Carmen Bradford has accomplished a great deal in her career yet fame has largely eluded her despite her talents. The daughter of singer Melba Joyce and the innovative trumpeter Bobby Bradford, she grew up in Altadena, CA. Bradford attended Huston-Tillotson College in Austin, TX but dropped out when she was offered the job of singer with Count Basie. She was with the Count Basie Orchestra during 1982-1990. Although she never had the chance to record with Basie, who passed away in 1984, Bradford appears on a few records with the Basie band when it was led by Frank Foster.