Sonny Rhodes • Born To Be Blue

 

Artist Biography by Richard Skelly
Blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter Sonny Rhodes is such a talented songwriter, so full of musical ideas, that he's destined to inherit the to seats left open by the untimely passing of blues greats like Albert King and Albert Collins.

Born November 3, 1940 in Smithville, TX, he was the sixth and last child of Le Roy and Julia Smith, who were sharecroppers. Rhodes began playing seriously when he was 12, although he got his first guitar when he was eight as a Christmas present. Rhodes began performing around Smithville and nearby Austin in the late '50s, while still in his teens. Rhodes listened to a lot of T-Bone Walker when he was young, and it shows in his playing today. Other guitarists he credits as being influences include Pee Wee Crayton and B.B. King. Rhodes' first band, Clarence Smith & the Daylighters, played the Austin area blues clubs before Rhodes decided to join the Navy after graduating from high school.

In the Navy, he moved west to California, where he worked for a while as a radio man and closed-circuit Navy ship disc jockey, telling off-color jokes in between the country and blues records he would spin for the entertainment of the sailors.

Rhodes recorded a single for Domino Records in Austin, "I'll Never Let You Go When Something Is Wrong," in 1958, and also learned to play bass. He played bass behind Freddie King and his friend Albert Collins. After his stint in the Navy, Rhodes returned to California while in his mid-twenties, and lived in Fresno for a few years before hooking up a deal with Galaxy Records in Oakland. In 1966, he recorded a single, "I Don't Love You No More" b/w "All Night Long I Play the Blues." He recorded another single for Galaxy in 1967 and then in 1978, out of total frustration with the San Francisco Bay Area record companies, he recorded "Cigarette Blues" b/w "Bloodstone Beat" on his own label. Rhodes toured Europe in 1976, and that opened a whole new European market to him, and he was recorded by several European labels, but without much success. His European recordings include I Don't Want My Blues Colored Bright and a live album, In Europe. In desperation again, Rhodes went into the studio again to record an album in 1985, Just Blues, on his own Rhodesway label.

Fortunately, things have been on track for Rhodes since the late '80s, when he began recording first for the Ichiban label and later for Kingsnake. His albums for Ichiban include Disciple of the Blues (1991) and Living Too Close to the Edge (1992).

More recently, Rhodes has gotten better distribution of his albums with the Sanford, Florida-based Kingsnake label. Aside from his self-produced 1985 release Just Blues (now available on compact disc through Evidence Music), his best albums include the ones he's recorded for Kingsnake, for these are the records that have gotten Rhodes and his various backup bands out on the road together throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. They include The Blues Is My Best Friend, and his 1995 release, Out of Control. On these albums we hear Rhodes, the fully developed songwriter, and not surprisingly, both releases drew high marks from blues critics.

Note: Sonny passed away on 14 December 2021.

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Biografía del artista por Richard Skelly

El guitarrista, cantante y compositor de blues Sonny Rhodes es un compositor tan talentoso, tan lleno de ideas musicales, que está destinado a heredar los asientos dejados abiertos por el inoportuno paso de grandes del blues como Albert King y Albert Collins.

Nacido el 3 de noviembre de 1940 en Smithville, TX, fue el sexto y último hijo de Le Roy y Julia Smith, que eran aparceros. Rhodes empezó a tocar en serio a los 12 años, aunque recibió su primera guitarra a los 8 años como regalo de Navidad. Rhodes comenzó a tocar en Smithville y en la cercana Austin a finales de los 50, cuando aún era un adolescente. Rhodes escuchó mucho a T-Bone Walker cuando era joven, y eso se nota en su forma de tocar hoy en día. Otros guitarristas a los que atribuye influencias son Pee Wee Crayton y B.B. King. La primera banda de Rhodes, Clarence Smith & the Daylighters, tocaba en los clubes de blues de la zona de Austin antes de que Rhodes decidiera unirse a la Marina tras graduarse en el instituto.

En la Marina, se mudó al oeste a California, donde trabajó durante un tiempo como locutor de radio y disc-jockey de circuito cerrado de la Marina, contando chistes a todo color entre el país y los discos de blues que hacía girar para el entretenimiento de los marineros.

Rhodes grabó un sencillo para Domino Records en Austin, "I'll Never Let You Go When Something Is Wrong", en 1958, y también aprendió a tocar el bajo. Tocaba el bajo detrás de Freddie King y su amigo Albert Collins. Después de su estancia en la Marina, Rhodes regresó a California a mediados de sus veinte años, y vivió en Fresno durante unos años antes de cerrar un acuerdo con Galaxy Records en Oakland. En 1966, grabó un single, "I Don't Love You No More" b/n "All Night Long I Play the Blues". Grabó otro single para Galaxy en 1967 y luego en 1978, por la total frustración de las compañías discográficas de la bahía de San Francisco, grabó "Cigarette Blues" b/n "Bloodstone Beat" en su propio sello. Rhodes realizó una gira por Europa en 1976, lo que le abrió todo un nuevo mercado europeo, y fue grabado por varios sellos europeos, pero sin mucho éxito. Sus grabaciones europeas incluyen "I Don't Want My Blues Colored Bright" y un álbum en vivo, "In Europe". Desesperado otra vez, Rhodes fue al estudio de nuevo para grabar un álbum en 1985, Just Blues, en su propio sello Rhodesway.

Afortunadamente, las cosas han estado en marcha para Rhodes desde finales de los 80, cuando empezó a grabar primero para el sello Ichiban y después para Kingsnake. Sus álbumes para Ichiban incluyen Disciple of the Blues (1991) y Living Too Close to the Edge (1992).

Más recientemente, Rhodes ha conseguido una mejor distribución de sus álbumes con el sello Kingsnake, con sede en Sanford, Florida. Aparte de su auto-producido lanzamiento de 1985 Just Blues (ahora disponible en disco compacto a través de Evidence Music), sus mejores álbumes incluyen los que ha grabado para Kingsnake, ya que estos son los discos que han llevado a Rhodes y a sus varias bandas de respaldo a salir a la carretera juntos a través de los EE.UU., Canadá y Europa. Incluyen The Blues Is My Best Friend, y su lanzamiento en 1995, Out of Control. En estos álbumes escuchamos a Rhodes, el compositor completamente desarrollado, y no es sorprendente que ambos lanzamientos hayan recibido altas calificaciones de los críticos de blues. 

Nota: Sonny falleció el 14 de diciembre de 2021.

Tracks:
01 - Born To Be Blue  3:04
02 - End Of My Hope  3:27
03 - Hide That Wine  3:25
04 - It's Not Funny Any More  3:30
05 - All Cried Out  4:18
06 - I'd Rather Be Hot Than Cool  3:05
07 - Five-Day Rain  4:50
08 - Can't Get Enough  3:31
09 - Satan  2:11
10 - She's My Woman  3:36
11 - Love Don't Get Old  5:14
12 - If I Had The Chance  3:01


Credits:
Sonny Rhodes - Guitar, Lap Steel Guitar & Vocals
Ace Moreland & Warren King - Guitar
Bob Greenlee & James Pritchard - Bass
Ronnie "Byrd" Foster & Theodore Brown - Drums
Doug Bare - Piano & Organ
Mike Galloway - Harmonica
Bill Samuel - Tenor & Baritone Sax
Charlie Bertini – Trumpet

1997

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