Gary U.S. Bonds’ Brooklyn Experience

Rock and roll legend Gary U.S. Bonds, who first made his mark with “New Orleans” and “Quarter to Three” back in 1960, has continued his seven-decade long career in the music world, despite continual challenges all along the way.

Laurie “Little Mama” Anderson, Gary US Bonds, Laurie “Big Mama ” Anderson / photo © 2012 by B.L. Howard Productions

Bonds tells Brooklyn Roads Magazine that he “grew up listening to R&B, pop, and country and western in Malcom, Virginia, where I was raised. My mom took me to my first concert at the Attucks Theatre in Norfolk to see Rose Jackson and Ivory Joe Hunter. I thought that was the greatest thing I’d ever seen in my life.

Gary US Bonds_Big Momma_Chubby Checker / photo ©2013 by B.L.Howard Productions

They had lights and suits and, oh, it was amazing to me. My eyes just lit up, my jaw fell down to my knees and from that day on, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”

Gary US Bonds forged his Brooklyn connection in 1962,  when he met Laurie “Big Mama” Cedeno  in Atlantic City and they decided to get married. They lived in Norfolk for a time, but as Bonds  told us, “she wanted to get out of Norfolk because of all the racial tension that was going on down there, which I kinda put up with because I had lived there all my life.” The couple moved to Brooklyn , as Gary put it, “she convinced me to get the hell out of there — best move I ever made in my life.”

With music venues closed for the most part, Bonds has been keeping his creativity flowing during the pandemic by working in his home studio. As he tells Brooklyn Roads, “I got this studio here and me, Big Mama and Little Mama (my wife and daughter), we kinda get down here and we make music. We create whatever we can. I got the band and talked them into putting little studios in their homes, so they create a lot of stuff there. They send it to me, I listen to it, put it all together, put my vocals on it and they (the girls) put their vocals on it and we come out with different things, which is pretty cool.”

B.B.Kings Marquee / photo © 2013 by B.L. Howard Productions

He adds: “We’re doing an album here — a blues album and it sounds pretty good. It should be out this year and I think it’s gonna be called Baby Blue. We’re gonna use songs from years ago and some new songs that have Baby in the title. I think its gonna be a great album. Check it out when it comes out.”

Gary U.S. Bonds and his band have once again begun doing live shows, including in Somers Point, NJ, and Concerts on The Green in Eatontown, NJ. Coming up is an oldies show in September in Wilkes-Barre, PA, with Jay & The Americans, Lou Christie and Brian Hyland.