Juke Boy Bonner (1932-1978)
Life Gave Me A Dirty Deal
Weldon H. Philip Bonner, better known as Juke Boy Bonner (22 March 1932 — 29
June 1978) was an American blues singer, harmonica player, and guitarist. He
was influenced by
Lightnin' Hopkins,
Jimmy Reed, and
Slim Harpo.
He described the bleak prospects of black urban existence in songs like
Life is a Nightmare, Struggle Here in Houston and Going Back
to the Country, accompanying himself on guitar, harmonica and drums in the
self sufficient one-man band mode of Joe Hill Louis and Dr. Ross. Born in
Bellville, Texas, Bonner was one of nine children; his parents died while he
was very young, and he was raised by a neighbour's family, and later, he moved
in with his older sister in 1945. At the age of twelve he taught himself the
guitar. He gained the nickname "Juke Boy" as a youth, as he
frequently sang in local bars accompanied by the juke box. Starting a musical
career as teenager, he won the first prize at local disc jockey Trummie Cain's
weekly talent show at the Lincoln Theater in Houston, Texas in 1948. Through
this he secured a 15 minute radio slot on a show operated by record retailer
Henry Atlas. After having three children with his wife, she left him to look
after the children by himself. Between 1954 and 1957 he recorded several
singles for the Oakland, California based Irma record label, but not all were
released at the time. In 1960 he recorded again, this time for the Goldband
Records, Storyville Records, and Jan & Dill Records labels. In 1963 he was
diagnosed with a large stomach ulcer, and had to have almost half of his
stomach removed in surgery. The shock of this operation, plus the social
climate of the times (which included civil rights riots and the assassination
of President John F. Kennedy) led Bonner to begin writing poetry, some of
which was published in the Forward Times weekly newspaper. Recovering from
surgery, Bonner worked as an RCA record distributor in Houston. Once his
strength returned he began playing gigs again in the local area. In 1967
Bonner recorded his first album for the Flyright label. Chris Strachwitz's
Arhoolie label released two albums, I'm Going Back to The Country (1968) and
The Struggle (1969) (Arhoolie would later issue some of Bonner's unreleased
1967-1974 recordings on 2003's Ghetto Poet). Bonner recorded mostly original
song material through his recording career. He was a guest at the Ann Arbor
Blues Festival, the American Folk Blues Festival, and the Montreux Blues and
Rock Festival. In 1972 he released an LP for Sonet Records, and in 1975
another one for the Houston based Home Cooking Records label. However, Bonner
was not able to support himself from his music due to little demand for his
work. Although he would continue to play and record sporadically, he had no
choice but to take a minimum wage job at a chicken processing plant in
Houston. Bonner died in his apartment in 1978, aged forty-six, of cirrhosis of
the liver.
(quoted from wikipedia.org)
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Juke Boy Bonner Fan Pages
Juke Boy Bonner tribute page at myspace.com.
Biographical Information on Juke Boy Bonner
Juke Boy Bonner biography at wikipedia.org.
Juke Boy Bonner biography by Bill Dahl.
Juke Boy Bonner biography at bluesmgtgroup.com.
Juke Boy Bonner Discographies
Juke Boy Bonner discography at wirz.de.
Juke Boy Bonner Audio Files
Juke Boy Bonner - Runnin' Shoes. MP3 file, runtime 02:23.
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