Bradley Joseph
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Born and raised in Willmar, Minnesota, Bradley started playing classical piano at the age of 8, and trombone a year later. He played piano for the jazz band and choir in high school, and later started playing in local Twin Cities rock bands when he was 19. After attending Moorhead State College as a music major, he led some of his own bands around the area before hooking up with veteran guitarist Dugan McNeill, whose U2-like group was signed to Polygram. Coincidentally, McNeill and Yanni had once played together in the technopop band Chameleon back in the late '70s and early '80s. Through this connection, in 1989 Bradley recorded his first demo tape and sent it off to Yanni. At the time, Yanni, whose greatest popularity was yet to come, was looking to replace keyboardist John Tesh, who was launching his own solo career. Bradley had been planning to move to Los Angeles at the time, and Yanni hired him for his next tour, sight unseen, based solely on his demo tape and compositions. Bradley recalls: "My first show was at the Starplex in Dallas with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and we were filming a video project. It was a real trial by fire for me." In his time off from Yanni, Bradley also joined Sheena Easton's touring band as keyboardist and co-musical director. They toured extensively throughout the United States, as well as tours in Japan, Indonesia, Puerto Rico, and an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Bradley's touring experiences inspired him to eventually do his own projects. "I am a composer first and foremost, and have always believed that being able to write memorable melodies is what sets musician apart. My songs bring images to the listener's mind. The object is to transport my listeners to another place, someplace sacred and spiritual that will make them glad they took the ride." In 1994, Bradley released his first solo album, Hear the Masses, on his label, Robbins Island Music. The album contains ten original compositions, written, recorded and produced by Bradley. Also featured on the album are Charlie Adams and Ric Fierabracci. Bradley caught the attention of well-known new age label Narada in 1997. His second album, released through them, was Rapture. Eventually he went on to release three more albums on his own label --- Solo Journey, Christmas Around The World, and One Deep Breath. His latest release, One Deep Breath, has held a position on NAV's "Top 100" radio chart for over six months Bradley worked and toured with Yanni from 1989 to 1994, and returned for the first half of the Ethnicity tour in 2003. He will be soon be releasing a sixth CD. |