Artist:Jan Bradley
Song:Mama Wouldn't Lie
Album:Time Life Rhythm & Blues 1963
The 1963 single Mama Didn't Lie was a top 20 hit and the only big hit for singer Jan Bradley. One of her other singles charted so she was not technically a one hit wonder. But it's Jan's only memorable record and it still gets radio play on oldies stations. Of course music fans have heard this song. But they don't know who sings it. Addie "Jan " Bradley was born July 6, 1943 in Byhalia, MS. but she grew up in the Chicago suburb of Robbins, IL. She met guitarist Phil Upchurch at a high school talent show. He referred her to his manager Don Talty. Talty wanted to sign her to his record label Formal Records. But her parents wanted her to graduate from high school first. After Jan graduated, Upchurch sent her to The Impressions leader Curtis Mayfield to audition. He wrote some songs for her. And when one of those songs We Girls was a regional hit in the Midwest, Talty and Mayfield knew they had to get national distribution for Jan. So they sold her contract to Chess Records and the single Mama Didn't Lie reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #8 on the R&B Singles chart. Mayfield wrote the song and Talty produced. You can get Mama Didn't Lie on this Time Life various artists comp. Soon after that, Mayfield got into a dispute with Chess over publishing rights. The result was that Jan could no longer work with Mayfield. So she and Talty started writing songs together. The only other single that charted was I'm Over You in 1965. After Jan left Chess, She recorded unsuccessfully for several small labels. Jan retired from music in the early 70s to become a social worker and to raise a family. She still sings in her church choir. But her music heyday is a distant memory. Mama Didn't Lie is certainly a great record. Here's a video for Mama Didn't Lie by Jan Bradley.
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