Gary U.S. Bonds

Gary U.S. Bonds

Gary U.S. Bonds performing in 1981
Background information
Birth name Gary Levone Anderson
Born (1939-06-06) June 6, 1939
Jacksonville, Florida
United States
Genres R&B, rock and roll, pop rock
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1956–present
Labels Legrand
Top Rank
Stateside
Razor & Tie
EMI
Sue
Associated acts Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt
Website garyusbonds.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), 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.

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

Compilation albums

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. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 3 4 5 "Gary U.S. Bonds". Garyusbonds.com. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
  4. ↑ "Gary U.S. Bonds - Grandma's Washboard Band / Believing You - London - UK - HLA 10485". 45cat. 1975-03-21. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
  5. ↑ "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". Rockhall.com. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  6. ↑ "Bill Wyman website news page". Billwyman.com. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
  7. ↑ "Pills and Ammo Review". asburyjukes.net. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
  8. ↑ "Discography". Garyusbonds.com. Retrieved 2012-09-16.

External links

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