Salley had a vocal track of Dolly’s version of “The Sweet By and By,” recorded years before but not published. Remote recording and vocal track stacking have come in handy during the pandemic, so Bradley went in last year to record the bass track for the song.
“Jerry and Larry are pretty much responsible for me becoming a bass singer. They each released gospel albums several years ago, and they both asked me if I would come in and sing some bass harmony. That was the beginning of me singing a lot more bass.”
Bradley is also part of another quartet with Jimmy Fortune, Mike Rogers, and Ben Isaacs. “I’ve been a singer all my life, and I love singing lead. Just as much as singing lead, I love blending my voice with other voices. It’s something that’s a lot of fun and just being able to create something with friends like that makes it even more special.”
Bradley has spoken to Dolly once in passing at the Grand Ole Opry, but this was Bradley’s first experience singing with Dolly Parton, even if it was digitally.
“Incredible,” Bradley shared when asked what it was like to be on a record with Dolly. “To hear all of our voices with Dolly is like something beyond your wildest dreams. She is such an iconic person and an iconic voice. It’s such a blessing to me. It’s very special. When you hear your voice with Dolly Parton, it’s just like ‘Wow, that happened.'”
Bradley said that it wasn’t only her voice or her music that was an inspiration to him, but who she is as a person and a Christian. “She’s never been afraid to put her faith and her belief in God out front, and I admire that about Dolly so much.”