Harold Bradley (February 2007)

Harold Bradley is the Nashville native who holds down the Presidency of the Nashville Association of Musicians Local 257 & is the man who may be the most recorded guitarist in history.

Harold Bradley was born on 2 January 1926 in Nashville.  His older brother, Owen (a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame), was a strong early musical influence.  Although Owen had earned his spurs as a pianist, Harold was at first fascinated by the banjo.  However, he also began learning to play a guitar.  While still a teenager, Harold landed a much-coveted band spot with legendary Ernest Tubb in 1943.  After high school graduation, Harold joined the navy.

Upon his discharge in 1946, he studied at George Peabody College under the GI Bill.  To enhance his income, however, Harold played on the Opry with Eddy Arnold & Bradley Kincaid.  Harold's first recording session took place on 17 December 1946 with Pee Wee King & the Golden West Cowboys in Chicago.  Two King songs on which Harold's contribution was notable are 'Texas Toni Lee' & Tennessee Central Number Nine'.

Harold soon recorded with Red Sovine.  The first million seller he was on was Red Foley's 'Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy', recorded at Castle.  Harold also did one recording session with Hank Williams Senior.

As Nashville began to expand recording-wise, Harold began to be involved in more sessions.  He was on 'Jingle Bell Rock' & 'Fraulein' (both recorded by Bobby Helms), 'I'm Sorry' & 'Rockin' around the Christmas Tree' (both recorded by Brenda Lee), along with all of Patsy Cline's recording sessions bar two.

Harold also played on such classic country tracks as 'Only the Lonely' (Roy Orbison), 'Crazy' (Patsy Cline), 'Battle of Now Orleans' (Johnny Horton), 'Big Bad John' (Jimmy Dean), 'King of the Road' (Roger Miller), 'Harper Valley PTA' (Jeannie C. Riley), 'Stand by your Man' (Tammy Wynette), 'Make the World go Away' (Eddy Arnold), 'Coal Miner's Daughter' (Loretta Lynn), 'Ebony Eyes' (The Everly Brothers) & 'Swinging' (John Anderson).

Among the cinematic soundtracks boasting Harold's touch are 'Kissin' Cousins', 'Clambake', 'Stay Away Joe', 'The Fastest Guitar Alive', 'Sugarland Express', 'A Walk in the Spring Rain', 'Tick, Tick, Tick', 'Breathless', 'Smokey & the Bandit II', 'Coal Miner's Daughter', 'Six-pack', 'Missing' & 'Sweet Dreams'.  Harold also appeared briefly In Robert Altman's award-winning movie 'Nashville' in 1975.

Harold worked with Elvis Presley from 1962 until 1967, a period during which he had 10 No.1 songs.  Elvis was one of twenty-five musicians in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with whom Bradley worked.

Harold can be heard on some of Elvis Presley's records & movie soundtracks as well as those of such entertainers as Perry Como, Buddy Holly, Pee Wee King, George Morgan, Hank Williams Senior, Burl Ives, Connie Francis, Hank Snow, Jim Reeves, Charley Pride, Leon Russell, Marty Robbins, Freddie Hart, Conway Twitty & Roy Clark.

Artists Harold has represented or produced personally include Byron & Slim Whitman, Eddy Arnold & Irish singer Sandy Kelly.

Harold Bradley can boast a trio of his own albums on the Columbia label, namely 'Misty Guitar', 'The Bossa Nova Goes to Nashville' & 'Guitar for Lovers Only'.  His musical input can be heard too, on such other LP's as the Bear Family's ambitious four-compact disc set 'Webb Pierce: The Wandering Boy, 1951-1958' & Alan Jackson's 'Here in the Real World' album for Arista Records from 1991.

Visit the Country Music Hall of Fame Website
Visit the Nashville Association of Musicians Local 257