Gary Bradford – “I’m Not Handicapped, Just Inconvenienced”
This one is a very special one we have today, everyone who knows me knows how much I love Gary Bradford, to me Gary wasn’t just a recording artist, I was lucky enough for a few years in my life to be able to call Gary my friend. I had met Gary online through Facebook around 2011 when I obtained a copy of his first album, “Sings For You, and You, and You” – immediately our friendship took off, he gave me his personal number we spoke, emailed and talked over Facebook almost weekly. We spent hours recounting his life as a recording artist, and his desire to reissue all of his albums when he would release his autobiography. Gary was called home to Glory before these desires would come to fruition, our last conversation we had together he had told me that he had Danny with him (the ventriloquist dummy on the back cover of this album) and he wanted to sing again. After his passing, I tried for years to get a hold of anyone who could help me bring Gary’s desires to reality, reaching out to his older brother Cliff, who also was called home to Glory. His music and the memories of my friendship, the kindness he showed me will forever live on within me, and I count myself to be truly blessed to have been lucky enough to call him my friend.
The album opens with the song “We Have Come” which was written by Gary himself, and Gary had some of the most beautiful vocals in Gospel music, and it was a gift he was blessed with and chose to give back to the world. Next up comes “Five Rows Back” and once more Gary delivers a beautiful, deep and powerful Gospel song, and words cannot begin to explain just how expressive Gary’s vocals were, you can feel the love of the Lord in his voice. That high note at the end is beautiful. “I’m Yours” comes next, and it’s a faster upbeat song, it was released as a single alongside “We Have Come” and I think it’s a fantastic song, I do wish it was longer but anything Gary does is great. The A-Side closes out with “Make Me An Instrument” and we go back to the slower songs again, but everything about this one is perfect, the vocals, the musicianship and the song choice. But wait, what’s this? There is a 5th track that is note listed on the back cover or the label, and wow, this is such a pleasant surprise from Gary, it’s like all the years I’ve been waiting to hear this album not knowing that this song was waiting in secret to be heard. This is great, it’s fantastic, I want to guess that the song name is “You Gotta Keep on Dancing” but I’m not sure, if anyone else may know please let me know.
The B-Side opens with Gary and his ventriloquist dummy, Danny, doing a joke “what’s the difference between a deacon and a pastor?” “well, what’s the difference?” “a pastors equally good, and a deacon’s good for nothing” “well, where’d you learn that?” “at church camp” – before they go into the title track “I’m Not Handicapped, Just Inconvenienced” – which it’s almost Gary’s personal testimony, the lyrics feature such lines like “God gave me a great big voice, instead of arms” and how he was “blessed with his problems” because Gary never saw his disability as a handicap, just an inconvenience that he had been blessed with. “Gentle Shepherd” comes next, and it starts with some acoustic guitar and Gary’s beautiful vocals. It’s a fantastic song. “I Go to the Rock” follows next, and it’s kind of like a rock-style Gospel track, with lots of electric guitar and bass guitar, but Gary’s vocals shine through like a rainbow after a storm. “He Was There All The Time” comes next, and it’s another slower song and Gary once more just uses this as a way to showcase his tremendous God-given vocal talent. The album closes out “I Won’t Have to Worry (Anymore)” and it’s another touching song, it features steel guitar, piano and Gary with those wonderful backing vocals. What an absolutely stunning album.
I want to thank Gil on Discogs for providing me with this copy of Gary’s album, I’m eternally grateful for this gift.
I’ve seen online a lot of disputes over when this album was released, and I’m sure that this album was released around 1984 / 1985, as it definitely came after “Seeds of Perfection” and before “The Composer“.
In 2002, he remastered “The Composer” and his 1989 album “Hymns” – which seems to be the last one, aside from his 2002/2003 release, “Safely Home” that continues to elude me.
Gary also performed on Jim and Tammy’s PTL Network,
Catalog Number:
C 1013
Credits:
Producer – Al Henson
Development – Wayne Gaskin
Music Director – Roger Morris
Engineer – Fred Cameron
Recorded at Oak Valley Recording Studio, Nashville
Photography by Virginia’s House of Photography, Houston
Fashions by J. Wesley’s, Baytown
Released:
198?
Find it on Discogs:
