Lloyd Bradley (born 21 January 1955) is a British music journalist and author, whose books include 2013's ''
Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital''.
Biography
Born in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, England, to recent immigrants from
St Kitts
Saint Kitts, officially Saint Christopher, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis constitute one ...
, Bradley discovered
Jamaican music during his teenage years, while going out in the North London-based
sound system Sound system may refer to:
Technology media
* Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience
* High fidelity, a sound system intended for accurate reproduction of music in the home
* Public address system, an institution ...
s and created his own, named "Dark Star System", in the late 1970s.
He worked on several magazines in their early years, including ''
Q'' and ''
Empire
An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'' for
Emap Metro, and launched ''Big!'' for the same company. Together with
Mat Snow, he developed ''
Maxim
Maxim or Maksim may refer to:
Entertainment
*Maxim (magazine), ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine
** Maxim (Australia), ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition
** Maxim (India), ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition
*Maxim ...
'' for
Dennis Publishing
Dennis Publishing Ltd. was a British publisher. It was founded in 1973 by Felix Dennis. Its first publication was a kung-fu magazine. Most of its titles now belong to Future plc.
In the 1980s, it became a leading publisher of computer enthusi ...
, and worked on the launch of ''Encore'' magazine in 1994 for
Haymarket. He then joined ''
GQ'' as an editor, moving in 2003 to US company
Rodale as an editorial consultant on ''
Men's Health
''Men's Health'' (''MH''), published by Hearst Communications, Hearst, is the world's largest men's magazine brand, with 35 editions in 59 countries; it is the bestselling men's magazine on American newsstands.
Started as a men's health magazin ...
'' and ''
Runner's World
''Runner's World'' is a global magazine and website for runners of all abilities. It has additionally developed experiential formats, including a digital membership program, called Runner's World+. It is published by Hearst in Easton, Pennsylva ...
'' magazines.
Bradley is currently a freelance journalist and consultant for many titles. He is also working on a biography of
George Clinton, that sets P-Funk in its correct socio-political context.
His journalistic contributions have been published in ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'', ''
Black Music
Music of the African diaspora is a sound created, produced, or inspired by Black people, including Music of Africa, African music traditions and African popular music as well as the music genres of the African diaspora, including some Caribbean mus ...
'' magazine, ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' and ''
Mojo
Mojo may refer to:
* Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi
* '' ...
'', among other publications.
Bradley's ''Bass Culture'' (2001) is a book on
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
music.
He was associate producer of the
BBC2
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...
series ''Reggae: The Story of Jamaican Music''. His 2013 book, ''
Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital'', received positive review coverage, described in ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' as an "exceptional work
hat
A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
can sit proudly beside the author's earlier Bass Culture: When Reggae Was King, the definitive account of the glory days of the Jamaican music industry."
Bradley is also a classically trained chef who divides his time between London and
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
.
Biography
Lloyd Bradley website.
Bibliography
* ''Rock Year Book Vol. 9'', Virgin Books, 1988.
* ''Rock Yearbook'', St Martin's Press, UK, 1989.
* With Gary Glitter
Paul Francis Gadd (born 8 May 1944), better known by his stage name Gary Glitter, is an English former singer who achieved fame and success during the 1970s and 1980s. His career ended after he was convicted of downloading child pornography i ...
, ''Leader: The Autobiography of Gary Glitter'', London: Ebury Press, 1991,
* ''Soul on CD: The Essential Guide'', 1994, Kyle Cathie Ltd, UK,
* ''Reggae on CD: The Essential Guide'', first edition, Trafalgar Square Publishing, UK, 1996,
* ''Rod Stewart: Every Picture Tells a Story'', London Bridge, UK, 1999.
* ''Reggae: The Story of Jamaican Music'', photographs by Dennis Morris, BBC Books, UK, 2001.
* ''Bass Culture: When Reggae Was King'', Penguin Books Ltd, UK, 2001. . Different editions:
** USA: ''This Is Reggae Music: The Story of Jamaica's Music'', Grove Press, USA, 2001.
** France: ''Bass Culture: Quand le Reggae était roi'', translation Manuel Rabasse, 2005, Editions Allia, France.
** Germany: ''Bass Culture Der Siegeszug des Reggae'', Hanibal.
** Japan: ''Bass Culture'', Shinko.
** Italy: ''Bass Culture: La Musica dalla Giamaica: ska, rocksteady, roots reggae, dub & dancehall'', Shake Edizioni.
** Spain: ''Bass Culture: La historia del reggae'', translation Tomás González Cobos. Acuarela & A. Machado, Spain.
* ''The Rough Guide To Running'', Rough Guide, 2007.
* ''The Rough Guide to Men's Health'', Rough Guide, 2009.
* '' Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital'', London: Serpent's Tail, 2013.
* With Ian Wright
Ian Edward Wright (born 3 November 1963) is an English media personality and former professional footballer.
Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal as a forward, spending six years with the former and seven year ...
, ''A Life in Football: My Autobiography'', London: Constable, 2016,
* With Marcia Barrett
Marcia Barrett (born 14 October 1948) is a British singer and one of the original singers with the vocal group Boney M.
Early years
Barrett was born in Saint Catherine Parish, British Jamaica; her parents brought her to Croydon, England in ...
, ''Forward: My Life With and Without Boney M.'', Constable, 2018,
References
External links
Official website
LLoyd Bradley Profile
at ''The Guardian''.
Lloyd Bradley page
at Rock's Back Pages.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Lloyd
1955 births
21st-century English male writers
Black British writers
British male journalists
British music historians
English music critics
English people of Saint Kitts and Nevis descent
Living people
Reggae journalists
The Guardian journalists
Writers from London
Rock music historians