I had no idea what to expect on a visit to Bradley’s Barn in Tennessee. As we entered the unassuming building tucked away in the lush green Tennessee countryside – it’s a brick building now, rebuilt on the site of the old wooden barn after fire destroyed it in 1980 – I never expected to meet someone legendary. But I sure did.
Bradley’s Barn was once a famous recording studio started by a man named Owen Bradley in the 1960s. An industry pioneer, Bradley built his first music business on Nashville’s ‘Music Row’ in 1955 before buying the barn. Some of North America’s most loved country artists made records here.
Owen Bradley produced Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Ernest Tubb, Ferlin Husky, Marty Robbins, and so many more. Including Conway Twitty. In fact, it was Owen who suggested that Twitty recite rather than sing the first two lines of Hello Darlin’ – which went on to become Twitty’s biggest hit.
Owen’s son Jerry Bradley grew up in the presence of these artists. A legend in his own right, Jerry went on to become president of RCA Records in the 1970s and 80s, ushering the record industry through a new generation of musical greats. Jerry worked with Waylon Jennings, Ray Stevens, Ronnie Milsap, and Charlie Pride, to name a few.
As our group, comprised of travel writers from the US and Canada, toured through the studio, an elderly man walked in. He was dressed sharply in black pants and jacket, with grey button down shirt, topped off with a black cap, greeted us one-by-one. He stretched out his hand, gave mine a firm shake, smiled warmly, and looked me right in the eyes. “Hello, I’m Jerry Bradley.”
Apparently he didn’t go down to the studio very much anymore, but he knew we would be there so he wanted to make the time. I knew we were about to experience something special. We positioned ourselves on couches and chairs in a sort of semi-circle around him. A little bit like children eagerly awaiting a story to be read. And boy, did he have stories.
Jerry started off by telling us about his ‘daddy’, Owen Bradley, who pioneered some of the first recording studios in Nashville. One day in 1963, Owen’s wife sent him out to buy hotdogs. On the way, he saw a road-sign for a barn auction happening that day. He decided to go down there and put in a bid. Well, he won, and suddenly found himself the proud owner of a barn, sitting on 53 acres and full of manure.
But what happened to the hotdogs?
“He had bought them and put them in his car before the auction, but while he was down there, momma went and got them out of the car herself. So after, when he got home, he told her ‘I bought the hotdogs but somebody stole them’.”
We chuckled at the story, and so did he. Thus began two intriguing hours with Jerry Bradley. He told us tidbits. We asked him questions. He generously revealed segments of his life, relaying stories with humility, modesty and a warmth and kindness that, to be honest, was quite unexpected. Very appealing. And completely captivating.
Turns out, one of the music industry’s biggest execs is just a nice and gracious man, who wants people to get it right – the whole reason why he made time to meet with us at the studio. “I never used to do interviews at all, but I found that people were getting things wrong. So I wanted to get things right, that’s all.”
I could have listened to his stories all day. I wished I had a tape recorder so I would remember them all, memorialize them, and one day share with the world what an interesting, humble, and inspirational man he truly is.
