Versatile and accomplished jazz vocalist Carmen Bradford was born in Austin, Texas on July 19, 1960. The daughter of trumpeter Bobby Bradford and singer Melba Joyce, Carmen Bradford was surrounded by jazz music from an early age. After spending her teens and the beginning of her 20s honing her chops, she became a singer in the Count Basie Orchestra in 1982. Though Basie would pass away just two years later, she stayed with the orchestra ‘through the rest of the decade. She made her debut as a solo artist with the 1992 LP Finally Yours, a collection that includes renditions of songs from artists as diverse as Lionel Hampton and Ray Charles. 1995’s With Respect included a variety of backing players including a rendition of the standard “Nature Boy” with guitarist Michael O’Neill. 2004’s Home With You included takes on such standards as “Singing in the Rain”, “This Can’t Be Love”, and “Take the “A” Train”. In addition to touring with such notables as the David Murray Big Band and the Doc Severinsen Orchestra, she continued her recording career and “Come So Far”, a track from the 2020 album Acoustic Pop scored her a top 10 hit in Japan.
