Myron Carlton "Tiny" Bradshaw (September 23, 1907 – November 26, 1958)[4] was an American jazz and rhythm and blues bandleader, singer, composer, pianist, and drummer.[5] His biggest hit was "Well Oh Well" in 1950, and the following year he recorded "The Train Kept A-Rollin'", a song that was pivotal to the development of rock and roll. Bradshaw co-wrote and sang on both records.
In 1934, Bradshaw formed his own swing orchestra, which recorded eight sides in two separate sessions for Decca Records that year in New York City.[6] The band's next recording date was in 1944 for Manor Records,[6] at which point its music was closer to rhythm and blues. In 1947 Bradshaw recorded for Savoy Records under the auspices of label producer Teddy Reig.[6]
The band recorded extensively for the rhythm and blues market with King Records between late 1949 and early 1955,[5][6] and had five hits on the BillboardR&B chart. His most successful record at the time was "Well Oh Well", which reached number two on the R&B chart in 1950 and remained on the chart for 21 weeks. Two follow-ups, "I'm Going To Have Myself A Ball" (no. 5, 1950) and "Walkin' The Chalk Line" (no. 10, 1951) also made the chart before a break of almost two years.[9]
Bradshaw returned to the R&B chart in 1953 with "Soft" (no.3), an instrumental later recorded by Bill Doggett, and "Heavy Juice" (no.9). Both of these 1953 hits featured Red Prysock on tenor saxophone.[9]
Bradshaw's later career was hampered by severe health problems, including two strokes, the first in 1954, that left him partially paralyzed. He made a return to touring in 1958.[8] His last session that year resulted in two recordings, "Short Shorts" and "Bushes" (King 5114),[6] which proved an unsuccessful attempt to reach out to the emerging teenage record market.
Weakened by the successive strokes as well as the rigors of his profession, Bradshaw died in his adopted hometown of Cincinnati from another stroke in 1958.[4] He was 51 years old.[5]
Breaking Up The House, Proper Pairs #PVCD-101 (2002)
Well Oh Well: The Very Best Of Tiny Bradshaw, Collectables #COL-2880 (2004)
Heavy Juice: The King Recordings 1950-55, Rev-Ola #CRBAND-3 (2006)
The Jumpin' Beat For The Hip Kids 1949-1955, Jasmine #JASMCD-3252 (2023)
References
^ASCAP Biographical Dictionary. Fourth edition. Compiled for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers by Jaques Cattell Press. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1980
^Some sources give his year of birth as 1905, but this appears to be an error. Brother Norman Bradshaw was born 9 March 1905 in Youngstown, OH [Ohio, County Births, 1856-1909 (www.familysearch.org) entry for Norman Bradshaw, Vol. 8 page 168]. This makes it highly unlikely that Myron was born a mere five months later in September of 1905. Also, census data provides Myron's age in both the 1910 and 1920 census with an estimated birth year of 1907. Myron's birth record remains elusive. His death record, as cited earlier, indicates a birth year of 1907.
