Conversations with Skye Brady are easygoing and light, and they start joking about biking, sightseeing, trips to Florida for spring training, and his unique nickname.
Philip Brady's name was replaced with “Sky” at the suggestion of a girl who was captivated by his beautiful eyes.
At 70, he is youthful but has the wisdom of a man who has lived deeply, loves to talk about playing in bands, has recorded an album of 1980s hits, and is writing a memoir. He is a man who plans to write and is happy to have finally reconciled with his husband. He was a father and donated his time and skills as a disc jockey.
And I have a poignant memory of an afternoon playing music in the parking lot of a nursing home because we couldn't go inside during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I was singing the Nat King Cole song “Unforgettable.'' The sun was shining and this sweet older woman was standing by the window. I was trying to reach out, to reach out,” he said, his voice soft.
“When we play in nursing homes, they really like Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. They love those songs,” he said. The conversation then turned to his early life, when he was 16 and living in Nevada, graduating from high school in 1971.
He attended Catholic school for 11 years.
“I had never been to a public school before. I didn't want to use the name Philip. I needed a nickname. This girl said, 'Okay.' She said, “You have sky blue eyes, so you are 'sky.'' I went to school that Monday. When I was playing with this kid, they introduced me as “Sky.” After high school, I hitchhiked across the country and returned to my hometown of Philadelphia. Everyone knew me as Phil. “I was playing in a band and I thought the Skye Brady Band sounded better than the Phillip Brady Band,” he said.
Brady and his wife of 34 years, Eileen, have three children, Eric, Eddie, and Skyline, and are expecting six grandchildren soon. He lives in Georgetown.
A disc jockey for the past 37 years, he volunteers to play music for Stockley Center residents who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. He played there for many years, winning the Jefferson Award and the Governor's Volunteer of the Year Award.
“I was at the Stockley Center and they were doing a Halloween gig. I looked to my right and Steve Hammond from WBOC-TV was standing there and he had a camera crew. I think it was Halloween and Stockley. I thought I was doing a story about the Lee Center. When I stepped out of the way, Steve Hammond said, 'Stay here for a second.' They gave me the Jefferson Award. And I'm crying like a baby. My wife and kids are there. That was 10 or 15 years ago.
“The Stockley Center, they are my people. I've had a huge passion for people with intellectual disabilities since I was a child,” he said, adding that his stepfather is a psychiatrist and director of psychiatric hospitals. He explained that he was an executive.
“My mental state wasn't very good at the time. I had anger issues. I was volunteering to go to hospitals, put on small shows, and play music. My first gig, I was 14 years old, and I sang in front of 700 nuns. My stepfather wrote three or four books about nuns and their sexuality and gave lectures at universities. I traveled a lot. We'll get there, and I'm singing. I was always singing. I think I was singing when I came out of the womb. As I got older, I had more passion. I realized that it is a beautiful flower that makes people happy. It takes passion to share your God-given talent.
“I mean, my stepfather knew how much I loved music. He thought, 'Let's see what his passion is.' My biological father said, “You'll never get anywhere in this world if you keep doing that.'' you have to go to the army. 'But in the last 10 or 15 years, his biological father and I were able to reconcile before he passed away. It’s God’s work there,” he said.
Brady's stepfather took him to Minnesota Twins baseball games and told him stories about a guitar-playing nun he knew. He suggested Brady perform with her.
“She didn't just know religious songs, she knew other songs too. We sang 'Windy' by The Association and 'Red Rubber Ball' by The Cyrkle.” We did that and did three or four more songs. Then all of a sudden they said, “Are you ready?” I said, “What are you ready for?'' And they said, “I think the nuns will like what you're doing.'' When the curtains opened, 700 nuns were there. It was at the University of Minnesota and his father-in-law was talking about his book,” he said.
Brady then worked as an exterminator for 15 years, but continued to sing with his band, even performing in Philadelphia for his 1976 bicentennial celebration.
After less than 10 years, he quit the band because he felt it was too busy, but then he was offered a job playing records by a man who owned a bar in Philadelphia. Other club owners were beginning to notice him.
“We had a wedding, we had beef and beer. A couple who owned a club in Philadelphia gave me a number and a paycheck, so I couldn't resist and they would pay my taxes and give me free food and… I said I could have a drink. I started working at Georgetown in 1988. Then I moved to Georgetown around 1993 and played there. I moved to Delaware. In 1975 I started a band. “We formed and played in Rehoboth Beach. I fell in love with the area,” he said.
Today, most of his work as a disc jockey is done at weddings, anniversary parties, and private events. He's also an ordained minister, so he got married and then performed at the reception.
To schedule, visit www.skybrady.com or call (302) 344-6530.
“I'll play with everything. I give 110 percent to my clients. I'm really into things that are unique. When someone hires me and gives me feedback, I'm like, 'If he went to my grandmother's They say things like, “I can't believe we danced together,'' or “The wind was blowing everything away, and he went and cleaned it up.'' That’s me,” he said.
“I want to live the rest of my life to be the best person I can be, and by the grace of God, I want to bring happiness, smiles, and good vibes to everyone I meet.
“When you see someone who's not feeling well, instead of attacking them in the face, consider that maybe they're having a bad day. Maybe their mother has passed away. Get to know them. “?” he said.
“I don’t walk on water or walk in nothing, but I try to be the best person I can be.”