Today, we are celebrating country music entertainer Johnny Bond’s birthday. He was born on June 1, 1915. Bond was known for the following songs that he wrote, “Cimarron,” “Conversation With a Gun,” “Tomorrow Never Comes,” “I’ll Step Aside,” and “I Wonder Where You Are Tonight.” However, the most successful song he was known for was his “10 Little Bottles.”
Before Bond became a country musician, he was a young boy who grew up in a poor family from Oklahoma. His love for music came from his parents’ old records that he listened to most of the time. Since he enjoyed listening to music, he taught himself to play the ukulele and guitar.
Johnny Bond’s Musical Inspiration
Bond was influenced by other country music artists, like Jimmie Rodgers, Milton Brown, Light Crust Doughboys and Gene Autry. He mostly performed cowboy songs, as it was the most popular subgenre of country music back then.
His Career
He began his career as a broadcaster on a radio show in 1933. After meeting Jimmy Wakely and Scotty Harrell, they formed their own group, The Singing Cowboys. However, they changed their name to The Bell Boys. Bond wrote “Cimarron” while he was with his group.
Acting Career
Johnny Bond and his group first appeared in the Hollywood film The Saga of Death Valley in 1939. After his first film, he became a regular on Gene Autry’s show Melody Ranch. Bond appeared in more than 40 films in Hollywood.
The End of His Acting Career was the Beginning of His Music Career
The last movie he appeared at was Song of the Wasteland. After his career as an actor in 1947, he focused more on writing and performing music. Bond recorded 16 studio albums from 1961 to 1971, wrote 123 songs, and had 13 singles that entered the US Billboard charts. His most notable song was “10 Little Bottles” which peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1965. It was also the first track from his album Ten Little Bottles.
In Addition to ending his movie career, he also left his old group and formed a new one called the Red River Valley Boys. They played some of his music and some west coast country songs.
Death
Bond died at the age of 63 when he suffered from a major stroke in 1978.
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birthday, johnny bond, ten little bottles