Robert Bradley has a penchant for beginning his live improvisations and the recorded songs on Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise’s self-titled debut CD with the reflective phrase, “I remember.”

Over the span of his forty-six years of life, he has certainly gathered a lot of memories.

Bradley does not fit the stereotypical views of any musical genre, whether it is rock-and-roll, blues or jazz.

He is a blind African-American who is just beginning his ascension into fame and the record business. He is an improvisationalist that has spent a quarter of a century performing on street corners with only his voice and a guitar.

At first glance, most spectators would dismiss Bradley as a homeless failure because he was a blind black man with graying hair playing music on the street corners of Detroit.

But inevitably, those spectators would listen to Bradley’s rich voice and beautiful, raw guitar riffs. Those spectators would always walk away stunned by the realistic portrayals of everyday life that Bradley provided.

The singer/songwriter is always quick to point out that he was not homeless at the time. The streets were simply his arena where he could deliver his thoughts concerning politics, love, social practices and infallibilities, and life in general. The streets were not Bradley’s home in a physical sense. The streets were his home emotionally and spiritually.

It was on these streets where guitarist Michael Nehra, bassist Andrew Nehra and drummer Jeff Fowlkes first discovered Bradley. They were amazed by his talent and decided to take him into the studio with them.

The trio was already working on material for their group, Second Self, when that decision was made.

Bradley was whisked away to the studio, not actually believing what was going on, and jammed with the band for a few hours. The result was the songs that appear on the Blackwater Surprise CD, most of which was recorded live in one take.

Since that magical, almost unbelievable day, Bradley’s life has changed permanently. He certainly has a lot more memories to recall, at least.

The group stayed together, adding keyboardist Tim Diaz along the way, and started touring with the likes of The Dave Matthews Band, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Maceo Parker, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Gov’t Mule, Widespread Panic and Medeski, Martin and Wood.

The group also played in front of 5,000 people at the Strawberry Music Festival.

The constant touring led to a media exposure explosion. The group’s video for “California” was on M2’s (the second MTV station) Top Ten rotation for three months, capturing the top spot for two straight weeks.

A video for “Once Upon A Time” followed and did just as well, if not better, by landing rotation spots on MTV and The Box.

The two singles have also been added to thousands of radio station’s worldwide, according to a press release. The group appeared on MTV’s “Oddville, U.S.A.” in a segment focusing on local happenings across the nation. Then came appearances on Late Night With Conan O’Brien, Eye On People and MTV Live.

As if that weren’t enough media exposure, the group’s song “Trouble Brother” was featured in the Brad Pitt/Harrison Ford thriller “The Devil’s Own.” The group will also have three songs (“Bellybone,” “Once Upon A Time” and “After Your Love”) featured in the film “Liar’s Poker” starring Red Hot Chili Peppers/Jane’s Addiction bassist Flea, Richard Arquette and Richard Tyson.

Things are definitely looking up for Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise. This year promises to hold a lot of surprises, including a new EP of live material culled from the group’s tour with The Dave Matthews Band.

The group will be bringing its critically acclaimed live performance to the M-Shop this Saturday. The all-ages show begins at 9 p.m. Tickets are $8.