Johnny Bond
Johnny Bond | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Cyrus Whitfield Bond |
| Born | June 1, 1915 |
| Origin | Enville, Oklahoma,U.S. |
| Died | June 12, 1978(aged 63) Burbank, California,U.S.[1] |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, composer |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1940–1977 |
| Labels | Columbia,Starday |
Cyrus Whitfield"Johnny"Bond(June 1, 1915 – June 12, 1978) was an Americancountry musicsinger-songwriter, guitarist and composer and publisher, who co-founded a music publishing firm. He was active in the music industry from 1940 until the late 1970s.
Early years
[edit]Bond was born inEnville, Oklahoma,and grew up on several small farms in Oklahoma. As a youngster, he was influenced musically by records that his parents played. He learned basics of music as a member of his high school's brass band. While in high school he bought a ukulele, but soon he switched to playing the guitar.[2]
Performing
[edit]Bond first performed on radio inOklahoma Citywhen he was 19 years old. In 1937, he began performing withJimmy Wakelyand Scotty Harrell in the Bell Boys trio, named after the Bell Clothing Company, which sponsored the group[3]on radio stationWKYin Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He went on to joinGene Autry's Melody Ranchin 1940.[4]
He also performed with his own group, the Red River Valley Boys.
The Encyclopedia of Country Musicsays that the Bond-Wakely-Harrell trio "pulled a clever musical scam" by recording for two companies under different names: the Jimmy Wakely Trio (forDecca Records) and Johnny Bond & the Cimarron Boys (forColumbia Records).[3]
Bond also acted in more than 40 films,[4]beginning withSaga of Death Valley(1939)[5]and includingWilsonandDuel in the Sun.[6]
Beginning in 1953, Bond andTex Ritterwere hosts of the syndicated country music television seriesTown Hall Party,which lasted seven years.[2]
Recording
[edit]Bond's first solo recordings came withColumbia Recordsin 1937.[2]He is best known for his 1947hit"Divorce Me C.O.D.",one of his seventop tenhits on theBillboardcountrycharts.In 1965 at age 50 he scored the biggest hit of his career with the comic "Ten Little Bottles", which spent four weeks at No. 2. Bond's other hits include "So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed"(1947)," Oklahoma Waltz "(1948)," Love Song in 32 Bars "(1950)," Sick Sober and Sorry "(1951), and a cover of Charlie Ryan's"Hot Rod Lincoln"(1960).
Composing and publishing
[edit]The hundreds of songs that Bond wrote include "Cimarron" and "Ten Little Bottles". He and Ritter formed Vidor Publications, a music publishing firm. He retired from performing in the 1970s to devote more time to publishing music.[2]
Death
[edit]Bond died of a stroke in 1978, at the age of 63.
Recognition
[edit]Bond was elected to theCountry Music Hall of Famein 1999,[7]and to theNashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In popular culture
[edit]Bond's song "Stars of the Midnight Range" was featured in the role-playing video game,Fallout: New Vegas.Another song of his; "Headin' Down the Wrong Highway" was on the radio in the gameFallout 76.
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1960 | Hot Rod Lincoln | — | — | |
| 1961 | That Wild, Wicked but Wonderful West | — | — | Starday |
| 1962 | Live It Up and Laugh It Up | — | — | |
| 1963 | Songs That Made Him Famous | — | — | |
| 1965 | Ten Little Bottles | 12 | 142 | |
| 1966 | Famous Hot Rodders I Have Known | — | — | |
| The Man Who Comes Around | — | — | ||
| Bottles Up | — | — | ||
| The Branded Stock of Johnny Bond | — | — | ||
| 1967 | Ten Nights in a Barroom | — | — | |
| Sick, Sober and Sorry | — | — | ||
| Drink Up and Go Home | — | — | ||
| 1968 | Three Sheets in the Wind | — | — | |
| 1969 | The Best of Johnny Bond | — | — | |
| 1970 | Something Old, New, Patriotic and Blue | — | — | |
| 1971 | Here Come the Elephants | — | — | |
Singles
[edit]| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1947 | "Divorce Me C.O.D." | 3 | — | singles only |
| "So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed" | 5 | — | ||
| "You Brought Sorrow to My Heart" | 3 | — | ||
| "The Daughter of Jole Blon" | 4 | — | ||
| 1948 | "Oklahoma Waltz" | 9 | — | |
| 1949 | "Till the End of the World" | 12 | — | |
| "Tennessee Saturday Night" | 11 | — | ||
| 1950 | "Love Song in 32 Beers" | 8 | — | |
| 1951 | "Sick, Sober and Sorry" | 7 | — | |
| 1960 | "Hot Rod Lincoln" | — | 26 | Hot Rod Lincoln |
| 1963 | "Three Sheets in the Wind" | 30 | — | |
| 1965 | "10 Little Bottles" | 2 | 43 | Ten Little Bottles |
| 1971 | "Here Come the Elephants" | 59 | — | Here Come the Elephants |
References
[edit]- ^Erlewine, Michael (1997).All Music Guide to Country: The Experts' Guide to the Best Recordings in Country Music.Miller Freeman. p. 44.ISBN978-0-87930-475-1.
- ^abcdCarlin, Richard (2005).Country.Infobase Publishing. p. 19.ISBN9780816069774.RetrievedDecember 24,2017.
- ^abThe Encyclopedia of Country Music.Oxford University Press. 2012.ISBN9780199920839.RetrievedDecember 24,2017.
- ^abErlewine, Michael (1997).All Music Guide to Country: The Experts' Guide to the Best Recordings in Country Music.Hal Leonard Corporation.ISBN9780879304751.RetrievedDecember 24,2017.
- ^Talevski, Nick (2010).Rock Obituaries – Knocking On Heaven's Door.Omnibus Press. p. 44.ISBN9780857121172.RetrievedDecember 24,2017.
- ^"Gene Autry Comic At Buck Lake Ranch".Angola Herald.Indiana, Angola. September 16, 1949. p. 13.RetrievedDecember 23,2017– viaNewspapers.
- ^"Johnny Bond".Country Music Hall of Fame.Archivedfrom the original on December 24, 2017.RetrievedDecember 24,2017.
