Carmen Bradford

Carmen Bradford (born July 19, 1960, Austin, Texas) is an American jazz singer.She sang with the Count Basie Orchestra from 1983 to 1991. Bradford grew up in a musical family; her grandfather is Melvin Moore, her father Bobby Bradford, and her mother Melba Joyce.She studied music formally at Huston-Tillotson College, and sang as a popular singer and for television commercials before scoring a slot opening for the Count Basie Orchestra in 1982.In 1983 Basie asked her to sing with the band, and she remained a singer with the group after Basie's death, under the direction of Thad Jones and Frank Foster.In 1991 she left the group and worked under her own name, releasing several albums; she has also worked with David Murray and Kamau Daaood.