Juke Boy Bonner and Watch Out! (Alexisonfire album)

Weldon H. Philip Bonner, better known as Juke Boy Bonner (March 22, 1932 – June 29, 1978) was an American blues singer, harmonica player, and guitarist. He was influenced by Lightnin' Hopkins, Jimmy Reed, and Slim Harpo. He accompanied himself on guitar, harmonica, and drums in songs such as "Going Back to the Country", "Life is a Nightmare", and "Struggle Here in Houston".

Contents 1 Career 2 Death 3 See also 4 References 5 External links 6 Sources

Career

Born in Bellville, Texas,:47 Bonner was one of nine children; his parents died while he was very young. Raised by a neighbor's family, 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, because he frequently sang in local juke joints.:47 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,:48 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 Houston Forward Times weekly newspaper.:50 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.:51 Bonner toured Europe in 1969 with Clifton Chenier and Magic Sam.:51

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. Death

Bonner's last performance was at a Juneteenth festival at Houston's Miller Outdoor Theatre.:51 Less than two weeks later, on June 29, 1978,:51 he died in his apartment, aged forty-six, of cirrhosis of the liver. See also List of Texas blues musicians List of West Coast blues musicians List of electric blues musicians

Watch Out! (Alexisonfire album) and Juke Boy Bonner

The cover art for this album is based on the lyrics from "That Girl Possessed", and was illustrated by Justin Winstanley, a tattoo artist who has done many of Dallas Green's tattoos.

The tracks on this album cover a variety of subjects. "'Hey, It's Your Funeral Mama'" is about go-karting, and "White Devil" is about cocaine and the band's previous experiences with friends who used the drug. "That Girl Possessed" is mainly about the girl played by Linda Blair in The Exorcist, and what she experienced during her possession. "Happiness by The Kilowatt", "It Was Fear of Myself That Made Me Odd", and parts of "No Transitory" are based on short stories by Kurt Vonnegut from his collection entitled Welcome to the Monkey House. The stories are "The Euphio Question", "Report on the Barnhouse Effect" and "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow", respectively. In turn, No Transitory/Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow are both oblique references to a monologue in act 5, scene 5 of Macbeth.

Two songs from this album are covered by indie-rock band Moneen in a conjoined EP release, The Switcheroo Series: Alexisonfire vs. Moneen.

Contents 1 Track listing 2 Japanese DVD 3 Certifications 4 Personnel 5 Videos 6 References 7 External links

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Alexisonfire.  Japanese DVD Accidents (Video) No Transitory (Video) LIVE IN JAPAN (from visiting Japan performance 2004 excerpt)* Offshot images* Cherishing photographs

* Unable to translate all of the information Certifications Personnel George Pettit – vocals Wade MacNeil – guitars, vocals Chris Steele – bass guitar Dallas Green – vocals, guitars Jesse Ingelevics – drums Julius Butty 'Juice' – Producer, engineer, mixer Brett Zilahi – Mastering Justin Winstanley – Art concept and illustrations Videos "White Devil" "Accidents" "No Transitory" "Hey, It's Your Funeral Mama"
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