Juke Boy Bonner

Weldon H. Philip Bonner, better known as Juke Boy Bonner (March 22, 1932 – June 29, 1978)

Career Born in Bellville, Texas, Recovering from surgery, Bonner worked as an RCA record distributor in Houston. Once his strength returned he began playing gigs again in that area.

In 1967, Bonner recorded his first album for the Flyright Records. Chris Strachwitz's Arhoolie label released two albums, I'm Going Back to the Country (1968) and The Struggle (1969) (Arhoolie would later issue some of Bonner's unreleased 1967–1974 recordings on Ghetto Poet, in 2003). Bonner recorded mostly original song material through his recording career. He was a guest at the Ann Arbor Blues Festival, the American Folk Blues Festival, and the Montreux Blues and Rock Festival.

Discography Studio albums The One Man Trio (Flyright, 1967) I'm Going Back to the Country (Arhoolie, 1968) The Struggle (Arhoolie, 1969) Things Ain't Right (Liberty, 1969) The Legacy of the Blues, vol. 5 (Sonet, 1976)

Live album Last Live Recording (Juneteenth Blues Festival 1978) (Lunar, 1981)

Compilations The Adventures of Juke Boy Bonner in AuthentiCity (Home Cooking, 1980) The Texas Blues Troubadour (Home Cooking, 1989) They Call Me "Juke Boy" (Ace, 1989) Juke Boy Bonner 1960–1967 (Flyright, 1991) Life Gave Me a Dirty Deal (Arhoolie, 1993) Jumpin' with Juke Boy (Collectables, 1993) I Live Where the Action Is (Rockin' Blues, 1997) Ghetto Poet (Arhoolie, 2003) Nowhere to Run (Blues Factory, 2004)