The blend of these ingredients created a buzz around Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise loud enough to be heard by representatives of Sony. The head suits at the company set up a showcase for the band in 1994--but what could have been Bradley's big break was sabotaged by a certain illicit substance.
"They flew us up there to New York, had the limousine and everything," Bradley says. "And they had, like, twenty executives up in that room, too. We were having a ball, and the hotel was great; you know, great food, eating sushi. But then somebody gave us some shit that we weren't supposed to have--and we got blowed and couldn't do shit. I just had too much weed, so I don't do that anymore. When I get ready to do a show, I'm straight."
The players' indulgence didn't prove fatal; after Sony bowed out, RCA stepped in with a contract of its own. Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise, the first disc released under the deal, demonstrates why the company was interested in the first place. The musical accompaniment on cuts such as "Bellybone," "Shake It Off" and "Trouble Brother," which juxtapose Motown sensibilities with jam-band inclinations, can be callow on occasion, but Bradley's presence imbues it with credibility. Without straining for effect, he gives his straightforward lyrics (like "Send all the children, send the children to bed/I'm gonna love ya from your feet to your head") an authenticity that cannot be purchased at any price. He's especially effective on "Once Upon a Time," which suggests a classic by the Band as covered by Ted Hawkins, and "Way Back," an emotional wallop of a number accented by impassioned back-up singers and faux strings that are just as effective as the real things.
Critics were immediately impressed by Bradley's crooning, as were the latter-day hippies who make up the healthiest part of today's concert market. "That kinda surprised me," Bradley admits. "You wouldn't think they'd be into a blues thing so much. Like the people who like Dave Matthews--that really surprises me, because it seems like more of a teenagey kind of sound. I don't think anybody who's forty years old is going to be into Dave Matthews too much. But I guess if it's a good song, it doesn't make any difference who it is."
Since many of Blackwater Surprise's followers were far too young to have experienced the music that influenced Bradley firsthand, he finds himself in the position of introducing them to the genres that shaped him. It's a task he performs gladly. "People should hear people like Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters," he says. "And to expose these people to this rich music is great. So when these kids come up to me and ask what records they should get, I recommend things to them. And then they come back and say, 'Man, that was great. You should do a song by Otis Redding,' or 'You should do a song by so-and-so.' And I might do something like that someday. But I haven't established myself enough yet to be concentrating on that. I'm trying to get the Blackwater Surprise thing going right now."
Constant touring is helping Bradley achieve this goal, particularly in Colorado, which he describes as "the first state that really showed an appreciation for what I was doing. I love it so much I've even thought about getting me a place out there." But even though his circumstances have improved immeasurably over the past several years, he still has the itch to take his guitar to the nearest street corner and open his heart.
"Matter of fact, I'm home this weekend, and I'd love to go out and play," he confesses. "I'm not supposed to do it, because of the band, but I told my girl, 'I'd go do it for the Salvation Army, then; I'd give the money to them.' Because there's going to be a ton of people, and I probably could make $1,500. So I might do it. I just might."
Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise. 9 p.m. Thursday, January 29, Fox Theatre, 1135 13th Street, Boulder, $5.25, 443-3399 or 830-TIXS; 8 p.m. Saturday, January 31, Bluebird Theater, 3317 East Colfax, $8, 322-2308 or 830-
