Willie Bradley is a native of Orangeburg, SC and a graduate of South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC where he earned his BS Degree in Music Education and Performance. Over the course of his career, he has become a go –to musician for many of soul music’s greats over the years. His music reach spans worldwide and can be heard on Smooth Jazz Radio Stations to include Sirius XM, Music Choice, Pandora, Spotify, and iHeart Radio.

In 2014, Willie released his debut Contemporary Jazz CD “Another Day & Time” produced and co-written by keyboardist/Recording Artist Nicholas Cole.

On his sophomore CD project (2018) “Going With The Flow”, Willie showed the music world that he was not just going with the “average” flow of things. Together with multi-award-winning producer Preston Glass, (Kenny G., George Benson, Earth Wind & Fire and many more) they brought together a fantastic group of songs as well as a cast of stellar musicians. This musical adventure was merely an appetizer of sweet things to come. 

His third CD (2021), “It’s My Time” contained two #1 Billboard singles – “It’s On Now” featuring Ragan Whiteside and “It’s My Time featuring James Lloyd. The single “It’s My Time” was also featured on the Top 30 Smooth Jazz Network chart for best songs of 2021.

Willie is currently working on his fourth CD (2023) “Raising The Bar” and is working with several new producers (David Dyson, Jacob Webb, Gino Rosaria, James Lloyd, Nathan Mitchell and Jeff Canady) that will definitely “Raise The Bar” on this project.

Throughout his music career, Willie’s musical productions have been considered for two Grammy Awards and he was selected as Beats Magazine 2021 Smooth Jazz Artist of the Year By The Smooth Jazz Network. He was the Distinguished Alumnus Award winner for 2022 at South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC and currently in his second year serving as full time Music Industry Professor/Artist In Residence at the University. 

Willie’s stage presence includes performances with jazz greats including Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Frank Foster, Max Roach, Betty Carter. More recently, his live performances and collaborations placed him with world-class artists including Gerald Alston, Ronnie Laws, Marion Meadows, Walter Beasley, Reagan Whiteside, Selina Albright, George Clinton, Gerald Albright, and James Lloyd and Andre 3000.

Willie has performed at high profile shows around the country including Algarve Smooth Jazz Festival, San Diego Smooth Jazz Festival, Long Beach Smooth Jazz Festival, Newport Beach Jazz Festival, Middle C Jazz, Pre-Super Bowl LVI “Taste of Inglewood” Big Game Festival, Lake Arbor Jazz Festival, Blues Alley, Catalina Jazztrax Festival, Baltimore Orioles, Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Los Angeles Clippers. He is also known for being part of the brass section with RJ & The Original James Brown Band touring abroad in France, Osaka and Tokyo Japan’s Billboard Live and Summer Sonic Music Festival.

“Bold, yet simultaneously charming; Edgy, yet at the same time beautiful; these seemingly opposing adjectives might well-describe the music of artist/trumpeter Willie Bradley, but also fittingly tell about the man! Willie Bradley’s music brings together many varied styles, but takes smooth jazz to a whole new level.”