Of course, the world didn’t end Saturday, but the very sad news came that soul singer Charles Bradley died of stomach and liver cancer at 68. He had a very hard life, as detailed in this Rolling Stones article, and his break though album came when he was 62. Such a short time most of us knew him, and what passion and love he shared! I was lucky enough to see him at least 3 times, starting with his set at Bumbershoot in 2011.
The crowd didn’t want him to leave the stage. Charles solved that problem at later shows by hugging his way though the crowd as he left the stage.
This song, written for and about his brother especially comes to mind right now:
So much passion and soul. . .
. . . and relevance. . .
. . . and to see him live. . .
Then the ballads. . .someone proposed to his girlfriend on stage to this one at Neumos (the YouTube clip of that included in my old post seems to have been taken down):
Rest in peace, Charles Bradley. . .
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