Graham Bonnet

Graham Bonnet
Bonnet at the2008 Sauna Open Air Metal Festival
Background information
Born	(1947-12-23)23 December 1947 Skegness,Lincolnshire,England
Genres	Hard rock heavy metal power metal traditional pop pop metal speed metal AOR
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Years active	1967–present
Formerly of	The Marbles,Rainbow,Michael Schenker Group,Alcatrazz,Impellitteri,Blackthorne,Anthem
Website	grahambonnetofficial.com

Graham Bonnet(born 23 December 1947) is an English rock singer. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist and as a member of severalhard rockandheavy metalbands includingRainbow,Michael Schenker Group,Alcatrazz,andImpellitteri.He is known for his powerful singing voice but is capable of also singing soft melodies.His singing has been noted as "very loud" by both his contemporaries and himself,and he claims to be a self-taught singer with "no discipline for lessons". Bonnet's visual style, considered uncharacteristic of hard rock musicians, has been described as being a cross betweenDon JohnsoninMiami ViceandJames Dean.

Career

Bonnet was born inSkegness,Lincolnshire,in 1947.He had his first hit single with duothe Marblesin 1968, with the single "Only One Woman",which reached Number 5 in theUK Singles Chart.This and its follow-up, "The Walls Fell Down",were both written byBarry Gibb,Robin GibbandMaurice Gibbof theBee Geeswho had recorded in Australia with Bonnet's bandmate from the Marbles,Trevor Gordon.

Bonnet then quit to do advertjingles.He appeared in the 1974 British comedy film,Three for Allas lead singer of 'Billy Beethoven', a fictional band, along with several notable UK comedy personalities and his then partnerAdrienne Posta,although his character's lines were limited to only two words.

In 1977, he released an eponymous album, which was certifiedgoldin Australia. The single, "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue",a cover version of theBob Dylansong, also reached Number 3 in Australia in November 1977,and the following year the single "Warm Ride",written by theBee Gees,a leftover from theSaturday Night Feversessions, reached number two there in August.

Rainbow

In 1979, Bonnet was approached to join UKglam rockbandSweetto replaceBrian Connolly.However, he was chosen byRitchie Blackmoreto replaceRonnie James Dioas the vocalist of hard rock bandRainbow.This was something of a musical departure for Bonnet, who had previously identified himself more as an R&B singer. Bonnet would later credit his time in Rainbow and his collaboration with Blackmore, in particular, as fundamentally changing his musical outlook to a more hard rock focus. He sang on theDown to EarthLP, which would become his most successful album. It spawned two hit singles in 1979 and 1980: "Since You Been Gone"and"All Night Long".During Bonnet's time in the band, Rainbow also headlined the inauguralMonsters of Rockfestival atDonington Park,Castle Donington.

Bonnet's time with Rainbow was short and he left to resume his solo career, releasing theLine-Upalbum in 1981, handled by producer John Eden. Following on from his time in Rainbow, the album had a markedly more rock-based sound than his previous solo recordings, whilst retaining some of his former R&B influences. For the recording ofLine UpBonnet enlisted several well-known rock musicians includingWhitesnakeguitaristMick Moody,Whitesnake and Rainbow drummerCozy Powell,Deep Purpleand Whitesnake keyboard playerJon Lord,andStatus QuoguitaristsFrancis RossiandRick Parfitt.The album reached No. 62 in theUK Albums Chart.The album's lead single, "Night Games",reached No. 6 in theUK Singles Chart,with the follow-up single, "Liar",reaching No. 51.Around this time Bonnet sang on an advertisement forLevi'sjeans (the song was entitled "These Eyes" ), although his version has never been released.

MSG

Tempted by an offer from ex-UFOguitaristMichael Schenker,Bonnet continued his progression to a heavier musical style and joined theMichael Schenker Group(MSG) for theAssault Attackalbum.It was reported in the press at the time that Ritchie Blackmore had warned Michael Schenker that Bonnet was diabetic, and could become erratic when his blood sugar level got out of kilter. Bonnet was fired from the group after only a single concert, at Sheffield Polytechnic (now called Sheffield Hallam University), when he drunkenly exposed himself on stage.

Alcatrazz

Upon leaving MSG, Bonnet decided to form his own band, drawing inspiration from his days in Rainbow. In 1983, he co-foundedAlcatrazz,with Gary Shea (bass), and Jimmy Waldo (keyboards) of the band New England, formerAlice CooperdrummerJan Uvena,and Swedish guitaristYngwie Malmsteen.The band's debut album,No Parole from Rock N' Roll,featured a distinctly heavy metal sound, with Bonnet describing the material as the heaviest that he had recorded to date. The band enjoyed moderate success in the United States,and major success in Japan.

The band released three studio albums (No Parole from Rock N' Roll,Disturbing the Peace,with guitaristSteve Vaireplacing Malmsteen, andDangerous Gameswith Danny Johnson on guitar). Alcatrazz also released a live album,Live Sentence,with material from Yngwie Malmsteen's period in the band. For theDangerous GamesLP, Alcatrazz recorded a remake of Bonnet's hit song "Only One Woman" from his first band The Marbles. In 1987, Alcatrazz appeared on the second series of theBBC TVprogrammeRock School,with Bonnet providing singing tips. The programme also included clips of Alcatrazz in rehearsal. Later that year, Alcatrazz disbanded, and Bonnet returned to his solo career. In 2009, Bonnet reformed Alcatrazz with three new musicians. Bonnet did not consult with his former bandmates Uvena and Waldo about re-forming the original line-up, and in response they also re-grouped as a separate version of Alcatrazz.

Bonnet later reformed his version of the band asAlcatrazz featuring Graham Bonnetwith guitarist Howie Simon (Jeff Scott SotoBand,Talisman), drummerGlen Sobel(Impellitteri,Beautiful Creatures,Tony MacAlpine), and bassist Tim Luce and toured Japan in May and June 2007—sharing the headline with another ex-Rainbow vocalist,Joe Lynn Turner.Howie Simon revealed in a 2010 interview that it was his suggestion to bring back the Alcatrazz name.They also headlined the BerkRock festival inBerkovitsa,Bulgaria, in July 2008 and have played various West Coast US dates including support slots forY&T.Alcatrazz continued to perform live occasionally until 2014.

In March 2017, three-fifths of the original lineup (Bonnet, Waldo and Shea) reunited for three shows in Japan, which also included Conrado Pesinato and Mark Benquechea on guitar and drums respectively. The performances were recorded for the live album/DVDParole Denied – Tokyo 2017,which was released on 7 December 2018.

In February 2019, Bonnet confirmed that he had once again resurrected Alcatrazz, with a new lineup featuring himself, Waldo, Benquechea, Beth-Ami Heavenstone, as well as new guitarist Joe Stump.Heavenstone thus briefly became Alcatrazz's first female member, having played bass in TheGraham Bonnet Band,where she was Waldo's bandmate. This lineup planned to record a new album together, which would also include contributions fromChris Impellitteri,Bob Kulick,Dario Molloand former Alcatrazz guitaristSteve Vai.Shea returned to Alcatrazz in January 2020 to replace Heavenstone.

Later career

Bonnet's post-Alcatrazz projects have all been short-lived and includedBlackthorne(working with ex-BalanceguitaristBob Kulick,brother ofKissguitaristBruce Kulick), backing vocals for the Danishheavy metalbandPretty Maids'Future Worldand numeroussessionwork forForcefield,appearing onTo Oz and BackandLet The Wild Run Free.In 1988, Bonnet joinedImpellitteri,for their albumStand in Line.

An appearance onEddie HardinandPete York's musical adaptation ofWind in The Willows,performed live in Germany in 1991, saw Bonnet sing on around six of the songs alongside fellow musiciansJon Lord,Don AireyandRay Fenwickamongst others. Fenwick and Airey also featured heavily on Bonnet's 1991 solo albumHere Comes The Nightwhich includes several covers as well as songs credited to his then wife Jo Eime, and another remake of the Marbles' "Only One Woman".

In 1997, he releasedUnderground,a new solo album, which helped re-establish him with hisfanbase in Japan. 1999'sThe Day I Went Madfeatured guitaristSlash,Def LeppardguitaristVivian Campbell,Bruce Kulick plus guitarist,Mario Parga.

Bonnet contributed lead vocals to the Japanese heavy metal bandAnthem's 2000 releaseHeavy Metal Anthem,which had reworks of classic Anthem tracks. Bonnet rejoined Impellitteri in 2000 for theirSystem Xalbum. Meanwhile, his 1999 Japanese solo album got a UK release in September 2001.

At the back end of 2001, Bonnet went on a solo UK tour. His band included keyboard playerDon Airey,bassistChris Childsand drummerHarry JamesofThunderand guitarist Dario Mollo.

In early 2004, Bonnet joined Italian guitarist Dario Mollo's new project Elektric Zoo, touring Europe during April. Maintaining the Italian connection, the singer also participated in Matteo Filippini's project, Moonstone, featuring on the track "Not Dead Yet".

In 2006, Bonnet contributed vocals to theWelcome to Americaalbum by Taz Taylor Band. The band toured the UK in 2007 and Europe in 2008.

He also appeared in theCountdown Spectacularconcert series in Australia between August and September 2007. He sang two songs, "Warm Ride" and "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue".

A press release dated 6 November 2008 reported that Bonnet would be contributing vocals for a highlights CD with the metal opera project, Lyraka.The albumLyraka Volume 1was released on 2 November 2010. It was announced on 17 November 2010, that Bonnet would also be featured onLyraka Volume 2.

Bonnet currently resides in Los Angeles, California, from where he continues to record and tour extensively. Bonnet toured the UK with Rainbow tribute band Catch the Rainbow starting in March 2014.

Graham singing withMichael Schenkerin 2019

He collaborated in the Stardust Reverie Project, a supergroup featuring Zak Stevens and Lynn Meredith among others. Their first albumAncient Rites of the Moonwas released in April 2014. He contributed on vocals in one track of the second Stardust Reverie albumProclamation of Shadows,which came out in March 2015.

In 2015, Bonnet formed theGraham Bonnet Band,and toured the UK and Europe, playing songs from throughout his career including Alcatrazz and Rainbow. The band released a two-song E.P. titledMy Kingdom Come,(the song "My Kingdom Come", written by Russ Ballard) and announced work on a new studio album to be recorded featuring new compositions and a bonus disc consisting of re-recordings of a number of songs from Bonnet's career. The final line-up of The Graham Bonnet Band was: Graham Bonnet, vocals; Conrado Pesinato, guitars; Beth-Ami Heavenstone, bass; Mark Zonder (Ex-Fates Warning), drums. The band resumed touring toward the end of 2016.

On 4 November 2016, The Graham Bonnet Band released their debut album,The Book.Reviews were positive, with the Real Gone website calling the album "surprisingly good" and also stating that some of the tracks "exceeded expectations by some distance".Heavenstone later joined Bonnet in a refounded Alcatrazz (see above).

In 2016, Bonnet joined Michael Schenker and fellow former MSG singersGary BardenandRobin McAuleyin Michael Schenker Fest, initially for a tour of Japan. This resulted in a CD/DVDLive – Tokyo International Forum Hall.Later tours of Europe and Japan followed. In 2017, with the addition of Temple of Rock singerDoogie White(another former Rainbow vocalist), Michael Schenker Fest recorded the albumResurrectionfeaturing vocal contributions from all four singers. This line-up toured the US and Europe in 2018.

Bonnet was extensively interviewed for 2 books by author Greg Prato: 2016'sThe Other Side of Rainbowand 2017'sShredders!: The Oral History Of Speed Guitar (And More).

Discography

Main article:Graham Bonnet discography

Film and television appearances

• 1975:Three for All(performer)
• 1980:Rainbow – Monsters of Rock, Donington '80(performer)
• 1985:Rainbow – The Final Cut(performer)
• 2003:Wind in the Willows – A Rock Concert '91(performer)
• 2006:Rainbow – In Their Own Words(interviewee)
• 2006:Heavy Metal – Louder than Life(interviewee)
• 2015:The Ritchie Blackmore Story(interviewee)

Bands

Years Active	Name	Members
		Vocals	Guitar	Bass	Drums	Keyboards
1965–1967	The Blue Sect	Graham Bonnet Roger Sleath	Graham Bonnet	Roger Sleath	Steve Hardy
1967–1968	The Graham Bonnet Set	Graham Bonnet Trevor Gordon
1968–1969	The Marbles			no-one
1975	Southern Comfort			Graham Bonnet
1979–1980	Rainbow	Graham Bonnet	Ritchie Blackmore	Roger Glover	Cozy Powell	Don Airey
02/1982-27 August 1982	Michael Schenker Group		Michael Schenker	Chris Glen	Ted McKenna	Tommy Eyre
1983–1984	Alcatrazz		Yngwie Malmsteen	Gary Shea	Jan Uvena	Jimmy Waldo
1984–1986			Steve Vai
1986–1987			Danny Johnson
1987	The Party Boys		Kevin Borich John Brewster	Alan Lancaster	Paul Christie Richard Harvey	no-one
1988	Anthem		Hiroya Fukuda	Naoto Shibata	Takamasa Ohuchi	no-one
1988	Impellitteri		Chris Impellitteri	Chuck Wright	Pat Torpey	Phil Wolfe
1988–1990				Dave Spitz	Stet Howland
1989	Forcefield		Ray Fenwick Jan Akkerman	Mo Foster Terry Pack	Cozy Powell	no-one
1990			Ray Fenwick Micky Moody Bernie Marsden Mario Parga	Terry Pack		Don Airey Tim Hinkley Chris Cozens
1993	Blackthorne		Bob Kulick	Chuck Wright	Frankie Banali	Jimmy Waldo
2000–2001	Anthem (Featuring Graham Bonnet)		Akio Shimizu	Naoto Shibata	Hirotsugu Homma	no-one
2000–2003	Impellitteri		Chris Impellitteri	James Amelio Pulli	Glen Sobel	Edward Harris Roth
2004	Elektric Zoo		Dario Mollo	Guido Block	Roberto Gualdi	Maurizio Belluzzo
2006–2008	Taz Taylor Band		Taz Taylor	Dirk Krause	Val Trainor	Bob Miller
2006–2009	Alcatrazz (Featuring Graham Bonnet)		Howie Simon	Tim Luce	Glen Sobel	no-one
2009–2010					Dave Dzialak
2010–2011					Jeff Bowders
2011–2014					Bobby Rock
2009	Savage Paradise		Mario Parga		Kevin Valentine	Eric Ragno
2014–2015	Graham Bonnet Band		Conrado Pesinato	Beth-Ami Heavenstone	Chase Manhattan	no-one
2016					Mark Zonder	Jimmy Waldo
2016–2020	Michael Schenker Fest	Gary Barden Graham Bonnet Robin McAuley Doogie White	Michael Schenker	Chris Glen	Ted McKenna	Steve Mann
2017	Ezoo	Graham Bonnet	Dario Mollo	Dario Patti	Roberto Gualdi	Dario Patti
2017	Alcatrazz (Reunion show)		Conrado Pesinato	Gary Shea	Mark Benquechea	Jimmy Waldo
2017–2019	Graham Bonnet Band		Kurt James	Beth-Ami Heavenstone
2019–2020	Alcatrazz		Joe Stump
2020				Gary Shea
2020	Anthem	Graham Bonnet Yukio Morikawa	Akio Shimizu	Naoto Shibata	Isamu Tamaru	no-one
2021-present	Alcatrazz (Graham Bonnet's Alcatrazz)	Graham Bonnet	Jeff Loomis
2021-present	Graham Bonnet Band		Conrado Pesinato	Beth-Ami Heavenstone	Kyle Hughes	Alessandro Bertoni, Danny Mattin

External links

• Official website
• Lyraka
• Elektric Zoo official website
• Taz Taylor Band official website
• Project Moonstone official website
• Graham Bonnet Signs On For Second Lyraka CD