Gary U.S. Bonds
| Gary U.S. Bonds | |
|---|---|
Gary U.S. Bonds performing in 1981
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gary Levone Anderson |
| Born |
June 6, 1939 Jacksonville, Florida United States |
| Genres | R&B, rock and roll, pop rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1956–present |
| Labels | Legrand Top Rank Stateside Razor & Tie EMI Sue |
| Associated acts | Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt |
| Website | garyusbonds |
Gary U.S. Bonds (born Gary Levone Anderson, June 6, 1939, in Jacksonville, Florida) is an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, known for his classic hits "New Orleans" and "Quarter to Three".
Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Bonds lived in Norfolk, Virginia, in the 1950s when he began singing publicly in church and with a group called the Turks. He joined record producer Frank Guida's small Legrand Records label where Guida chose Anderson's stage name, U.S. Bonds, in hopes that it would be confused with a public service announcement advertising the sale of government bonds and thereby garner more radio airplay. His first three singles and first album, Dance 'Til Quarter to Three, were released under the U.S. Bonds name, but people assumed it was the name of a group. To avoid confusion, subsequent releases, including his second album Twist Up Calypso, were made under the name Gary (U.S.) Bonds. The parentheses were discarded in the 1970s.
Bonds' first hit was the song "New Orleans" (US No.6), which was followed by "Not Me", a flop for Bonds but later a hit for the Orlons, and then by his only number one hit, "Quarter to Three" in June 1961. "Quarter To Three" sold one million records, earning a gold disc. Subsequent hits, under his modified name, included "School Is Out" (#5), "Dear Lady Twist" (#9), "School Is In" (#28) and "Twist, Twist, Señora" (#10) in the early 1960s. In a 1963 tour of Europe, he headlined above the Beatles. His hits featured solos by the saxophonist Gene Barge.
"Quarter to Three" appears on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.
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