Owen Bradley

American Country/Rockabilly musician and record producer (born October 21, 1915 in Westmoreland, Tennessee – died January 7, 1998 in Nashville, Tennessee)

As a boy, Bradley moved with his family to Nashville. There, he learned to play harmonica, steel guitar, trombone, piano, vibraphone, and organ. He was working professionally as a musician by age fifteen.

By the late 1930s, Bradley was leading his own band, which eventually included future pop stars [a=Snooky Lanson] and Kitty Kallen as vocalists. He broadcast on WLAC during 1937–1940, then became a regular on WSM. Decca executive Paul Cohen noted Bradley’s studio skills during his recording visits to Nashville. In 1947, he hired Bradley to lead the label’s sessions there.

In addition to those duties and co-writing songs like Roy Acuff’s 1942 hit “Night Train to Memphis,” Bradley found time for his own recording career. “Zeb’s Mountain Boogie,” issued as by “Brad Brady and His Tennesseans,” launched Bullet Records in 1946. Bradley’s group had additional hits on Coral in 1949 (“Blues Stay Away from Me”) and in 1950 (“The Third Man Theme”).

Together with his brother Harold, Owen Bradley created and managed the following recording studios (commonly known as The Bradley Barn or the Quonset Hut): Bradley Film & Recording Studios, Bradley Recording Studios, Bradley's Barn.

Father of Jerry Bradley; brother of Harold Bradley and Charlie Bradley.