Joseph Bradford (playwright)

White Bostonian Joseph Bradford (1843-1886) was an American playwright who most famously helped write a landmark production, Out of Bondage, the first African American musical comedy, with Pauline Hopkins and the Hyers Sisters, debuting in 1876. The production featured Sam Lucas, a famous minstrel performer of the era.

Bradford was also an actor, poet and journalist. He wrote for the Boston Courier as "Jay Bee".