BRADD MARQUIS is a US indie soul singer/songwriter and producer who debuted in 2007 with the album ‘Finding My Way’. That was followed by ‘Authentic’ and 2013’s ‘Thank You’. Then last year we enjoyed ‘Love’, a concise 7 tracker with the standout being ‘The Thrill Is Gone’ which referenced the BB King classic.
Right now Bradd is the middle of a major US tour that pays tribute to Sam Cooke. Apparently Bradd’s ‘The Music of Sam Cooke – A Change Is Gonna Come Tour’ has been a hit all over the US and continues to sell out venues.
Bradd has just released a single to tie in with the tour and in some ways it’s an odd choice – a cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ – soul wise, more associated with Stevie Wonder than Sam Cooke. However, Cooke did record it and he performed it regularly towards the end of his career – the message clearly resonated with the times! Marquis says: “Sam thought this song spoke so closely to the conditions of Black America during the civil rights movement that it should have been written by a black man. Sam did the next best thing; he covered it. Unfortunately, the message of this song still resonates to this day“.
Sensibly for his version Bradd keeps well away from the familiar templates and cuts a sort of carefree, swinging version that’s out right now!
