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All Music Guide:
Although rhythm guitarist and lyricist Richey James Edwards' assaultive public persona garnered most of the band's headlines in their early days, the heart of Manic Street Preachers was always singer and lead guitarist James Dean Bradfield. With his short, stocky physique and hard-man bravado, Bradfield had an Everyman anti-mystique that rooted the band's often inchoate political posturing and served as an anchor for Edwards' considerably flightier proto-Pete Doherty antics. Together, Bradfield and Edwards made Manic Street Preachers THE buzz band of the early days of Brit-pop, before the reconfigured band became worldwide stars after Edwards' apparent suicide in 1995.
Born in the small Welsh industrial city of Pontypool on February 21, 1969, James Dean Bradfield claims that his father named him after the doomed American film actor. Early exposure to the first wave of punk bands, especially the Clash, led Bradfield to form a band with his cousin Sean Moore on drums and childhood friend Nicholas Jones (soon renamed Nicky Wire) on bass in 1986. Wire soon convinced his university friend Edwards to join the band, and the newly rechristened Manic Street Preachers released their first D.I.Y. single in 1988. A long series of singles and EPs, along with the band's growing live buzz and a notorious incident where Edwards carved the phrase "4 Real" into his arm in front of a journalist from New Musical Express, led to the Manics signing to Sony in 1991. Three albums -- 1992's Generation Terrorists, 1993's Gold Against the Soul, and 1994's The Holy Bible -- followed, but Edwards' increasingly aberrant behavior eclipsed the band's music even in the eyes of many fans. When Edwards disappeared in February 1995 (his abandoned car found on a bridge near Bristol), many assumed that would be the end of the Manic Street Preachers.
Instead, Bradfield reasserted his position as the focal point of the Manic Street Preachers both on-stage and in interviews (although Wire took up the job of writing the lyrics) and the new trio lineup released 1996's reflective Everything Must Go, a crisply commercial pop album somewhat at odds with the glam-infused punk of their early days. Released in 1998, This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours was equally commercially successful, although 2001's Know Your Enemy and 2004's slick, Tony Visconti-produced Lifeblood saw diminishing returns, including the loss of the band's American distribution.
During this period, Bradfield took on production and remixing jobs for the likes of Massive Attack, Kylie Minogue, and fellow Welshman Tom Jones, before finally releasing his first solo album, The Great Western, in July 2006. Featuring the single "That's No Way to Tell a Lie" and "An English Gentleman," an affecting tribute to the Manic Street Preachers' late manager Philip Hall, The Great Western is a return to the mainstream guitar rock of Everything Must Go.
Wikipedia:
James Dean Bradfield (born 21 February 1969) is the lead guitarist and lead vocalist for the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers.
Biography
Early life
Born in Pontypool, Monmouthshire, Bradfield attended the local Oakdale Comprehensive School near Blackwood where he suffered years of cruelty and bullying (he claims he was "a Woody Allen-esque little nerd") for his name (Nicknamed Crossfire), lazy eye, musical bent and small size. James formed a rather exclusive relationship with three friends: his cousin Sean Moore, who lived with James and his family throughout their childhood after his own parents' divorce, and future bandmates Nicky Wire (real name Nicholas Jones) and Richey James Edwards.
Bradfield loved to run and was a fine steeple-chaser, and soon grew fond of famous punk rock band The Clash. He gave up his dream of "being like Napoleon" and decided that he wanted to be a rock star. He learnt to play guitar by learning how to play Guns N' Roses's Appetite for Destruction with the curtains drawn in his parents' front room.
Solo career
Late April 2006, a track from Bradfield's debut solo single entitled "That's No Way To Tell A Lie" premiered on Janice Long's show on Radio 2. It became the first single from the album and was released on 10 July while the album, entitled "The Great Western", was released on 24 July. The single debuted at #18 in the UK single charts while the album debuted at #22 on the album charts. The positions were considered relatively successful considering the lack of promotion.
In support of the album, Bradfield played a series of solo gigs in May 2006 in Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham and London. The setlists consisted of tracks from the "The Great Western" as well as several Manics tracks including "This Is Yesterday" and "Ocean Spray". He has also played one further date in London ULU in June 2006, featuring a similar setlist to the other gigs. Bradfield also performed at the 2006 V Festival in late August. He embarked on his first full UK tour – consisting of 15 dates – in October. A second single, 'An English Gentleman' was lifted from "The Great Western" prior to the tour and entered the UK chart at #31 on 1 October 2006.
Personal life
He currently lives in Chiswick, London, but also has a house in the dock area of Cardiff. Despite having said “I always get bored of the company of women really quickly,” he married Mylène Halsall in a secret ceremony in Florence, Italy on 11 July 2004. He is a fan of Cardiff Blues and Nottingham Forest.
Musical equipment
Guitars
Gordon Smith GS-1 double cutaway Schecter S-1
