Gary "U.S." Bonds: Biography

• Overview
• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

• Videos
• Photos
• Groups/Boards
• Fan Sites

• Bruce Springsteen
• Mitch Ryder
• Steven Van Zandt
• The Turks
• Jimmy Soul
• Fats Domino
• The Blendells

• Chuck Berry

• Clarence Clemons
• The Fleshtones
• Bruce Springsteen
• Cliff Richard
• Willie Nile

• Church Street Five

• L. Anderson
• Gene Barge

Birth Name:

Gary Anderson

Born:

Jun 6, 1939 in Jacksonville, FL

Genres:

Rock 'N' Roll Oldies Music, Classic R&B Music, Rock Music

Decades Active:

1960's|1970's|1980's|1990's|2000's

Artistic Quality

Medium

Cultural Impact

Medium

Popularity

Medium

Ratings Guide

After moving to the Norfolk, VA, area in the mid-'50s, young Gary Anderson began plying his vocal wares, first in church, later with a local group called the Turks. When he was not yet 21, he was approached by local record producer Frank Guida to join his tiny Legrand label. Guida changed Anderson's name to U.S. Bonds, hoping the first release would get extra airplay by disc jockeys mistaking it for a public-service announcement. The result was the classic "New Orleans," combining rock-combo raunch with impassioned, scorched soul-singing that set the stage for all that would follow. Guida double- and triple-tracked Bonds' voice and the resulting murky production gave all the hits (including "Quarter to Three," "School Is Out," and "Dear Lady Twist") a party-in-outer-space quality all their own. Though he kept recording, making a couple of excellent solo albums in the early '80s with the help of Bruce Springsteen, Bonds is best seen today dotting the landscape of oldies shows the world over, singing the songs that made him famous.

- Cub Koda, All Music Guide