought I was going to fight with him, and I said, "No, I was wrong. I was wrong." And he was shocked, and that's the same thing with anyone. When I'm wrong, I admit to you I'm wrong to clear up my spirit.

You've been fighting your whole life, and now that you've found success, what do you feel like you're fighting for now?

I'm trying to find a home that I can come home to and there's no stress or pressure to be scared to be in your own house. Living in a lot of neighborhoods where you see a lot of shooting and fighting going on, I just want to earn and work hard at what I do and have a decent life. That's what I've been trying to do my whole life, and I'm just beginning to get that. I've been on my own since I was 14 years old. I've been out there fighting and living in the streets with police brutality and all this stuff that I've been through. Sometimes you feel that you're alone when you feel like society has done something wrong to you, and you have no way to fight. And you're just so angry and you have no one to turn to. Now I'm just beginning to have a chance at the age of 62, and I'm finally just getting a piece of the chance now. I can really go out and make the world descent to live in. I can open up and say, "Hey, you can't do this to me." Before, I couldn't do nothing but shut my mouth and pray to God to give me a chance. That was my greatest gift: me praying to God and keeping my faith in life.

I'm glad you brought that up, because I feel like your album celebrates so much of what America can offer us, but it also acknowledges your own struggle. What challenges do you think the country is facing?

Back in the days as a person of color, it was hard to live. I like what America is becoming. I'm seeing America growing today and all different races and nationalities are coming to America. In the past it was, "This is my country, this is your country," but we're all on this planet together. We are human, and we need to realize we're brothers and sisters and share this world in harmony. Let's have a real understanding and talk and find out the real reason why you hate this, why you want to destroy that. It's time for us to come together. Are we doing this because of greed? How many billions can you own? How many skyscrapers can you own? If you got it all, what more do you want? I'm looking at Trump, and what else do you want? You've got billions of dollars? Do you want to cause chaos? Do you want to build a wall like in Berlin? Do you want to do that to Mexico? For what? Everyone wants to be loved, and everyone deserves a chance. The way I look at the things that have happened today, I think, "My god what's going on in this world?"

You've lived through so many tumultuous times in American politics, how is it different for you now that you have a platform to actually connect with people?

When I sing and get into the spirit, I get into the music and just talk to the people. They hear it. A lot of them say, "Charles, thank you so much you have let me see the light inside of me."

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