The Dean of Nashville Guitarists

After 65 years in the recording studios of Nashville, Country Music Hall of Fame member Harold Bradley has garnered numerous accolades but one of his greatest gains is a unique insight for the industry he helped create. It’s his experience that guides him well in his 16 years as head of Nashville’s musician union where he continues to fight for the rights of musicians at every level.

In a recent interview, Harold said the music business today is totally geared towards the youth.

“First, you need to be under 30,” he said. “When I would pitch artists years ago they’d want to know if a girl was married, if she had children, what her age was, see what she looked like, the whole package,” he said. “The reason was if she was married, she might not be able to go on the road to support the album. If she is recording an album. They are spending a lot of money. It takes a million dollars now just to get a person going in PR (press relations). They didn’t want to make a huge investment unless they had a person willing to make a commitment.

“Back then men could get away with being older, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, now I think the big criteria in Nashville is 30 and under,” he said. “At my age, I don’t really believe that. But it still has nothing to do with the singing part of it or the playing part of it. We are geared to view the younger generation. I think its part of the American way of life now.”

The Grand Ole Opry appears to be following the same trend trying to attract a younger audience, isn’t it?

“I think you are right. I watch the Grand Ole Opry,” he said. “I know they are trying to reach the younger generation and I think that is a huge misconception. If you walk out the stage of the Grand Ole Opry and look out there, you will see your audience. They are definitely not 18-25.”

He thinks the loss of the real country sound is the tragedy of change.

“Because I came out of the big band era, my albums on Columbia were pop and jazz,” he said. “I had to learn to try to play country music. I never thought I would have to defend country music I thought it could defend itself. It was so big. I really hate for us to lose the country music art form because that is what made Nashville different from than rest of world. We’ve got great rock and roll players all over the world if that is the direction you want to go in. Whatever they are doing they are reaching the kids. It is working. Some of them are, not all of them.”

He said no matter his own musical opinions, he is behind those doing the music.

“I’ve decided anybody that records in Nashville,” he said. “I don’t have to like their music but I will support them. They are doing it here. Maybe it’s an evolution that has to happen to keep country music going.”

Who is your favorite artist you played with?

“Whoever I am working with at the time is my favorite artist. I have that concept. If I look at the overall thing. It comes down to Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” (#1) and Roy Orbison’s “Crying” (#2),” he said. “I might hurt some people’s feelings but that’s my feelings. Although I started out one of those songs intro for eight bars.

If you saw the movie “You’ve got Mail” two-thirds of the way through, you hear the guitar start and then Roy (Orbison) singing ‘Dream,’” he said. “That’s something I cut I am really proud of. It’s not really been pushed commercially. I just finally found the album after I heard it in the movie.

Your banjo playing on “The Battle of New Orleans” introduced many people to the banjo?

“I am really proud of that,” he said. “First, my brother Owen was 10 years older than me and when I first heard someone play the banjo out of a radio broadcast out of Chicago. I said ‘I’d really like to play the banjo.’ He was at house. He said ‘The banjo is going out of style you need to learn the guitar.’ So I learned to play the guitar and then later he said I needed to learn to play the banjo. So, I got a job playing in Papa John’s Dixieland Band for a long time.

“That’s why when it came up to do that song,” he said. “I was lucky enough to have the right banjo. It’s tuned like a banjo. I keep telling people that. Some people write it was tuned like a guitar. It would not have had that sound if it was tuned like a guitar.”

Bradley said his goal all those years when he was in the studio night and day as part of the A team of studio players was to play something that will keep it interesting in between the lines of the singer.

“Hopefully we won’t get in the way,” he said. “You got to have the singer and the song.”

Is all the music sounding alike today?

“It is," he said. “There are not any original melodies. I have heard all the songs I want to about back when we were in high school. I have a real problem because ‘Crazy’ is the No. 1 jukebox hit of all time and I automatically compare all songs to ‘Crazy’ and they just don’t match up. Its really hard to me.”

Bradley enjoys a career that any musician would aspire to being a part of the greatest hits of an entire genre. At his Hall of Fame induction, he performed “Laura’s Theme” from “Dr. Zhivago” on a 12-string guitar.

The entire A Team was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame last November.

For his own favorite releases, he points to his two albums of pop songs with Anita Kerr Singers and strings.

“They were critically acclaimed,” he said. “I was the No. 9 most promising artist of 1966. I was tied with Floyd Cramer of all things. I never went out and promoted the records. I figured the pop era was over.

“They let me do what I wanted to do and that was really me,” he said. “It wasn’t as really as commercial as Chet Atkins. The song people seem to like is called ‘Exodus.’ It’s got a lot of Jazz in it. It’s a long guitar ending and arpeggios.”

What’s in the future musically?

“I still make some records from time to time the ones I want to make,” he said.

Thanks to Randall Franks.