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Gary U.S. Bonds

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Gary U.S. Bonds
Gary U.S. Bonds performing in 1981
Gary U.S. Bonds performing in 1981
Background information
Birth nameGary Levone Anderson
Born (1939-06-06) June 6, 1939 (age 85)
Jacksonville, Florida
United States
GenresR&B, rock and roll, pop rock
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
InstrumentVocals
Years active1956–present
LabelsLegrand
Top Rank
Stateside
Razor & Tie
EMI
Sue[citation needed]
Websitegaryusbonds.com

Gary U.S. Bonds (born Gary Levone Anderson, June 6, 1939, in Jacksonville, Florida)[1] is an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, known for his classic hits "New Orleans" and "Quarter to Three". His career spans several decades and he is also a prolific songwriter.

Career

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Bonds lived 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 where Guida chose Anderson's stage name, U.S. Bonds, in hopes that it would be confused with a public service announcement advertising the sale of government bonds and thereby garner more radio airplay.[2] His first three singles and first album, Dance 'Til Quarter to Three, were released under the U.S. Bonds name, but people assumed it was the name of a group. To avoid confusion, subsequent releases, including his second album Twist Up Calypso, were made under the name Gary (U.S.) Bonds. The parentheses were discarded in the 1970s.[3][4]

Bonds' first hit was the song "New Orleans" (US No.6)[citation needed], 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, earning 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 featured solos by the saxophonist Gene Barge.[3]

"Quarter to Three" appears on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.[5]

In the early 1980s, Bonds had a career resurgence with two albums Dedication and On the Line, collaborations with Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt, and the E Street Band, and had hits including "This Little Girl" (his comeback hit in 1981, which reached #11 on the pop chart in Billboard and #5 on the mainstream rock chart), "Jolé Blon" and "Out of Work".[3] Bonds continues to release albums sporadically, and today is a mainstay of the nostalgia concert circuit.[citation needed]

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 (Freddie North also charted his only pop hit with a soul cover of the same song). He is also a 1997 honoree of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation. Bonds is an accomplished golfer and often plays celebrity PGA Tour events.[3] Bonds guested in Blues Brothers 2000 in 1998 as part of a rival blues supergroup the Louisiana Gator Boys.

Bonds released an album in 2004 called Back in 20, the title referencing his repeated sporadic pop-ups of popularity (his first hits were in the 1960s, then again in the 1980s, and now another significant album in the early 2000s, each 20-odd years apart). The album features guest appearances by Springsteen and Southside Johnny.[3] Bonds was also inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on October 15, 2006.

In 2009 he released a new album Let Them Talk and toured the UK as a special guest of Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings.[6] Most recently, in 2010, Bonds contributed duet vocals on the song "Umbrella in My Drink" on Southside Johnny's album Pills and Ammo.[7] He also made a guest appearance in the 3rd series of Lillyhammer which stars and is produced by Steven van Zandt.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

  • King Biscuit Flower Hour (Live) (2001)
  • Live! (2002)
  • From the Front Row... Live! (2003)
  • In Concert (2005)

Compilation albums

  • The Best of Gary U.S. Bonds (1960s material) (1990)
  • Take Me Back to New Orleans (1960s singles compilation) (1994)
  • The Best of Gary U.S. Bonds (1980s material) (1996)
  • The Very Best of Gary U.S. Bonds: The Original Legrand Masters (1960s material) (1998)
  • Certified Soul (Singles from 1968 to 1970) (2008)

Singles

Year Title Chart positions Album
US US R&B Mainstream Rock UK
1960* "New Orleans" 6 5 — 16 Dance 'Til Quarter To Three with U.S. Bonds
1961* "Not Me" 116 — — —
"Quarter to Three" 1 3 — 7
"School Is Out" 5 12 — —
"School Is In" 28 — — — Greatest Hits
"Dear Lady Twist" 9 5 — — Twist Up Calypso
1962* "Twist Twist Señora" 9 — — —
"Seven Day Weekend" 27 — — — Singles only
"Copy Cat" 92 — — —
"I Dig This Station" 101 — — — Greatest Hits
1966* "Take Me Back to New Orleans" 121 — — —
1981 "This Little Girl" 11 — 5 43 Dedication
"Jolé Blon" 65 — 29 51
"It's Only Love" — — — 43
1982 "Out of Work" 21 82 10 — On the Line
"Soul Deep" — — — 59
* Produced by Frank Guida[8]

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Back in 20. Gary US Bonds – 2004 – MC
  3. ^ a b c d e "Gary U.S. Bonds". Garyusbonds.com. Retrieved September 16, 2012. Cite error: The named reference "www.garyusbonds.com" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Gary U.S. Bonds - Grandma's Washboard Band / Believing You - London - UK - HLA 10485". 45cat. March 21, 1975. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  5. ^ "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". Rockhall.com. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  6. ^ "Bill Wyman website news page". Billwyman.com. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  7. ^ "Pills and Ammo Review". asburyjukes.net. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  8. ^ "Discography". Garyusbonds.com. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
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