A1 	Going Back To The Country 	
A2 	Sad, Sad Sound 	
A3 	She Turns Me On 	
A4 	Hard Luck 	
A5 	Trying To Be Contented 	
A6 	Working With Juke Boy 	
B1 	Life Is A Nightmare 	
B2 	It’s Time To Make A Change 	
B3 	Jumpin’ At The Zydeco 	
B4 	My Blues 	
B5 	Stay Off Lyons Avenue 	
B6 	I’m Getting Tired

Juke Boy Bonner - Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals

Part of a stellar run of '60s recordings cut in his native Texas, Going Back to the Country was the first of Juke Boy Bonner's three particularly fine dates for the Arhoolie label. Accompanying himself on electric guitar and harmonica, Bonner reels off a set of originals that range from dusky slow blues ("Sad, Sad Sound") to stomping up-tempo sides ("Stay Off Lyons Avenue"). Bonner shows the influence of both Jimmy Reed and fellow Texan Lightnin' Hopkins in his approach, but he always delivers inimitable work, thanks to a sophisticated lyrical bent (Bonner wrote poetry, too) and a beat tailor-made for the many juke joints where he cut his teeth and got his name. A solid sampling from Bonner's prime. ---Stephen Cook, AllMusic Review

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to solidfiles global-files

back

A1 	Let's Boogie On 	
A2 	Talkin' About Lightnin' 	
A3 	Well, Well 	
A4 	Mr. Downchild 	
A5 	B. U. Blues 	
A6 	Regent Sound 	
A7 	Things Ain't Right 	
B1 	Belfast Blues 	
B2 	Trying To Call Home 	
B3 	Mojo Hand 	
B4 	Texas Turnpike 	
B5 	Sun's Going Down 	
B6 	Where I Live 	
B7 	Travellin' Shoes

Juke Boy Bonner - guitars, harmonica, vocals
+
Bruce Langsman – guitar
Ron Skinner – bass
Melvin Wright – drums
Bonner – electric guitar, harmonica
John Lewis - piano

One-man bands weren't too common on the postwar blues scene. Joe Hill Louis and Dr. Ross come to mind as greats who plied their trade all by their lonesome -- and so did Juke Boy Bonner, a Texan whose talent never really earned him much in the way of tangible reward. Born into impoverished circumstances in the Lone Star State during the Depression, Weldon Bonner took up the guitar in his teens. He caught a break in 1947 in Houston, winning a talent contest that led to a spot on a local radio outlet. He journeyed to Oakland in 1956, cutting his debut single for Bob Geddins' Irma imprint ("Rock with Me Baby"/"Well Baby") with Lafayette "Thing" Thomas supplying the lead guitar. Goldband Records boss Eddie Shuler was next to take a chance in 1960; Bonner recorded for him in Lake Charles, LA, with Katie Webster on piano, but once again, nothing happened career-wise. Troubled by stomach problems during the '60s, Bonner utilized his hospital downtime to write poems that he later turned into songs. He cut his best work during the late '60s for Arhoolie Records, accompanying himself on both guitar and racked harmonica as he wove extremely personal tales of his rough life in Houston. A few European tours ensued, but they didn't really lead to much. Toward the end of his life, he toiled in a chicken processing plant to make ends meet. Bonner died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1978. ---Bill Dahl, allmusic.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to solidfiles global-files

back