From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Mon Jul 1, 2002  1:12 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Eddie Bond

EDDIE BOND (By Jean-Marc Pezet)

Born Eddie James Bond, 1 July 1933, Memphis, Tennessee

Eddie Bond got it all, he was at the right place (Memphis) at the right time
(mid-50s), he made a living in the music business but never had the big hit.
A tale often repeated in Memphis, some succeeded where numerous others
failed.
Nobody played music in Eddie's family, he bought himself a guitar and
learned to play by ear, mostly country music. Upon his return from a stint
in the US Navy in 1951, he resumed his day job as a paint salesman and
formed his band, The Stompers, featuring Reggie Young on lead guitar
(who would become one of the best Memphis studio pickers).
They started touring, as far as Arizona and Arkansas, and with other
well-known Memphis musicians such as Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins or
Charlie Feathers. The group gained enough popularity for Eddie to
appear on the Louisiana Hayride. Eddie also became a DJ with local
KWEM radio.
In 1955, after have been rejected by both Sun and Meteor, Eddie
managed to have two singles out on the California Ekko label.
Early '56 saw Eddie signed to Mercury where he cut his most rockabilly
singles. Backed by the Stompers, they laid down fine examples of
Memphis rockabilly with thumping slap bass and lashing guitar solos,
"Rockin Daddy" (a Sonny Fisher original seemingly pitched to Eddie),
"Flip Flop Mama", "Slip Slip Slippin In" and "Boppin Bonnie".
Eddie then recorded for various Memphis labels, even creating
Stompertime Records as a joint-venture with Marshall Ellis.

The 1960s proved to be a busy time for Eddie, working on radio and
releasing several singles and LPs. In the early 1970s, Eddie put to words
lawman Buford Pusser's story, which eventually became a successful
Hollywood movie in 1974 with Eddie singing the theme song. Eddie also
became Chief of Police of Finger, TN!
Eddie never ceased to record, and finally made his first trip to Europe in
1982 for the Eindhoven Festival in Holland, recording an album with the
Dave Travis band on the way.
Since then he came over to play European venues from time to time.

Recommended listening:
- The best of the Mercury rockabilly siddes are on "That'll Flat Git It Vol.
11" - Bear Family BCD 16101
- A good overview of Eddie's early careeer is on "Rockin' Daddy" - Bear
Family BCD 15708 (double CD) and "Rockin' Daddy" STOMPER TIME STCD 1

Based on the excellent "Eddie Bond Story" by Dick Grant, Now Dig This 30