Son Bonds
| Son Bonds | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | "Brownsville" Son Bonds, Brother Son Bonds |
| Born | March 16, 1909 Brownsville, Tennessee, United States |
| Died | August 31, 1947 (aged 38)Dyersburg, Tennessee, United States |
| Genres | Country blues[1] |
| Occupations | Singer, guitarist, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, kazoo |
| Associated acts | Sleepy John Estes, Hammie Nixon |
Son Bonds (March 16, 1909 – August 31, 1947)[2] was an American country blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a working associate of both Sleepy John Estes and Hammie Nixon, and was similar in his guitar playing style. According to Allmusic journalist, Jim O'Neal, "the music to one of Bonds's songs, "Back and Side Blues" (1934), became a standard blues melody when Sonny Boy Williamson I from nearby Jackson, Tennessee, used it in his classic "Good Morning, School Girl"."[1] The best known of Bonds's other works are "A Hard Pill To Swallow" and "Come Back Home."[2]
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[edit] Biography
Born in Brownsville, Tennessee,[1] Bonds was also billed on record as "Brownsville" Son Bonds, and Brother Son Bonds.[3][4]
Sleepy John Estes earlier recorded work had used backing from Yank Rachell (mandolin) or Hammie Nixon (harmonica), but by the late 1930s he was accompanied in the recording studio by either Bonds or Charlie Pickett (guitar).[5] Bonds also backed Estes at a couple of later recording sessions in 1941.[6] In reverse, either Estes or Nixon played on every one of Bonds's own recordings.[1] In the latter stages of his career, Bonds played kazoo as well as the guitar on several of his tracks.[7]
According to Nixon's later accounts of the event, Bonds suffered an accidental death in August 1947. While sitting on his own front porch late one evening in Dyersburg, Tennessee, Bonds was shot to death by his short-sighted neighbor, who mistook Bonds for another man with whom his neighbor was having a protracted disagreement.[8]
[edit] Discography
- Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order (1991) - Wolf Records
This compilation album covered all known material from Bonds, recorded between September 1934 and September 1941.[7]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d O'Neal, Jim. "Son Bonds". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p281/biography. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
- ^ a b Thedeadrockstarsclub.com - accessed January 2010
- ^ Bluescat.com - accessed January 2010
- ^ Books.google.co.uk - accessed January 2010
- ^ Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. p. 110. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
- ^ Sundayblues.org - accessed January 2010
- ^ a b "Allmusic ((( Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order > Overview )))". http://www.allmusic.com/album/r88183.
- ^ Hay, Frederick J. (2001). Goin' Back to Sweet Memphis. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press. p. 69. ISBN 0-8203-2301-2.
- 1909 births
- 1947 deaths
- People from Haywood County, Tennessee
- American blues musicians
- American blues guitarists
- American blues singers
- American male singers
- Musicians from Tennessee
- Songwriters from Tennessee
- Country blues musicians
- Firearm accident victims
- Accidental deaths in Tennessee
- Deaths by firearm in Tennessee
