John Bradbury (drummer)
| John Bradbury | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Bradbury |
| Also known as | Brad, JB |
| Born |
16 February 1953 Coventry, England |
| Died | 28 December 2015 (aged 62) |
| Genres | soul, ska, reggae |
| Occupation(s) | drummer, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, activist |
| Instruments | drums, vocals, synthesizer, piano, keyboards, congas, bongos |
| Years active | 1968-2015 |
| Labels | RCA Victor, EMI, Chrysalis, Two Tone |
| Website | www |
John "Brad" Bradbury (16 February 1953 – 28 December 2015) was an English drummer and record producer. He is best known for having been the drummer in the English ska group The Specials.
Brad was born in Coventry, where his father, Bert, was a painter and decorator for the council, and his mother, Joan, worked first for GEC (she was a shop steward) and then at Walsgrave hospital, where she helped with care in the maternity ward. She was staunchly anti-racist and concerned with immigrants’ rights, and her views had a powerful effect on her son. He became fascinated by drumming as a child, and when he was eight his mum bought him a drum kit. According to his sister, Jill, “she then put egg boxes on the walls to stop the sound reaching the neighbours”. Brad had three elder sisters, and it was they who took him to clubs and first introduced him to northern soul.
He attended Binley Park school in Coventry, and went on to study fine art at Hull Art College. Later he took a teaching course in Birmingham, where he taught art and English. Back in Coventry, he became part of a small group of former art students and music fans who included Jerry Dammers, with whom he shared a house. “We had friends in common, but at that time I didn’t know he could play drums,” said Dammers. It was while he was working at the Virgin record store in Coventry that Brad first met Hall, another music fan with similar taste. “We grew up two streets away from each other,” said Hall, “but hadn’t met. He was like my older brother. He took me under his wing and looked after me.”
Brad was asked to join The Specials after their original percussionist (“a strict reggae drummer”, according to bassist Horace Panter) had left. He made his first appearance with the band on their first hit single, Gangsters, which was remarkable for having a song by a completely different band, the Selecter, on the B-side. Stranger still, the drummer playing on that Selecter track happened to be Brad.
Brad played a crucial role in the history of the Specials, the still massively successful multiracial band that first shook up the British music scene in the late 1970s and early 80s by mixing Jamaican ska with punk energy, a bravely political stance and good humour. They were that rarity, a thoughtful band who created great dance music, and Brad was central to their distinctive style. According to the band’s bass player, Horace Panter: “He called his approach ‘attack drumming’ and it became the Specials’ signature sound. He mixed the drive of northern soul with a reggae feel. And he improvised. He was different every night.”
With the Specials he toured Britain, packing out dancehalls where followers showed their respect by wearing the uniform of pork pie hats and black-and-white sweaters. This was the era of the National Front, and NF supporters were eager to break up the multiracial party. Brad once explained to me: “They would position themselves so they could sling abuse … and objects, if they got the chance. But they usually didn’t get the chance, because we would stop mid-number, put the spotlight on the ring-leader, and the audience would take care of the rest.”
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