CEDAR FALLS - Robert Bradley started singing at age 5, belting out Elvis Presley hits and Johnny Cash ballads for his 13 brothers and sisters.

"We played this game called 'Rock-Ola,' which is a jukebox," said Bradley, now 58. "I would get under the table and if they wanted me to sing a song, they would have to give me a penny."

The musician, born blind, has been crooning ever since. Discovered in the '90s working as a Detroit street musician, the Alabama native's unique mix of rock and R&B has gained him a loyal fan base that extends across the nation. On Monday, Bradley and his band, Blackwater Surprise, will perform at The Hub in Cedar Falls.

"He has a very strong grassroots, underground following," said Marcus Kjeldsen, co-owner of The Hub. "It's rock 'n' roll with a soul flair."

Bradley, a guitarist with a powerful baritone, also plays the piano - a skill he picked up at the Alabama School for the Blind. The artist perfected his craft singing at local churches and coffeehouses, and was a regular street performer at Detroit's Eastern Market in the '70s and '80s.

"It was nothin' but freedom," Bradley said. "I would try to come up with a new song every day. I would tell people I did originals only so I wouldn't have to worry about taking requests and learning all those songs."

In the musician's 20 years as a busker, Bradley produced between 300 and 400 original songs. Many of those pieces were later recorded by Bradley's Blackwater Surprise, formed in 1996.

Since hitting the big time, Bradley has performed with the Dave Matthews Band, Big Head Todd & the Monsters, Widespread Panic and Maceo Parker. He received national attention for "Higher," a song he record with Kid Rock, which was subsequently used in a Gatorade commercial.

Bradley appreciates the opportunities fame has lent him, but said he still sings for the same reasons he did as a child.

"It seems like I can see the people, actually see them in a weird way," he said. "When I am up there and they are singing and clapping and carrying on, I forget that I can't see."

Contact Mary Stegmeir

at (319) 291-1482 or

mary.stegmeir@wcfcourier.com.