This past week I could be found greatly enjoying a compilation that centered upon the very talented bluesmen who hailed from, or spent considerable time in, Brownsville, Tennessee.  Of course, guitarist and singer Sleepy John Estes and his superb blues work were represented on the CD I was reveling in, as were the excellent blues harmonica stylings of Hammie Nixon.  But I was held captive by another early blues guitar player and vocalist whose music, especially “Back And Side Blues,” once again startled me for its quality.  That bluesman was guitarist and singer (plus occasional kazoo performer) Son Bonds, and since I’ve not previously provided a brief glimpse into his life and career, now seems the ideal time to do so.

He was born Abraham John Bond, Jr. in mid-March, 1909 in Brownsville, Tennessee, a town in Haywood County, a region in the far western portion of the state.  Scant information is available on Bonds’ earliest formative years, as unfortunately is the case with so many blues artists, especially the pre-war performers.

So, we are only left with the far too familiar situation of not knowing how Bonds came to be interested in the blues and the guitar, but certainly what is apparent is that Bonds’ guitar flair and overall sound are steeped in the blues that the duo of the aforementioned Sleepy John Estes and Hammie Nixon were laying down in the fertile 1920s-1930s era.  In fact, there was more than a hint of Estes’ style in that of Bonds, with his consistent rhythmic strumming style.  Whereas, though, Estes was strictly a guitar playing bluesman, Bonds did record some gospel numbers during his career, added the previously mentioned reinforcement of a kazoo on a few cuts, and certain of his recordings show a more unbridled cadence than the more staunchly deep blues of Estes.  Bonds was not above livelier, and more frisky material either, making his catalog of work largely stimulating and more varied than most of his day’s and region’s blues entertainers.

Bonds recorded and performed under various names over the course of his career including Son Bonds, Son Bond, “Brownsville” Son Bonds, and Brother Son Bonds. 

His recordings beginning in 1934 up through 1941 indicate a motivated bluesman whose repertoire, as noted previously, was varied in tempos, subjects, and genres (i.e. gospel).  Whether it was straight ahead blues, more up-tempo, lusty offerings, or gospel, Bonds’ work was uniformly strong.  On Bonds’ recordings, both Estes and Nixon plied their individual efforts to the proceedings, but interestingly, both never appeared together on the same Bonds track, though one played on each of his outings.  Yank Rachell, the eminent blues mandolin specialist, also played on certain of Bonds’ cuts.

There is something uniquely satisfying on some of Bonds’ songs where he and Nixon participate in what almost seems akin to epic guitar-harmonica exchanges, yielding to an especially enjoyable listening experience.

But to this blues blogger, Bonds’ real strength was his towering, coursing vocal work.  And on his earliest tunes, where his guitar labors are a bit back in the mix, his singing make the songs top-shelf nonetheless.

The above-mentioned “Back And Side Blues” is notable for another very interesting reason.  The very musical framework of it served to greatly influence the upward trajectory of Chicago’s Sonny Boy Williamson I (John Lee Williamson), as it was the basis for his hit blues song “Good Morning, School Girl,” a 1937 release on the Bluebird label. 

If one was to select which blues songs represent Bonds at his best, it would be safe to indicate that “A Hard Pill To Swallow” and “Come Back Home” have stood the test of time. 

Bonds recorded up through 1941, employing the kazoo more toward the end of his recording timeline.  Chicago blues master and the wildly popular Tampa Red was using the kazoo on many of his recordings, so perhaps Bonds was seeing it as a way to increase his visibility.  Perhaps he was influenced by Hammie Nixon for the kazoo’s usage.  But all that is purely conjecture.

Unfortunately, Bonds met a tragic, almost unfathomable, death in late August, 1947.  The account goes that while on his home’s front porch in Dyersburg, Tennessee, he was approached by a neighbor, someone who was said to have significant difficulty with his vision, and shot dead by that person.  The neighbor, due to his poor eyesight, misidentified Bonds as another man he was having a long-running dispute with. 

For those interested in the work of Son Bonds, Wolf Records and JSP Records have compilations of his impressive blues music in their catalogs.  Bonds, though a somewhat obscure bluesman, is someone whose musical skill sets are indeed worth the investment of time to consider.