Gary U.S. Bonds
Gary U.S. Bonds | |
|---|---|
 Gary U.S. Bonds performing in 1981 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gary Levone Anderson |
| Born | June 6, 1939 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, rock and roll, pop rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1956–present |
| Labels | Legrand Top Rank Stateside Razor & Tie EMI Sue[citation needed] |
| Associated acts | Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt |
| Website | garyusbonds |
Gary U.S. Bonds (born Gary Levone Anderson, June 6, 1939)[1] is an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, known for his classic hits "New Orleans" and "Quarter to Three".
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 DJ attention.[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 Senora" (#9) 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.[6] 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.[7] Most recently, in 2010, Bonds contributed duet vocals on the song "Umbrella in My Drink" on Southside Johnny's album Pills and Ammo.[8] He also made a guest appearance in the 3rd season of Lilyhammer which stars and is produced by Steven van Zandt.
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
- Dance 'til Quarter to Three with U.S. Bonds (1961)
- Twist Up Calypso (1962)
- Dedication (1981) (#27 in Australia)[9]
- On the Line (1982) (#92 in Australia)[9]
- Standing in the Line of Fire (1984)
- Nothing Left to Lose (1996)
- Back in 20 (2004)
- Let Them Talk (2009)
Live albums[]
- King Biscuit Flower Hour (Live) (2001)
- Live! (2002)
- From the Front Row... Live! (2003)
- In Concert (2005)
Compilation albums[]
- Certified Soul (Singles from 1968 to 1970) (1982)
- 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)
Singles[]
| Year | Titles (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated |
Chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Main | AUS[9] | UK | |||
| 1960* | "New Orleans" b/w "Please Forgive Me" |
6 | 5 | — | 59 | 16 | Dance 'Til Quarter to Three with U.S. Bonds |
| 1961* | "Not Me" b/w "Give Me One More Chance" (from Twist Up Calypso) |
116 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Quarter to Three" b/w "Time Ole Story" (Non-album track) |
1 | 3 | — | 16 | 7 | ||
| "School Is Out" b/w "One Million Tears" |
5 | 12 | — | 86 | — | ||
| "School Is In" b/w "Trip To The Moon" (from Dance 'Til Quarter To Three With U.S. Bonds) |
28 | — | — | — | — | The Greatest Hits of Gary (U.S.) Bonds | |
| "Dear Lady Twist" b/w "Havin' So Much Fun" (from The Greatest Hits Of Gary (U.S.) Bonds) |
9 | 5 | — | — | — | Twist Up Calypso | |
| 1962* | "Twist, Twist Senora" b/w "Food Of Love" |
9 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Seven Day Weekend" b/w "Gettin' A Groove" |
27 | — | — | — | — | The Greatest Hits of Gary (U.S.) Bonds | |
| "Copy Cat" b/w "I'll Change That Too" (Non-album track) |
92 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "I Dig This Station" b/w "Mixed Up Faculty" |
101 | — | — | — | — | Greatest Hits | |
| "Where Did That Naughty Little Girl Go" b/w "Do The Limbo With Me" (Non-album track) |
— | — | — | — | — | The Best of Gary U.S. Bonds (From The Original Session Tapes) | |
| 1963 | "I Don't Wanta Wait" b/w "What A Dream" |
— | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| "No More Homework" b/w "She's Alright" |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Perdido"—Part 1 b/w Part 2 |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "My Sweet Ruby Rose" b/w "King Kong's Monkey" |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1964 | "Ella Is Yella" b/w "The Music Goes Round and Round" |
— | — | — | — | — | |
| "My Little Miss America" b/w "You Angel You" |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Oh Yeah - Oh Yeah" b/w "Let Me Go Lover" |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1965 | "You Oughta See My Sarah" b/w "My Little Room" |
— | — | — | — | — | |
| "Do The Bumpsie" b/w "Beaches U.S.A." |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1966* | "Take Me Back to New Orleans" b/w "I'm That Kind Of Guy" |
121 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Slow Motion" b/w "Due To Circumstances Beyond My Control" |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967 | "Send Her to Me" b/w "Workin' For My Baby" |
— | — | — | — | — | |
| "Call Me for Christmas" b/w "Mixed Up Faculty" (from Greatest Hits) |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968 | "Sarah Jane" b/w "What A Crazy World" |
— | — | — | — | — | |
| "I'm Glad You're Back" b/w "Funky Lies" |
— | — | — | — | — | Certified Soul | |
| 1969 | "The Star" b/w "You Need A Personal Manager" |
— | — | — | — | — | |
| 1970 | "One Broken Heart" b/w "I Can't Use You In My Business" |
— | — | — | — | — | |
| 1974 | "My Love Song" b/w "Blue Grass" |
— | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| 1975 | "Grandma's Washboard Band" b/w "Believing You" |
— | — | — | — | — | |
| 1981 | "This Little Girl" b/w "Way Back When" |
11 | — | 5 | 26 | 43 | Dedication |
| "Jolé Blon" b/w "Just Like A Child" |
65 | — | 29 | — | 51 | ||
| "It's Only Love" b/w "Your Love" |
— | — | — | — | 43 | ||
| "Your Love" b/w "Just Like A Child" |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982 | "Out of Work" b/w "Bring Her Back" |
21 | 82 | 10 | 58 | — | On The Line |
| "Soul Deep" b/w "Bring Her Back" |
— | — | — | — | 59 | ||
| "Love's on the Line" b/w "Way Back When" (from Dedication) |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Turn the Music Down" b/w "Way Back When" (from Dedication) |
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984 | "Standing in the Line Of Fire" b/w "Wild Night" |
— | — | — | — | — | Standing In the Line of Fire |
| 1985 | "Summertime Fun" b/w "Dance To The Beat" |
— | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks |
- * Produced by Frank Guida[10]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: 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.
- ^ Back in 20. Gary US Bonds – 2004 – MC
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Gary U.S. Bonds". Garyusbonds.com. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ "Gary U.S. Bonds - Grandma's Washboard Band / Believing You - London - UK - HLA 10485". 45cat. March 21, 1975. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
- ^ "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". Rockhall.com. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
- ^ "Gary U.S. Bonds biography". Garyusbonds.com. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
- ^ "Bill Wyman website news page". Billwyman.com. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ "Pills and Ammo Review". asburyjukes.net. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 41. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Discography". Garyusbonds.com. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
External links[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gary U.S. Bonds. |
| show Authority control  |
|---|
- 1939 births
- Living people
- African-American singers
- American rock singers
- American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters
- American rock songwriters
- American male songwriters
- Musicians from Jacksonville, Florida
- Sue Records artists
- Razor & Tie artists
- American session musicians
- Laurie Records artists
- Songwriters from Florida
- Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings members
- People from Norfolk, Virginia
- Musicians from Norfolk, Virginia
- American rhythm and blues singers
- African-American songwriters