Gary U.S. Bonds (born Gary Anderson, June 6, 1939, Jacksonville, Florida[1]) is an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer. He is also a prolific songwriter.
Career
Born in Jacksonville, Bonds was living in Norfolk, Virginia in the 1950s when he began singing publicly in church, and with a group called The Turks.[1] He joined record producer Frank Guida's small Legrand Records label, and Guida changed Anderson's name to "U.S. Bonds" in hope that it would be confused with a public service announcement advertising the sale of government bonds and thus get more airplay. His first album (Dance till Quarter to Three) was released under the name U.S. Bonds, but people mistook it for the name of a group, so his second album (Twist-Up Calypso) was released under the name Gary (U.S.) Bonds, to avoid the confusion.
Bonds's first hit was the song "New Orleans" (reached #6), which was followed by "Not Me", a flop for Bonds but later a hit for The Orlons, and then by his only number one hit, "Quarter to Three" in June 1961. "Quarter to Three" sold one million records, gaining a gold disc.[1] Subsequent hits, under his modified name, included "School Is Out" (#5), "Dear Lady Twist" (#9), "School Is In" (#28) and "Twist, Twist, Señora" (#10) in the early 1960s. In a 1963 tour of Europe, he headlined above The Beatles. His hits often featured solos by the saxophonist Gene Barge.
"Quarter to Three" appears on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.
In the early 1980s, Bonds had a career resurgence, working off collaborations with Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt, and the E Street Band. Later hits included "This Little Girl" (his comeback hit in 1981, which reached #11 on the pop chart and #5 on the mainstream rock chart), "Jolé Blon" and "Out of Work". Bonds continues to release albums sporadically, and today is a mainstay of the nostalgia concert circuit.
While Bonds is mostly known for achievements within rhythm and blues and rock and roll, he often transcends these genres, e.g. his song "She's All I Got", co-written by Jerry Williams, Jr. (better known as Swamp Dogg), was nominated for the Country Music Association's "Song of the Year" in 1972 when it was a big hit for Johnny Paycheck. He is also an honoree of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation. Bonds is an accomplished golfer and often plays celebrity PGA Tour events.
He was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on October 15, 2006.
Discography
Albums[1]:
- Dance 'Til Quarter To Three (1961)
- Twist Up Calypso (1962)
- Certified Soul (1968-1970)
- Dedication (1981)
- On the Line (1982)
- Standing In the Line of Fire (1984)
- Nothing Left To Lose (1996)
- King Biscuit Flower Hour (Live) (2001)
- Live! (2002)
- From the Front Row... Live! (2003)
- Back In 20 (2004)
- In Concert (2005)
- Let Them Talk (2009)
Billboard's Top 100
- "New Orleans" #6, 1960*
- "Quarter To Three" #1, 1961*
- "School Is Out" #5, 1961*
- "School Is In" #28, 1961*
- "Dear Lady Twist" #9, 1961*
- "Twist Twist Señora" #10, 1962*
- "Seven Day Weekend" #27, 1962*
- "Copy Cat" #92, 1962*
- "This Little Girl" #11
- "Jole Blon" #65
- "Out of Work" #21
- * Produced by Frank Guida.
References
- ^ a b c Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 132. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
External links
