From: "Dik de Heer" Date: Sat Jun 1, 2002 2:04 am Subject: Born To Be With You : Johnny Bond JOHNNY BOND (By Shaun Mather) Born Cyrus Whitfield Bond, 1 June 1915, Enville, Oklahoma Died 12 June 1978, Burbank, California Johnny Bond grew up in a poor farming family, but by his death 63 years later, he'd carved out a name for himself as a singer, songwriter, publisher, TV host and western movie actor. His career kicked off in 1934 when he moved to Oklahoma and worked on radio, first as Cyrus Whitfield, then as Johnny Whitfield and finally under the alias Johnny Bond. In 1937, he worked with Jimmy Wakely and Scotty Harrel as the Singing Cowboy Trio and then the Bell Boys. The trio appeared in the film Saga Of Death Valley with Roy Rogers and became regulars on Gene Autry's radio series Melody Ranch as the Jimmy Wakely Trio. Following the break-up of the Trio, Bond wrote the standard Cimarron and began touring and making films with Autry and Tex Ritter. He also appeared in the western Duel In The Sun, alongside Gregory Peck. His recording career saw him work for Columbia Records and Autry's Republic label, with such stalwart recordings as I Wonder Where You Are Tonight, Your Old Love Letters, Mean Mama Boogie, The Little Rock Roll and I'll Step Aside. One of his best known numbers was the novelty, Hot Rod Lincoln which he cut for Republic in 1960. On Starday Records, he had a hit with Ten Little Bottles and its sequel, The Morning After. In 1952 he and booking agent William Wagnon started the legendary Town Hall Party tv show, which was filmed in Compton, Los Angeles. The line-ups were impressive, and luckily copies of these shows are starting to get issued (Gene, Eddie, Johnny Cash so far....) Bond also went into music publishing in 1955, forming Red River Songs, then with Tex Ritter and Wagnon he started Vidor Publications. They signed songs by Eddie Miller, Wynn Stewart, Tex Atchison, Tommy Collins, Freddie Hart, Lorrie and Larry Collins, Lefty Frizzell, Cindy Walker, Buddy and Billy Mize as well as acquiring two very valuable catalogs in Tommy Duncan and The Delmore Brothers. Recommended listening: The Very Best Of Johnny Bond (Varese Vintage VSD-5874). A collection of 17 tracks from various labels, 1955-74. Unfortunately there is no good CD overview of his long Columbia/OKeh period (1940-1958). Official website: http://www.johnnybond.com Johnny has written several books, including a Tex Ritter biography, and: Reflections : the autobiography of Johnny Bond. Los Angeles : John Edward Memorial Foundation, 1976. (Out of print.)