Harold Bradley, Jr. was born two weeks before the Wall Street Crash. Times were tough, especially for
Blacks in Chicago, but Harold found opportunities to learn and grow. Introduced by his mother, he
talked jazz with Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway, and studied art with legendary illustrator E. Simms
Campbell.
Harold loved music. He was a gifted painter. And he was a natural athlete. He attended the University of
Iowa on a football scholarship. On the gridiron, he was named the Hawkeye’s Most Valuable Player. On
campus, however, Harold was barred from dorms and most Iowa City apartments. Celebrated activist
Helen Lemme gave Harold room and board, and mentored him in sociology and civil rights.
After graduation and a short stint in the Marines, Harold was recruited by the NFL. He led the Cleveland
Browns to two national championships. The sports world hailed him as a football star, Harold relished
the opportunity to be a role model, proving that a Black man can succeed in the white man’s world.
He never lost his drive to create. He and his wife, Hannelore, a Jewish Holocaust survivor devoted to
activism, moved to Italy. Harold continued painting, did theatre, television, and appeared in films,
including Cleopatra with Elizabeth Taylor and Barabbas with Anthony Quinn. He also began a popular
music career, singing gospel, blues, and jazz standards.
The couple eventually returned to Chicago to teach. Harold hosted a series of cultural affairs TV
programs. “Close-Up,” “Soul Side,” and “People Beat” featured discussions on racism in America and
other issues within the Black community.
And when others ponder retirement, Harold and Hannelor returned to Italy, where Harold recorded a
string of blues and jazz albums. He performed for the Pope and for Nelson Mandela, and was named by
the Italian government as an “ambassador to the Italian public on African-American music styles and
culture” before his death in 2021.
Podcast (soundtrack): Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS