Gary U.S. Bonds born 6 June 1939

Gary U.S. Bonds (born Gary Levone Anderson, June 6, 1939, Jacksonville, Florida) is an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer. He is also a prolific songwriter.

He was born in Jacksonville, Florida and moved at a young age to Norfolk, Virginia, where he sang in the Church choir. In high school Gary joined a group called the Turks and eventually he came to the attention of Norfolk record shop owner Frank Guida. Guida owned the fledgling Legrand Records and arranged a session for Gary Anderson to record a song called New Orleans. But first, the singer's name was changed to Gary U. S. Bonds, a name that was inspired by a poster in a Norfolk shop urging Americans to "Buy U. S. Bonds." The shop was Codd's Deli on Princess Anne Road.

New Orleans became a smash hit record, reaching the top ten in the Fall of 1960. As a singer, Gary U. S. Bonds had a good, strong voice and Guida would intentionally record his songs to sound somewhat raunchy; the combination resulted in hit songs for both producer and singer. Local Norfolk group the Church Street Five had combined with a musician known as Daddy G to produce a song they called A Night With Daddy G. When Bonds recorded his version of it, backed by the Church Street Five and Daddy G, it was re-titled Quarter To Three. The rousing, frenetic recording became a huge hit and topped the charts in the Summer of 1961. Although it has been said that the group was unaware that the song was being recorded at the time they performed it, Bonds himself has said that this is not true and that he was fully aware that the tape was running as they were singing. "Quarter To Three" sold one million records, earning a gold disc.

                          

Bonds followed with three more top ten hits within a year: School Is Out, Dear Lady Twist, and Twist, Twist Senora. In a 1963 tour of Europe, he headlined above The Beatles. His hits often featured solos by the saxophonist Gene Barge. Then his career headed into a twenty-year decline, although he did write Friend Don't Take Her, a song that was recorded by country-western artist Johnny Paycheck in 1972.

In the early 80's, rock superstar/Gary U. S. Bonds-fan Bruce Springsteen began to use Quarter To Three as his encore when he performed in live concerts. Together with rocker Miami Steve Van Zandt, Springsteen helped to revive Bonds' career. Bonds was given some good material and good musicians with whom to work, and began recording songs and making live performances again. One of the songs he brought back at this time was Ritchie Valens' Come On Let's Go. In the early 80's Bonds once again put a couple of songs in the top forty.

Bonds released an album in 2004 called Back in 20, the title referencing his repeated sporadic pop-ups of popularity (his first hits were in the 1960s, then again in the 1980s, and now another significant album in the early 2000s, each 20-odd years apart). The album features guest appearances by Springsteen and Southside Johnny. Bonds was also inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on October 15, 2006.

Bonds is a member of Global Village Champions Foundation. Global Village Champions has provided over 417 million meals over the past 17 years. He was presented with the Global Village Champion of the Decade award in 2009. That same year he released a new album Let Them Talk and toured the UK as a special guest of Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings. Most recently, in 2010, Bonds contributed duet vocals on the song "Umbrella In My Drink" on Southside Johnny's album Pills and Ammo. Bonds is an honoree of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation and is also an accomplished golfer, often playing celebrity PGA Tour events. 

Gary U. S. Bonds continues to this day to be a good rock-and-roll singer, and today is a mainstay of the nostalgia concert circuit. Here's a link to his website: 

http://www.garyusbonds.com

(info edited from tsimon.com & Wikipedia)