Musical Woes of Braddy the Bass

Music’s a topic I don’t talk about nearly as much as I should – specifically, my own music. I don’t play any instruments (unless you count the three months of piano lessons I took back in second grade), and I’m no composer (except for that one song I wrote after I broke up with my high-school girlfriend, which is appropriately angsty and complete rubbish). Still, I’ve always LOVED singing.

In fact, my love of music may be the only reason I do any type of theater AT ALL (and this includes every play I’ve been in over the past two years and my involvement with The Jesters Royale). I started auditioning for plays after my voice instructor at Utah State University encouraged me to go for a role in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I started taking voice lessons because I missed the experience of singing before an audience. My first vocal performances were back in junior high and high school where I had excellent teachers… who probably connect with Kevin Bacon somewhere along the line.

As much as I love singing, though, I’ve never been incredibly fond of my own voice. I’m very much a bass/baritone – which is fine, I guess. We low-singers don’t generally get much love from other composers, though. Solos aren’t ever really written for basses unless they focus on the high-end of our register, and, when singing in ensemble, we generally get the plodding foundation rather than any of the fun stuff. We’re the tubas of the vocal performance world.

Above: Self Portrait

Now, there are a few low voices out there that get a lot of respect. I mean, a LOT of respect. For example, there’s Barry White:

Isaac Hayes:

And that guy that sings “Old Man River”:

These men are talented and influential musicians all, but they also have something in common that I don’t have. If I’m honest (and I have to be – the Bible says so), then I must admit that I am not, in fact, black, but rather white as newly fallen Norwegian snow.

You know who else is a skinny, kinda awkward white bass?

Do people still talk about Rickrolling? I hope not. Maybe then, we’ll all take a minute to recognize Rick Astley for the musical genius he is.