Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise stood out as an oddity amid the prevailing currents of late-'90s rock & roll. The lineup paired its namesake—a weathered Detroit street singer—with three comparatively youthful alterna-kids handling instrumental duties. Born in Alabama, Bradley absorbed musical drive and technique through acoustic-guitar performances at coffeehouses and piano work inside Baptist churches. After relocating to Detroit and busking sporadically on the streets to reach listeners, he was noticed in 1994 by guitarist Michael Nehra, bassist Andrew Nehra, and drummer Jeff Fowlkes—previously members of the Detroit band Second Self—who caught his voice through an open window during their own rehearsal session. They spent an hour listening before summoning him upstairs to lay down several acoustic tracks and, shortly afterward, to serve as their frontman.
The Nehra brothers' prior production work alongside Detroit act Majesty Crush proved useful when the group tracked its first release, the 1996 album Blackwater Surprise. Their unconventional story and vigorous stage presence—marked by a near-gospel intensity—built a following through steady club appearances and larger-venue support slots alongside the Dave Matthews Band, Big Head Todd & the Monsters, Widespread Panic, and Maceo Parker. The band also found traction on alternative radio and VH1. Keyboardist Tim Diaz came aboard before the follow-up, 2000's Time to Discover.
